Black Friday Sale! 50% Off All Access

4 Reasons Why You Should Start a Business When You're Young Truthfully, there's no golden rule for when you should embark on your entrepreneurial journey. However, there are tons of advantages to starting a business early on in life.

By Due

Entrepreneur+ Black Friday Sale

Our biggest sale — Get unlimited access to Entrepreneur.com at an unbeatable price. Use code SAVE50 at checkout.*

Claim Offer

*Offer only available to new subscribers

This story originally appeared on Due

Shutterstock

If you've ever wanted to start a business, you're certainly not alone. Whether you think of the next best thing in tech or an easier way to deliver pizzas, the opportunities are truly endless. What separates the "wantrepreneurs" from the entrepreneurs is action. A great idea is worthless without execution.

So when's the best time to start a business? After years of experience working for a corporation? Once you've settled with your family? Truthfully, there's no golden rule for when you should embark on your journey. However, there are tons of advantages to starting a business early on in life.

Here are four reasons why you should start your business when you're young.

1. Fail fast, fail often… Fail early

This quote is used a lot in motivational speaking. We're told time and time again we need to fail in order to succeed. Like every motivational quote, you need to take it with a grain of salt. Yes, it's true that you will probably fail many times before you have a big win; however, you need to learn how to fail well.

When your business goes under, it sucks. You'll be discouraged and you'll have trouble motivating yourself for the next gig. This is why it's important to fail when you're young. I launched my first business fresh out of high school. After about a year, we decided to cut our losses.

I was discouraged for months. All that time spent down on myself was time wasted. That said, it's a good thing I was only 18 and full of energy at the time. Failing fast and failing often is important, but failing early is key. After your first big failure, the next few will be easy.

2. There's typically much less at stake

When we're young, we generally have fewer responsibilities. You probably don't have a family or a mortgage to pay, and if you're lucky, you're still on your parents' medical insurance.

Starting a business puts a lot at risk. Aside from your finances, you're also going to commit 110 percent of your time. Giving up a year when you're splitting a room with your co-founder versus a year when you're supporting a family is a huge difference.

3. Long-term assets

If done right, a business can be one of the best long-term assets you can build. Put in the time now, to make a passive income for the rest of your life.

If you're a millennial like me, you need to get started building assets as early as possible. If you simply trade your time for money, by earning a salary, you just won't get ahead in life. While it's tough, building long-term assets is always worth it. That said, you need to start as early as possible.

4. You'll get a taste of the "real world"

I've always been a hands-on learner. I was never able to grasp concepts in the classroom. I just needed to get out and do it. Classrooms and corporate positions are often very controlled environments. While you can definitely learn a lot, you'll miss out on some key lessons.

Starting a business is the perfect way to get your "real world" education. There's no teacher or manager telling you what needs to be done. You need to come up with your own ideas, marketing plans, fundraising goals, hire employees and much more. When you make a mistake, there won't be anyone to cover for you. These lessons are invaluable, and can only be learned from experience.

To be honest, it's never too late to start a business. However, there is an optimal time -- and it's in your youth. So get out there and get to work!

(By Renzo Costarella)

Due

Due

Due is a payments, eCash, online invoicing, time tracking, global payments and digital wallet solution for freelancers, small business owners and companies of all sizes.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Money & Finance

Why Donald Trump's Business-First Policies Trump Harris' Consumer-Centric Approach

President Donald Trump's pro-business agenda is packed with policy moves encouraging investment to drive economic growth. The next Congress has a unique opportunity to support entrepreneurship and innovation, improving U.S. competitiveness with the rest of the world.

Business News

Barbara Corcoran Says This Is the Interest Rate Magic Number That Will Make the Market 'Go Ballistic'

Corcoran said she praying for lower interest rates and people are "tired of waiting."

Business News

The Two Richest People in the World Are Fighting on Social Media Again

Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk had a new, contentious exchange on X.

Starting a Business

Why Are So Many Course Creators Struggling if It's 'Such an Easy Business'? Here's the Truth Behind the $800 Billion Industry

Creating an online course is so easy — at least, that's what many "gurus" would like you to believe. There's a lot of potential in the $800 billion industry, but here's why so many course creators are struggling.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business News

Here's How Much Money You Need to Make in Order to Be 'Successful,' According to Each Generation

A new survey by Empower outlines how Americans of different ages define success.