Getting started when young...

[Evert.de.Ruiter]

Well i'm not exactly that young, seventeen years old. But I'm in a pretty sh*tty situation. I always wanted to be a pilot, and I still love flying, but I don't want to work my butt of all my life to finally be free when it's no use anymore.

I read the book and I love it, really great advice, but I'm still stuck with my parents. They still think that I want to be a pilot , but i'm not doing to well on school (In the highest level of education, in the Netherlands) and i'm really thinking of quitting when I'm eightteen. But I want a steady income by then so I can live my dream life of being independent and doing all the things I would love to do, but couldn't because I would be working all day/night.

How should I start and how do I make an income so that I don't have to rely on my parents and I can get their trust. And can you guys recommend me some material on basic economics, cause I'm not participating in any of those classes on my school, only sciense.

Hope to hear from any of you guys soon,

Evert de Ruiter

[Sven]

Well Evert, first of all, your English is stunning!

It seems to me that it is not as s***y as you present is.

I believe that not doing well in school is compared to what other people think is important for you to learn. They may be right in general but not in your situation. May be you have to learn otther stuff. It could also be that your are bored stiff by what is taught and you need a real challenge. Find one and persue it and study so you will graduate.

maybe you can talk about it with your parents, they may surprise you in what they think about it. If they follow conventional lines you may need to find a mentor.

Most importantly, think of opportunities, not problems.

Good luck!
Sven

[HWilley]

I agree with Sven -- talking to your parernts and finding a mentor would be great. PLUS, you can use your youth to your advantage. Find a successful entrepreneur and tell himthat you'd like to learn from his experiences and take whatever wisdom he his willing to give. Because you are young (especially compared to other business-minded people) you can use it to your advantage. People are more likely to say "get-lost" to a 30 year old than they are to an 18 year old.

Finally, take advantage of the time with your parents. Stay in their place rent-free as long as you can and save money like crazy. If you were in the US, you'd need somewhere in the neighborhood of $3,500 to get started. Use this time now to work as much as you can (along with school) and then jump right in.

Good luck.

[outofbandii]

Personally, I'd talk to the parents, tell them about your entrepreneurial ideas - ask them about doing a degree (BSc/BA etc) in Business. That would certainly help you out and there's lots of choices available even if your scores aren't great.

btw, I almost flunked high school - really low scores, and I was top of class in college with 98% marks in my favourite subjects. Don't let the school system grind you down.

[Evert.de.Ruiter]

Thank you for your replies guys, and I guess you guys are right, it's better for me to just finish school, but the problem is I can't attend any of the business-schools because I don't got the proper classes for it. I will have to make a long detour before I can finally go to a business-school.

And the thing about my parents is that they are really narrow minded about taking risk on financial stuff. They think our house is an asset and all that general belief about money that just isn't true. And my brother always has been the economical guy and I've always been the technical guy, and to just tell my parents I don't want to be a commercial pilot anymore will really upset them.

And I would really like to have a mentor, but I'm not yet very good at networking, so the only entreprenuer I know is my brother, he wants to start a small internet business, but he also got the beliefs my parents taught us, so he won't really help a bit, he would just think I'm stupid because I would be taking to much risk.

I guess I'm kinda stuck at the moment :)

Thanks anyways for the suggestions,

Evert de Ruiter

[outofbandii]

Are you totally against the piloting idea now? Could you train to pilot and then start a business in that area somehow? Does it give you much free time (required layoffs)?

If you can, look for a Stuart Wilde AVI file "Mastery of Money" seminar. I don't know if this is actually on sale anywhere now. It's definitely worth a look and one of the things he talks about is our view of money.

Things come back to this: if you are really meant to do something, you will find a way to do it. If that means taking a year out and working in McDonalds while you complete the extra classes you need for business school, so be it. Find a way.

One of the things with your parents: they want you to be safe first and foremost, risk taking is not something parents want. Remember their motivations are caring about you and your safety - even if it's frustrating they usually mean well.

Don't let the obstacles get you down, nothing is insurmountable. Hey, have a look at these guys:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG0il3HBz8o
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPSUrR3ipQc

And what about Dexter?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOG83-TwIuM

Hey, nothing's impossible NOW, right?

[Evert.de.Ruiter]

First of all, thanks for the reply.

The thing is about being a pilot, you hardly get any free time at all, it's still one thing I would love to be, but the loss of free time (hardly any, you've got to be constantly on alert, thus be at home ready to fly. Meaning you can't go out cause you have to be in reach) is to big of a deal for me.

My father is a truckdriver, for all his life, and he's hardly ever at home. He now regrets not being so much involved in the raising of me and my brother. Although I love my dad, and the effort just to let me and my brother and mother to live a nice life, but I know their is a way to make enough money to later have my kids and wife a nice life and for me to have sufficient free time to do things I like, before it's too late.

You're right about the thing with my parents, all they want for me is to have a safe life, because that's what they've got. A nice house in a nice neighbourhood with a steady income and go on holiday to a sunny beach for two weeks, the normal life most of the population in the western world has. My parents just won't except the fact that I have a different point of views on how I think our life's should look like.

But I'm just bothering you guys with questions you could never answer for me, I have to answer them for myself.

I'll just have to confront my parents, tell them I don't want to be a pilot anymore but an entrepreneur. Which is going to be hard for me, cause my dad has told about everyone he knows that I'm going to be a pilot :).

Anyways, thanks for the reply,

Evert de Ruiter

[Sven]

Make sure you lead the life you want, not the one your parents want you to. Listen to their ideas and those of others, then choose your own path. Remenber its the trip that is important, not the goal.

There are more ways to being a pilot. I think you mean an airline pilot which is very expensive to become, you'll be in debt for the first part of your career. There are also helicopter pilots, to name just one.

Stop thinking in problems (it's not strange that you have this tendency, I think it comes from "safety" as your parents live their lives), seek out the challenges!
Sven

[outofbandii]

Actually, becoming a 'copter pilot is on my todo list, because it would be really useful for getting around :)

Evert: this may not need saying, but when you "confront" them be respectful and mature - don't lose your cool and get frustrated. And remember, there's ALWAYS a way. Hey, maybe go talk to your school guidance councillor for some advice.

Best of luck.

[Evert.de.Ruiter]

Thanks guys,

This radical change of plans for my future is going to be hard, but I know it's the best way to go.

I have one question though, what are the requirments for starting an online business. I know that a good idea isn't going to get me far. Do I need to be a MBA-like college graduate, or can I accomplish the same results by only reading allot of material on economics and business?

Cause that's the real hurdle I'm facing, dealing with my parents is rather easy :) , but if I want to start an succesfull online (seems the most logic way to go these days) business and I need a good education, that would really be an enormous detour, since I can't change classes and thus can not get into any business college. So I would have to take a whole series of classes and that could take a while.

Hope to hear from you guys sone,

Evert de Ruiter

P.S. Thanks for the awesome support sofar :)

[outofbandii]

Depends on what the business is. For example, I run an "online" business - but it's really a service business. I don't have many costs, and my requirements to start were the skills I'd learned. On the other hand, if I want to sell some widgets, I need some cash flow to buy them, etc.

You should have a local "enterprise board" or similar - check their website and ask to talk to them for advice.

List your skills and hobbies looking for knowledge that is saleable. Look for your opportunities.

[JRL]

Dude, you definitely do not need an MBA or anything even close to start an online business. Do you still have interest in becoming a pilot? There's really no reason why you couldn't do both simultaneously.

If you're interested in starting an online business, I'd recommend "educating" yourself with an internet business-specific course, such as the IMC's: http://www.marketingtips.com. I bought it in '04 and it's very informative, will give you all the knowledge you need with respect to starting an online business.

Going to business school will get you a job (trust me, I'm living proof), it won't really assist you in becoming an entrepreneur in any way. You should just go to your local bookstore and pick up books on the business school subjects that you'd need a brushing up on, whether that be marketing, accounting, finance, sales, etc. Much cheaper, much less time, and much more relevant for your career as an entrepreneur.