The average age of start-up entrepreneurs is falling. However, you must have a lot of guts if you decide to start your own business at a young age. Where did these new kids get their inspiration and what could the older generation of entrepreneurs learn from them? This week MASTERS kicks off with 26-year-old Alexander Wijninga, founder of the company Watermelon. Text: Fleur de JongAlexanderWijninga was only 17 years old when he was introduced to entrepreneurship. In 2016, he was named most promising young entrepreneur with his online marketing agency. By his own admission, he was defined by trial and error to become the entrepreneur he is today. Today, Alexander has another successful venture called Watermelon: a company that develops software that allows other companies to centralize and automate their customer contact. In the young entrepreneur's busy schedule, there is hardly any time for hobbies. But the occasional game or training for running races is something he makes time for, because hard work, he says, also requires rock-solid fitness.
"Kind of crazy to say about yourself, but I'm really good at sales, I like that too. I'm good at inspiring and motivating people. Other people can do this too, of course, but that is something that sets me apart as a young entrepreneur. As a young entrepreneur, I notice that this is very important, because you come from nothing and still have to show what you have to offer. If you sit very quietly in a corner then others can quickly think you have no experience and nothing interesting to say. I really think you have to put on a bit of a big mouth if you want to be taken seriously in this world. Especially B2B, which is just rock hard business, you have to be able to deal with that. "
"Let's first of all say that I still have a lot to learn about entrepreneurship and certainly from the older generation of entrepreneurs. I think they can learn things from me especially in the area of new technology. How to make technology work for you instead of experiencing it as a block. This is something I often talk about with other entrepreneurs. And also something I've always seen during my career. As a young guy, I was constantly helping companies with social media, new technology, new trends, new networks and how to embrace it more and make sure that it really becomes part of their proposition, without being set off against everything new or changing. "
"Yes, I have a teacher, who is a very successful entrepreneur. He has been in the entrepreneurial business for 30 years and is exactly 30 years older than I am. I've learned a lot from him over the years. Also, I have an inspiration, which is really Richard Branson."
"If you believe in yourself you are invincible. As an entrepreneur you are assigned to yourself, you don't have a boss or someone above you telling you how things should be done. Where necessary, of course, you can always bring in consultants, but they don't always know everything either, so ultimately you have to do it yourself.''
"The biggest risk I took was that I built my previous company based on a hacked WhatsApp app. We then thought very carefully about what consequences that choice could have. That company also ended up going out of business. But we took that risk then very consciously and in the end we also learned a huge amount from it."
"In three years, the team will have grown to about 80 people, we will be active in several European countries and we are in the process of expanding to North America. And me, I will be living abroad."Do you know or are you another successful young entrepreneur? Please email then email Fleur de Jong(fleur@mastershq.nl) for opportunities.
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