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How 17-Year-Old Connor Blakley Went From A School Suspension To A Fortune 500 Consultant

This article is more than 7 years old.

As the business scene continues to evolve, young people are filling up the front lines by starting their own endeavours, which includes everything from boutiques and breweries to tech startups to large firms.

Connor Blakley — a 17-year-old high school senior — decided to get in on the action at an early age. At age 8, he would take rocks from his neighbors’ yards and try to sell the cool ones back to their front door.

And then, at 14, he started a city-wide homework-selling network that led to a suspension — and nearly an expulsion — but also the motivation he needed to start his first legitimate company, a social media agency which served over 50+ medium-sized businesses in the United States.

The entrepreneur, speaker and youth marketing strategist, currently runs the Gen Z division of Intercept Group, which supports brands like Microsoft, 3M, 7-Eleven, Unilever, Toyota and L’Oreal.

After watching a TEDx Talk delivered by Cameron Herold, former COO of 1-800-Got-Junk, he sent a cold email to him (and another six emails after no reply), which led to Herold mentoring the young entrepreneur.

Blakley’s associates, and mentors, now also include Jay Abraham, Joe Polish, Daymond John and Brian Solis.

The Shark Tank guru Daymond John and Blakley are collaborating on several projects right now. He is also working on his latest venture, YouthLogix, a youth marketing publication.

Inspired by the young entrepreneur, I had him break his marketing success down into five lessons.

1. You have to find what works for you.

Society often makes it seem like you have to follow a certain path if you want to be successful.

Starting out in the business as the young underdog, Blakley had to create his own way. Unlike what he had learned to do in the classroom, he needed to find a strategy that worked for him and not necessarily for everyone else.

“When I was first starting out I took the term R&D (rip off and duplicate) way too far. I would repeat what I heard experts say and hope clients hadn't heard it anywhere before,” Blakeley said.

A great entrepreneur also knows when to pivot and iterate over his or her idea, and that’s exactly what Blakeley did.

“But after doing this for a while I started coming up with my own original thoughts, theories and ideas. And this is when I started to see my business and personal brand explode.”

2. Deliver value upfront.

A big part of entrepreneurship is learning about yourself. Most importantly, it’s about learning where you fit into the marketplace and how you can help other companies.

Blakeley adds that “you have to know where you bring value, and stay in your lane. Often times I see young entrepreneurs trying to fake it until you make it a little too extreme.”

Do what you do best and do not veer too far off your path. Lots of times young entrepreneurs get distracted with little, inconsequential tasks that do not really help them progress.

3. Find your "why."

Having a why is really important. Without it, you are wandering purposeless in the world of entrepreneurship and are no better than any other hopeful founder.

“A few months ago, I was at a Genius Network meeting where Dean Graziosi took members through an exercise to help them find out why they really do what they do. This very exercise changed my life,” Blakley said.

“Knowing why you do what you do empowers you to become more self-aware. In every decision you make.”

He has not only found his why but is also using his platform to inspire others to follow suit.

Working with a purpose is also a great way to stay motivated. Entrepreneurship is an extremely difficult and taxing emotional rollercoaster with many ups and downs.

If you are not working on something that you truly care about, then it will be easy to give up along the way.

4. Always be learning.

The worlds of technology, marketing, and business are incessantly changing. What was true 10 years ago about consumer preferences may be completely wrong today.

The best marketers and entrepreneurs are most in tune with the present and are able to adapt to inevitable changes.

Look at how technology is changing today. According to Blakley, “Gen Z is the first generation that can take a selfie, order a pizza and FaceTime their friend all at the same time.”

If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you must be humble enough to accept that the customer is always right. You must also be okay with the fact that your own ideas are just assumptions.

He goes on to explain: “The best people I’ve met in the business come to work with a “willing-to-learn” attitude.” These are the professionals who will make it far, not necessarily because of their own ideas, but because of their willingness to listen to their customers.

5. Understand the difference between networking and connecting.

Building relationships is far more valuable than building contacts.

“My entire 17-year-old career I have made it a mission to be friends with the people I aspire to be like,” Blakley said. “I’ve learned this a vast difference between knowing someone and being able to call someone about life advice.”

In business, people come first. They are the ones who have the ideas, the experiences and the meaningful advice.

As soon as you realize that networking is no longer a task but rather a relationship-building lifestyle, connecting with people becomes that much easier.

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