Young Entrepreneur: Jason O'Neill (14 years old)
Business: Pencil Bugs
Website: www.pencilbugs.com
Twitter: @pencilbugs

I am an award-winning 14-year-old entrepreneur, speaker, and author.  I started my business, Pencil Bugs, in 2005 when I was nine years old.  Pencil Bugs are a hand-crafted, pencil topper that is removable so they can fit over another pencil, pen, or even marker.  At nine years old, I wasn't planning on starting a business.  My mom was making a craft to sell at a craft fair and I thought that if I helped her, she would split the money with me.  Unfortunately, she said that I had to come up with my own product, so I did!  I thought that my idea was going to be a one-time thing but before long, I was taking more orders and selling Pencil Bugs to classmates, teachers and parents.  One thing led to another and soon I set up a legal business.  A few months later, I added laminated bookmarks with the Pencil Bugs characters and last year, I designed a line of greeting cards for all occasions.  In June, 2010, my first book, Bitten by the Business Bug: Common Sense Tips for Business and Life from a Teen Entrepreneur, was published.  That was really an exciting process and it has given me more great opportunities to share my story and encourage people of all ages to try their ideas.

Because helping others is important to me, every quarter I use a portion of my proceeds to buy toys, games, books, and other activities for kids at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego, California.  In addition to that, I also have an annual fundraiser.  In 2009, I raised over $5,000 which enabled me to buy 1800 teddy bears for the kids.  It was such a success that I already started on this year's project and hope to top last year's amount.  Please visit http://www.pencilbugs.com to learn more about my fundraiser.

Some of the highlights from having my business include being named on a Forbes Top 10 list of Role Models 18 and Under at age twelve with celebrities like Miley Cyrus, Nick Jonas, and Olympic Gold Medalist Shawn Johnson. I was the youngest at eleven to receive the Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award by the Young Entrepreneurs of America.  My story has also been featured in books by best-selling authors including Chicken Soup for the Soul: Extraordinary Teens and The Richest kids in America, as well as other books and even a few textbooks.  I have been in numerous newspaper and magazine articles and also have appeared on TV several times including episode #301 on PBS BizKid$ and the premiere episode of the new series, The Young Icons.  The journey to this point has been incredible and very exciting!  I never know what might happen next.

Independent Youth wants to know...

What is Your Business Tip for Teens?
The main thing is to try your ideas because you never know what can happen.  Doing nothing guarantees nothing.  Just remember not to get too stuck on one goal because you might miss other opportunities along the way if you don't keep your eyes open.  Also, don't think you have to do this alone.  There are many people who are willing to help kids when they see them doing positive things.

What is the Best Part of Being an Entrepreneur?
The best part about being an entrepreneur for me is public speaking, inspiring people, and being able to help other kids.  I have learned so many amazing things from having my business that kids don't usually learn in school.  I wouldn't trade my experiences and opportunities for anything.  Recently, I was a speaker at the TEDxRedmond Conference held at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington.  It was awesome because it was organized by Kids for Kids and the theme was "Power to the Students."  I have also been invited to speak at upcoming conferences and events so I always look forward to those.