There’s a lot to be said for the wisdom of youth.
This was brought home to me on recent episode of the Bond Appetit podcast. My partner in conversation was Brisbane teen tech entrepreneur Scott Millar. To put it in perspective, Scott started his hologram company, BOP Industries, when he was just a 14-year-old school student. Now at 18, he’s an industry leader, travelling the world and in charge of a staff 15.
What’s particularly interesting is that Scott doesn’t see himself as a tech wiz kid. By his own admission, he’s nothing special. And that’s the beauty of his message, a message that he now shares with some 60,000 students across Australia each year.
If I was to sum up Scott’s strategies for success, it would go something like this: don’t overthink it, don’t worry about what you don’t have, don’t be concerned with what other people think; and, most of all, to borrow a slogan from that ubiquitous sport shoe brand – just do it.
Here are some of the gems that came out of our conversation.
You don’t have to follow the traditional path
Scott: “That’s one of my biggest drivers, especially in the education space. It’s just to show people that there’s more than one pathway out there. You don’t just have to go to university. You don’t just have to get a regular career. You can go and do a whole range of different things.”
“You don’t have to wait until you graduate or you get a degree or anything like that before you can really start making a difference in the world. And you can do it from anywhere in the world. All you need is a laptop and an internet connection.”
Share your ideas with friends and mentors of all ages
Scott: “I’ve got a couple of different circles that I’ve found to be really helpful. I’ve got my close friends, which I love dearly, but they’ve got no interest in and no background in business what’s so ever. At the same time, I’ve got an awesome group of mentors, partners and connections in the business space that I can go to and bounce ideas off.”
“I definitely recommend having that mix of opinions and also people to talk to.”
Don’t get hung up on what you don’t have
Scott: “That’s my favourite thing. It’s just challenging people and saying, hey, this is totally viable. I wasn’t a special kid by any means. Anyone can do it.”
“I wasn’t born into a business family or anything like that. I wasn’t mentored by Richard Branson. I have no really special features about me that you could look at and say, yeah, he was destined to do this.”
“For me, I wasn’t a coder. I don’t want to be a developer. But I’m really creative. I’m really hands on, and I still really want to work in tech.”
Find your passion
Scott: “I think that anyone that has the power, the passion and determination and drive, anyone can be doing what I’m doing.”
“I’m very much the kind of person who believes that, if you work hard and you’ve got a true passion for what you do, if you’re in it for more than just money, if you’re in it because you’re really passionate about it, then it never feels like work. So for me, I work 10 to 14 hours a day, but it doesn’t feel like work, and your work will genuinely excite you.”
Hear the entire conversation with Scott Millar here.
https://mustamplify.com/bondappetit258/
Author: Ronsley Vaz
Ronsley is the founder & chief day dreamer at AMPLIFY. He is an author, speaker & serial entrepreneur.
He has a Masters’ degree in Software Engineering and an MBA in Psychology and Leadership. He is known as the creator of We Are Podcast – the first Podcasting Conference in the Southern Hemisphere, and the host of The Bond Appetit Podcast and Should I Start a Podcast. He has an audience of over 3 million in 133 countries.