How Vision Can Empower Teen Entrepreneurship

Young Entrepreneur recently spotlighted Bill Gates in a recent post regarding vision.

As an author, philanthropist and chairman of Microsoft, Gates was asked by Fortune to explain the explosive success of his brainchild, Microsoft.  Without missing a beat, Gates answered “Our vision, which has not changed since the day the company was founded.”

To those with a passion for teen entrepreneurship this is profound because Gates and partner Paul Allen had been working on Microsoft – before it was Microsoft – since their teenage years.

With respect to Gates’ answer, a clear vision can do two things for you.

1.    Vision Can Motivate You. When you’re on the inside and you can see (and feel) what is required of you to make your business idea work, it’s easy to lose steam.  But a clear vision of what you want to accomplish and what you want to provide to others can give you that kick in the pants you need.

2.    Vision Can Keep You Focused. A clearly defined vision can keep you on track, pulling you back to where you want to be regardless of what else is competing for your time and energy.

To those young entrepreneurs out there, start with a clear vision of what you want to accomplish. When you lose heart, remind yourself of what it is you want to do and who you want to be because whether you’re 16 or 61, dreams do not discriminate.