Since starting my own company when I was 11, many people have asked me what it’s like to be in business at such a young age. Of course, I don’t have anything to compare it to, so it’s difficult to answer that question. I do know that it’s important to have a lot of confidence in myself, but I also realize that I don’t know everything.
This may sound contradictory, but it isn’t. I ask a lot of questions of almost everyone I meet and also do a lot reading on a variety of subjects. I try to be a well-rounded person who understands the world around me. And, in turn, this gives me the assurance that the decisions I’m making for my business are the right ones.
For any young person starting out, here are some tips that might be helpful:
- Don’t try to be a grown up. You are going to be one soon enough. The magic of your idea is in part because of your age. Very early on people saw the potential of my idea and wanted to run with it without me because I was so young. There were times during meetings that I wasn’t asked a single question about Grom Social. It was tempting for me to try to act more grown up but then my company would have suffered. It is successful because it is a site for kids built by kids.
- Make people believe in what you’re doing and surround yourself with them. There will always be doubters, but in this way you can face them as a team.
- As my company was being created, we met a highly successful gaming team. They had six kids, just like my family, and they immediately understood what we were trying to accomplish — they were a perfect match for our goals. Unfortunately, we had an investor who doubted our capabilities. He thought he could elbow his way in and start replacing our core team with his own people, which we did not allow.
- Focus on a goal. All of your decisions have to be in step with it. People are going to try to persuade you to go in various directions and you have to know where your focus lies at all times. My objective was to build the largest kids’ site in the world, which I knew was going to take time. On the occasions when growth slowed, people would try to convince me to change course. But I kept the faith and today we’re the largest kids’ social networking site on the planet.
- Understand that working on the weekends is normal. You’re going to miss birthday parties and concerts — but it will be worth it! Personally, I have missed New Years Eve, Fourth of July and Halloween the past few years. It felt like a big deal at the time, but looking back, I realize the time I spent working on my goals was more valuable to me than what I missed.
- Find a company that’s been successful in your market and try to learn as much as possible about it. The whole idea of Grom Social came about because my dad wouldn’t allow me to keep a Facebook account. I was fascinated by Facebook and tried to learn as much as possible about it. To this day, I know the benchmarks that Facebook reached as they grew and try to set similar ones for my own company.
- Articulate your business’ culture so that when you have to hire someone, you will know whether they will fit. Early on in my company, we made a key executive hire. This person was supposed to lead the monetization of our business and help us raise more capital. However, when it came to actually doing the work, he was not acting in our best interests. We were quick to let him go and learned from it in future hires.
- Don’t waste people’s time. Social capital is a very important currency when you are growing a business. When someone takes a phone call or a meeting with you, be prepared. Ask them directly what they can do for you. Be as specific as possible. Too many meetings or conversations lack a direct ask, which results in wasted time for everyone involved.
Recently, my team met with a heavy hitter in the world of animation. We knew that bringing him onboard could do really good things for our brand. I had very specific questions and “asks” of him. This person had flown all the way from Australia to meet with us, and I wanted the trip to be worthwhile for him — and us.
Zach Marks, 15, has been called a gifted prodigy who learned the basics of computer coding while still in grade school. Zach created Grom Social in 2012 as a place where he and his friends would actually want to hang out. Today, it has surpassed 1 million members, and has secured advertising from top-level movie and television companies, as well as toy and apparel manufacturers seeking to reach kids where they gather — online. Grom Social is also expanding globally, with a Brazilian version recently launched and other countries in the works. Grom Social recently teamed up with John Walsh’s organization, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (www.missingkids.com), to help bring greater awareness of the ever-increasing online dangers that face youngsters and provide information on what mothers and fathers can do to make them safer. Zach also has a growing national profile as an online personality and has made many appearances on television, including Fox Business Network and CNBC. Grom Social is based in Orlando, with Zach and his family spending time there, as well as their second home in Southern California.
