As the New Year approaches us, most teens can be found hanging with friends and soaking up the last few days of the holiday break. On the other hand, 19-year-old Ben Weissenstein will be shacked up in his office making phone calls, answering emails, and overseeing one of his 3 already established businesses (plus 1 charity).
With a thirst for knowledge and a hunger for money, Ben was fascinated with how a business ran from a very early age. While most kids were too busy with toys and games, Ben was the 4 year old helping his older brother with their first lemonade stand. Fast-forward to 15 years later and he’s been featured on Entrepreneur.com and has been interviewed by countless TV stations.
Check Ben out at BenTheCEO.com
Ben isn’t what most would consider an ordinary teenager. If anything, we’d like to call him extraordinary. We got a chance to talk to the young CEO and we’d love nothing more than to share the genius with our readers…
When did you first realize you wanted to be an entrepreneur?
I was really young – about 4 years old. My brother and I had our own lemonade stand and got our picture in the Houston Chronicle. I started my own business at 14 – Grand Slam Garage Sales.
What’s a day like for Ben the CEO? Do you see your friends as much as you’d like to?
Actually, I see my friends a lot but I’m always working. If we’re hanging out at my house, everyone’s playing video games and I’ll be on the computer or on my Blackberry. Thankfully, my friends totally understand and are completely supportive.
Is there time for a girl in the life of Ben the CEO?
No, not at the moment since I’m more focused on the businesses. Girls will come later. My baseball coach always used to say that you lose a lot of money chasing women but you can never lose women chasing money.
In the beginning, what were the biggest adversities you faced?
Honestly? Not knowing what I was doing. All I knew was that I wanted to be a professional. To help myself look the part, I remember buying Walmart polo shirts. I was 14 and had no credibility, building that and gaining respect was our problem. Not to mention, we were broke!
I just kept a positive outlook when problems came up. I realized that the solution may not come right away if we kept working; we’d figure it out.
Who were your biggest supporters in the beginning?
My mother, my family, and my friends.
Are you still in school? Do you feel that college is important at this stage in your life?
Yes, I’m a sophomore at the University of Arizona. College is something that I’ve gone back and forth with. I feel that it isn’t a necessity because I’m learning more through my business life but it does make me more credible. Besides, it never hurts to learn more.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Hopefully, Grand Slam Garage sale will be a franchise and The Entitled Group will be a major entertainment firm. Also I’d really want a large charitable foundation to be thriving and I’d still want to be helping companies through Bold Entrepreneur. Reality TV wouldn’t be too bad either!
Who are your biggest entrepreneurial role models?
Brian Scudamore of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, Donald Trump, and Matt Boswell of Pet Butler
What advice do you want to share with your peers?
Go for it and dream big! Anything’s possible. Looking back on what I’ve done, I realize it’s only a little of what I want to accomplish. It may be cheesy and cliché but it’s real – don’t give up and stay persistent.
What do you hope for this generation?
Of course, I hope the economy improves and that more people start taking risks. I want to see more entrepreneurs!
Where do you draw inspiration?
My mother. She’s a teacher and taught me to see big horizons and made me want to change the world.
Thanks for the interview Ben – it was awesome to sit down and pick your brain!
For more on Ben, check out BenTheCEO.com and follow him on Twitter!
