“Part of my philosophy is driven by the fact that we’re all going to die,” entrepreneur and founder of Aduity, Tyler Reed says, “so be wise and plan for the future, but it’s a game … so take risks, the worst that can happen is you die.”
It is with this attitude that Reed, my hero after interviewing him and being amazed by his insight into everything from marketing, to mobile and social media, to entrepreneurship, has managed to launch two businesses in the social media and mobile space before he’s turned 25.
Deciding to buck the trend and start a business rather than completing his studies after school was a risk that certainly paid off and resulted in the birth of Younique, a social and mobile media consultancy, which drew 99.9% of its business through Reed’s blog. It would have been easy for him to give up along the way, as he mentions learning some hard lessons about business during this time, including rejection, but taking the risk paid off and by 2008, Younique was a highly successful company.
That would be enough for most people, but learning about the true value of social media and how it works in conjunction to mobile, Reed took the leap to shut down Younique in order to launch Aduity, focusing on mobile advertising. He explains this decision by saying, “If I don’t do this now, I’m going to kick my ass in five years’ time.”
However, not only is Reed passionate about entrepreneurship, he also embraces the need for education and to share his knowledge with others who share his passion. He believes that technology is becoming simply an extension of younger generations, but they still need to understand how to be responsible with it. On top of this, and perhaps more importantly, however, he also feels that the youth in South Africa need to be encouraged to take more risks, commenting: “When you get to the age of between 25 and 30, you should have a idea of where your career is going, but until then, take risks, go crazy – you have nothing to lose!”
He has the same philosophy when it comes to the marketing and advertising industry, encouraging brands not to give up should they face rejection, but rather to take the risk and try again. He says, “The biggest risk when it comes to advertising is that you might lose a customer; but for every one person who doesn’t like the ad, you might have 10 who do.”
His advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and anyone wanting to make it out there is to always do what you believe and don’t worry about the bottom line. He feels that if you’re willing to take the risk and you’re really good, potential clients will see that and be willing to give you a chance.
If only it were so easy for all of us to adopt that mindset as it is for Reed … I for one certainly aspire to be more like him.
