Good question. Depends on which one you "count." I started my first computer related business back in like 94 or so, doing in-home PC repair / maintenance stuff in the hicksville I lived in. I would have been 21 or so then.
But what I consider my first "real" startup is the project I'm working on now, Fogbeam Labs. IIRC, I was 36 when I filed the papers to create the legal entity... but the legal entity was actually originally created for what was going to be a consulting business... I just kept the name, structure, website, etc. when I decided to go the product route. By that definition, I guess I was 37 when I started my first startup.
I used to go on business trips and to trade shows with my Dad's electric vehicle startup in the 80s/90s. I was under 10 then. However, I'm putting down 24 since that is a little more realistic.
10: First entrepreneurial effort selling lemonade.
13: First software entrepreneurism selling a game on floppy disks.
16: First founded a company, ostensibly to make games.
18: First made a living contracting for myself.
25: First founded a company that became profitable and hired people.
IMVHO, I'd say it's like asking what was your first kiss.
You may discount the one you don't remember, the one with open or closed mouth, the one where you were interrupted half way and many other factors.
In the end your choice is what matters to you and thus what should matter to the poll :)
I usually consider a first company as when it trips the full time mark: either hiring a full-time employee or working in it full-time yourself.
So the web design gigs at 15 and forming an LLC for part-time consulting don't count.
I came up with this definition after reading a book where the author bragged he'd started 10 companies by age 21... by the above definition the number was actually 2 -- still impressive.
Even I started Pencilcoders at 18 , helping businesses build great social web experience ! We create Websites , Social Media Marketing for startups and are involved into Consulting ! We are about to Incorporate , so Does my startup count here ?
My first startup was started by some classmates and was at an incubator on my college campus. It was before I started studying computer science. In fact, it was the reason I switched my major.
Up to that point, it was the highest skill position I'd had. I earned $8/hour as a PHP developer, and it was the lowest paying job I've ever had. I made more working at my second job (Pizza Hut).
I did some entrepreneurial kid stuff at 12 but first real company was at 16. That said, the option for 16-20 and 20-25 are messed up. I assume it was meant to be 21-25.
When I was in 3rd grade, I took a small safe to school and tried to convince my fellow students to deposit their lunch money with me. I was completely serious. so while the venture sadly was not a success I believe it counts.
18, and i just joined two well-funded startup founders (both also 18) and moved to silicon valley to work for the summer. PS: I think this poll should be 'how old were you at your first funded startup.
that would also be interesting, but I was also interested in knowing about people who first got into the world of startups by being hired/joining after start.
So many interesting things to ask in a single monodimensional poll!
I interned at a 1.0 bubble company the summer prior to my freshman year of high school. I built a website for the church I attended for no particular reason, the CEO happened to be a member, and he thought it would be fun for me to come work for him. I couldn't agree more, because the alternative was carrying around heavy golf bags for another summer.
I had a really great summer working long hours writing ASP all day, befriending the college interns that also worked there (whom I still keep in touch with), and generally feeling all grown up and respected even at age 14. The only real disappointment was when I found out my boss made $70k/yr for doing more or less the same thing I did, but I was making minimum wage. That may have been the same moment I realized I needed to be my own boss.
As an aside, being a golf caddy (especially in scotland) was a pretty awesome job to have as a kid, you earned more money than you should be allowed to at that age for a nice walk in the fresh air.
According to this[0] page on his website, pjhyett grew up in the Midwest. As a fellow Midwesterner, I can tell you that you do not want to be outside all day, every day during the summer carrying golf bags, because it is burning hot.
I am 26 and am in the process of my first startup. Looking at all the young start-uppers makes me feel out of place. I am also just starting to code :| In fact when I was in college I hated writing code, but something about starting up wants to make me do it now.
What are the chances I will make it ? Low, I reason. High, I feel.
i had started a company when i was 19, when i was freshman at Technion. I was developing some stuff for SOHO-companies to make web branding \ identity very easy, with real feedback & customers. Year ago i left the company , it's still alive , they stopped working on product , just making CRM & other data management tools ( based on opensource stuff ).
The truth of Israel , now i'm coding for ministry of defense , as an army duty ;)
Buying big sticker packages and selling them individually in the school when I was about 9, I made a killing as a 9 years old :) From there to today did about ~20 different jobs, selling water in football (soccer) games, training police forces on computer security field, SaaS, making money from Adwords (when it was possible), penetration testing, selling t-shirts in bazaars, selling desktop software, etc...
First consultancy job at 15~, 2 failed companies between 18-22, about 5 failed web project around the same years.
Started my own company again at 26 again, been 2 years now, became profitable in first 6 months of starting to sell and so far so good ever since.
started Tutoring Advantage jr year at UCSB - connecting future doctors, engineers, and executives with struggling high school students :) most revenue & profitable company i've ever run (bubble? - more recently co-founded venture backed co.)
In 1999 I worked for a startup and was about to go to college. I was asked by the CEO to drop out of school and get a huge salary - I opted not to take the option and go to school instead. Turned out to be the right choice as they were out of business 6 mos. later.
Missing the first week of first year is a bad idea. 80% of college is meeting new friends. Initiation week (frosh?) is pretty awesome experience you will never get again. Money alone isn't everything.
81 comments
[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 146 ms ] threadBut what I consider my first "real" startup is the project I'm working on now, Fogbeam Labs. IIRC, I was 36 when I filed the papers to create the legal entity... but the legal entity was actually originally created for what was going to be a consulting business... I just kept the name, structure, website, etc. when I decided to go the product route. By that definition, I guess I was 37 when I started my first startup.
<shrug />
In the end your choice is what matters to you and thus what should matter to the poll :)
So the web design gigs at 15 and forming an LLC for part-time consulting don't count.
I came up with this definition after reading a book where the author bragged he'd started 10 companies by age 21... by the above definition the number was actually 2 -- still impressive.
Up to that point, it was the highest skill position I'd had. I earned $8/hour as a PHP developer, and it was the lowest paying job I've ever had. I made more working at my second job (Pizza Hut).
I was 19 when I started.
So many interesting things to ask in a single monodimensional poll!
13: Illegal firecrackers to friends in high school (they're illegal where I live in Canada)
14: First internet venture - started a hosting company with a good friend of mine
15: Sold my first blog (Mac-software blog) and was hired to start another by a blog network
16: Started affiliate marketing with the SEO knowledge I gained at the blog
17: Hired by a local startup as their marketing manager
18: Started working fulltime as an internet marketing consultant
Turn 20 in a week. Not really sure if any of them would count as a startup.
A friend and I sold soft drinks to fishing people, then sold them fish at the end of the day when they couldn't catch anything.
Raised the investment from my Dad, but went bankrupt weekly by spending it all on video games and lollies.
Around the same time I also had little businesses fixing bike tire punctures, and mowing lawns.
I had a really great summer working long hours writing ASP all day, befriending the college interns that also worked there (whom I still keep in touch with), and generally feeling all grown up and respected even at age 14. The only real disappointment was when I found out my boss made $70k/yr for doing more or less the same thing I did, but I was making minimum wage. That may have been the same moment I realized I needed to be my own boss.
0: http://pjhyett.com/2008/07/23/i-%3C3-san-francisco.html
What are the chances I will make it ? Low, I reason. High, I feel.
So does that make me stupid?
The truth of Israel , now i'm coding for ministry of defense , as an army duty ;)
First consultancy job at 15~, 2 failed companies between 18-22, about 5 failed web project around the same years.
Started my own company again at 26 again, been 2 years now, became profitable in first 6 months of starting to sell and so far so good ever since.