Business Empire Magazine provides how to's and articles for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs

Bryan Young is currently a 22 year old junior, enrolled in the entrepreneurship program at North Carolina State University located in Raleigh, NC. He is a former military brat that was first touched by the entrepreneurial spirit at the tender age of 6. Known for his creativity, resourcefulness, and usability he brings a wealth of marketing and sales experiences to his clients. Although young he has been instrumental in building three different million dollar companies and more than fifteen other small businesses that produce annual revenue of over $250,000. 

When Bryan was 6, he started to learn how to do business from watching local drug dealers and street hustlers which he refers to as "street entrepreneurs". His grandmother ran an illegal but successful operation bootlegging liquor from her low income home. After his younger cousin went to sleep, out of boredom he would keep up with her inventory and sales. After a few weeks he knew exactly what everyone would order from memory and would prepare it as they came in. He would use the money he made from tips to take his younger cousin to the local convenience store and to hustle other neighborhood kids. 

In the fifth grade Bryan would take his lunch money and buy candy at wholesale prices from a gentleman in his neighborhood and then sell it at a markup. When people wanted certain types of candy in which he had a short supply of it would often creating bidding wars between classmates, which was not intentional but he used it to his advantage--knowing if he didn't sell the candy he didn't eat lunch that week. Fortunately, that never happened, he usually sold out before lunch. Before starting he spent weeks walking 20 minutes to a bus stop near a guy who sold candy before and after school to gauge his prices even though the bus he was suppose to ride stopped right in front of his house. Over the next few weeks Bryan began to notice the decrease the number of kids looking to by candy from the gentlemen. Feeling bad that he was slowly running the gentleman out of business, Bryan told him he would stop in return for all the free candy he wanted. The gentleman immediately accepted and Bryan never sold candy again even though the gentleman was willing to share revenues. "I was 22 the first time I told my mom about what I did. To say she wasn't happy is an understatement so I can only imagine how she would have reacted back then if she had found out," Bryan said. "I often gave my little cousin and close friends free candy to keep them quite but hiding everything from my mom was becoming too much of a headache."

When he was younger he used to always take rubber bands and write inspirational words or quotes on them. When companies started manufacturing them his mother realized that helping her son develop his business sense would prepare him for a better future. With his weekly allowance Bryan bought a lawn mower and started a lawn care service using his mom's co-workers as his main clientele. "I think many just wanted to support me because I was showing initiative," says Bryan. At 12 years old, an idea that started out cutting a few yards a week turned into a business that pocketed Bryan over $500 a week in profit, with employees and a landscaping service. After doing research with his mom he eventually decided to base his prices off of military rank . Not only did this determine income but it also determined where clients lived and the size of their yard, expanding his target market.

At 17, just before he became a senior in high school he couldn't find a job and out of frustration wrote a business plan to start a long haul trucking company (18-wheelers) with his mother. Instead of buying his first car he purchased the first 18-wheeler to start the company instead. The company included a brokerage firm and fleet of more than 16 trucks that produced gross revenue of over $5 million by the time he was 19. Just a few months before his 21st birthday the rapid growth of the business nearly sent him bankrupt, but he managed to restructure the business so that it could stay afloat during the tough economic conditions.

"Going forward with building my mother's 7 bedroom dream home went against every business instinct that I've ever had, it was too big, too expensive and we were still in the start up phase even though the company was doing very well. But my mom is my role model and I don't know anyone who shares a bond as strong as we do that would have passed up on the opportunity to make a dream come true. After spending 20 hard years in the military and raising a child as a single mother supporting her dreams was the least I could do, she had already spent many years supporting mine. My mistake was not building a house. My mistake was planning for everything except economic disaster and being ready to easily adapt. The experience humbled me and challenged every relationship I had but I learned many valuable lessons about life that has helped me become a better businessman and person. Of course I wish the outcome would have been different but I think it needed to happen. I found out who I really was and we’re still trucking!" Bryan said.

Less than a year after nearly going bankrupt he was being recognized again as an up and coming entrepreneur. This time he didn't feel he deserved the credit but what a difference a year made. Through business advising Bryan has been involved with more than 15 entrepreneurial ventures so far. Including the trucking company he has also helped turn a construction company and airplane part manufacturer into multi-million dollar companies. However, he has also had jobs working for places like Little Caesars and Best Buy. He says that, "I took these jobs to see not only if that type of business would be one that I would want to run in the future but to understand how it feels to be an employee. My mom preferred that I focus on school but I learned early on that you can not be a good leader until you understand what it is like to be led."

At 18, he worked for a company that installed computer systems for the government to bring home a salary during the start-up phase of his company. He came on really as an assistant but only did that for the first day. The owner was a gentleman by the name of Mike Foreman and Mike treated Bryan more like a son than an employee. In the end he was offered a six figure salary to join Mike's company. However, their next assignment was in the middle of the war in Iraq and he turned down the offer not only because he was in love but he also wanted to be around his family to provide a positive male figure for his brother and cousin's. His trucking company that was just a year old and he had only taken the job to create some income while the company continued to grow. Mr. Foreman did teach him a lot of things in the talks they had but he re-enforced the fact that hard work does not always go unnoticed and the best leaders are those that understand what the people they are leading go through on a daily basis.

Bryan continues to learn from a business and personal standpoint on a daily basis. He was once ashamed that he thought differently from his peers as he was usually the youngest of the group but praised by their parents for his maturity. His friends would give him a tough time and their military parents didn't see entrepreneurship as a stable career at the time. He rarely openly discussed his entrepreneurial experiences with anyone until he was nearly 19 years old. His experiences and passion to help others created the vision behind Businessempiremag.com.