Jason O’neill is one of our youngest entrepreneurs to be featured on Start at 10. He entered into the world of business at the age of 9 with a creative idea of which gave birth to Pencil Bugs. So far, he has being featured on Forbes, NBC and many other news outlets.

Introduction about you

I am 14 years old and currently in 8th grade.  Some of my interests are computers (especially video games and creating graphics), photography, math, and performing (singing/acting).

Introduction of your business idea

My business is Pencil Bugs which currently consists of five products but I am always working on new ideas to add.  Pencil Bugs are handcrafted, colorful bug-like pencil toppers that come individually wrapped with a #2 pencil but are still removable so kids can put them on another pencil, pen, or even a marker. There are eight different colors to choose from and each comes with a Certificate of Authenticity so customers know they are getting an original Pencil Bug.  I also offer bookmarks, original design greeting cards, and birthday invitations/thank you cards, all featuring the Pencil Bugs characters.

Where did the idea come from?

I really started my business by accident.  When I was nine, my mom was painting some crafts to sell at a craft fair. I had the idea that if I helped her paint them, she would split the money she made with me. Instead, she suggested I make my own product to sell.  So after drawing out a few designs on paper and then thinking about what materials I could use to make my product, Pencil Bugs were finally born.  While I had lots of product ideas, I wanted to make something that might make doing homework a little more fun.  I’ve always been good in school and I didn’t mind doing homework but I knew not all kids were like that.  Having a Pencil Bug on your pencil is fun for people of all ages.

How has your age helped or hindered you?

Being a kid entrepreneur has its advantages. Many people want to support you simply because of your age. They like seeing kids of any age do positive things so I have had a lot of support and encouragement since I started.  Plus being a biz kid draws a lot more media attention because there is so much interest in young entrepreneurs lately.   Being young hasn’t really hindered me although in the beginning, every once in awhile, someone would ask my parents if I was really doing the business myself.  Their response then and still is today, is that no one can do it alone, especially a kid.  Even though I couldn’t do everything myself, my parents taught me how to do the accounting, make a sales call to a store, update my website, marketing, as well as many other parts of my business.  Of course, we all became very experienced at making my products because that alone takes a lot of work. Thankfully, my parents are here to help and they work for FREE!

Most important business lesson you learned

Things take time. If you want to succeed at anything, you can’t give up.  We have been working with a manufacturer for many months trying to have Pencil Bugs mass produced. That has taught me a lot of different parts to business, more than I can list here but definitely that nothing happens overnight.

Biggest mistakes you ever made in business

Thankfully, I haven’t made any big mistakes and fortunately because I started really small and went very slowly, I can’t think of anything I’d call a mistake.  At least none that amount to anything.  One of the biggest mistakes I see other business people make is that they expand too quickly, take out huge loans and go into debt before they have a proven product or service to offer.  Financial mistakes are probably the worst to overcome.

What advice do you have for all other teenagers in business ?

The best advice I give is to at least try your ideas.  Too many people, young and old, just think about doing something but never take action.  Nothing will happen if you just sit on your ideas.  Once you decide to try, then find other people who are willing to support and encourage you because you are going to need it, especially when things get tough . . . and they will at times.  Then when you have those moments when you want to quit, don’t give up.  It doesn’t mean that you failed. It might just mean you have to take a different direction than you originally planned.

Long term plans you have in mind

I am working on several books and even if you self-publish, that is a long process.  I also have a prototype for a board game and a design concept for a video game, both with Pencil Bugs themes.  After I graduate from high school, I plan on going to college. I would like to be a video game designer just for fun but still have my business to support me financially.  If all of my plans came together, Pencil Bugs would become an empire with lots of products, a cartoon series, and maybe even some day, “Pencil Bugs: The Movie.”  I have high hopes, but you need to.

If you will like to know more about Jason O’neill and his business you can follow him here http://www.pencilbugs.com/index.html

• No Related Post