HeatherO

9Miles From Normal

HeatherO on 11 17, 2009

Think all “kids” are game playing, texting, youtube watching couch potatoes? Think Again! The current “economic crisis” has left many adults asking the question, “what do I do next,” and wrestling with a reality that doesn’t look anything like they thought it would. Yet there is a movement taking place, a revolution if you will…young people around the world are taking the ‘lemonade stand’ to levels that most can’t even imagine. Ben Armstrong of Raleigh, NC is one such young entrepreneur. I discovered his company, “9Miles Media” online, and was fascinated. This is from the “about” page on the 9miles Media website: 9Miles Media was founded by two entrepreneurial teens in Raleigh, North Carolina in October 2008. Our entire organization is based on

giving already-talented teens the opportunity to foster their creative skill-set and learn important life & business lessons along the way. It is upon these principles that the group has grown to include 5 members, age 13-16, in three countries, with a very unique range of creative skills.

We’ve had an amazing journey coming to where we are today, and now feel confident that we can provide you a professional and competitive solution in a timely manner. We adore what we do, and you’ll adore what we can do for you.

Curious about what makes these kids different, I contacted Ben and two other members of his team, Joel Drapper, age 16 of Dorsett, UK and Donald Harvey, age 15 of Durham, UK. Here is what I learned: They all connected via social media with the intention of meeting other like-minded teens and “learning from others”. Interestingly, they have a very collaboration focused mindset placing greater values on teamwork than the “go it alone” approach. When in need of support, they serve as each other’s support system, although each one of them emphatically listed their parental support as being one of the key factors in their individual success.

Joel and Donald are both home-schooled, which seems to be the case for the vast majority of entrepreneurial tweens and teens. I asked them if they had any thoughts on why this might be.

Donald: I think it’s to do with the fact that one-to-one tuition really improves self-confidence and also helps you learn to motivate yourself more easily – there are no peers to distract you or to pressurize you into doing certain things which you wouldn’t ordinarily do. (Joel agrees)

Ben: (who is in US public schooling) I think maybe seeing all of the quote on quote “average kids” who do “just fine” going to school, playing sports, and coming home, then doing it again the next day makes you lose focus off of what you could do in the long-term. Furthermore, Teachers don’t focus truly on student success in the broadest sense, but instead their test scores.

Each of them also reflected on the advantages of being young, or at least pre-college in age and mindset. “A real blessing that we have right now is being able to not be so centered “on the money,” Ben replied. “In addition, we don’t have to

provide for ourselves at the moment, our parents of course provide for our basic needs – therefore we don’t have to worry so much about making mistakes, knowing that it’s not the end of the world if we do make them and allowing us to learn more by not having that element of risk as much,” said Donald.

Like many adults, teens tend to find the responsibilities of work, school, homework and daily chores overwhelming time-takers, often not leaving time for their respective projects. Ben’s response to this was simply, “I don’t find time – I make time. You can’t really “find time”. Everyone is busy, but if you are committed to something, you do make time for it.”

One of the most telling questions I had the chance to ask them about was about their goals, what was driving them to do the things they were doing. The answers I got back were nearly identical and very surprising to me. “To learn, grow, connect with others, and to create and enjoy amazing experiences along the way.” No sales quotas, financial goals or success as most grown-ups would measure it, just learning, growing, sharing, and enjoying the ride! I wonder how much more successful “grown up businesses” would be if this were the focus!

All three repeatedly expressed the importance of continuously learning. When I asked more about this, I found it interesting that they would rather learn from other, like-minded teens or just teens rather than from us grown-ups. They all felt that adults often come across as patronizing to them. Keep in mind, many entrepreneurial teens have already earned more than many adults do in a lifetime.

What do they want you to know about 9Miles Media?

“What we’d like to tell the world about 9miles Media is that we aim to bring together the talent, personality, professionalism, experiences, and values of ordinary young people doing extraordinary things. We try to learn those very important life-skills of honesty and integrity along the way, and I believe that it has very positively impacted our lives,” said Ben.

I asked Ben if he had a message to share with other entrepreneurs, young or old, to which he replied, “I think the most important thing in this business is being able to know when it is time to be professional and when it is time to be quite friendly. I think being very personable is a huge aspect. Beyond that, if you plan for the unexpected, and actually enjoy making a mistake and learning from it you can have great rewards. People often think that they can’t do something like starting a business because of their family or financial background – I disagree completely. Just put yourself out there and keep yourself focused on what you want to achieve. I like to tell people (and this has special meaning to me as a pilot) ‘The sky is the limit, so shoot for the stars!’ I think that’s true for anything you do in life.”

These are all great lessons…at any age!