Do you have a business brain? Are you always looking for the next big idea? Maybe, like me, you might feel setting up a new company is something you might do when you're older, when you have more experience. But that's not always the case.

While some of us may feel young adulthood is a time of tentatively finding our place in the world, sleeping late and partying hard, others are already on a path to great business success. Take the founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, who started his company as a young university student at Harvard in the US. There are many other examples of young entrepreneurs who have become hugely successful, proving that there's no minimum age to becoming top dog.

But to be the next business executive requires effort. You need to acquire a keen mind and good business acumen and above all, you need enthusiasm. Starting a new business comes with an element of risk but if you are able to spot the next big idea, it's probably worth giving it a try. Jessica Rose owns a jewellery making business and admits that "when I first started I had no business training whatsoever… but I kind of woke up one day and thought I'd really love to be a jewellery designer." She went on to be a successful young entrepreneur.

Being young and in business does have its drawbacks; you may worry you have nothing to bring to the table and that the people who work for you tend to be older and wiser. That's what young British entrepreneur Suleman Sacranie found. He started his third business whilst studying chemistry at university. He says "now I've got two additional directors who have grey hair" but when they first started he says he "could tell they were thinking in the back of their heads, 'I've got a kid sitting in front of me.'"

You may think setting up a new start-up is easier said than done. As well as ideas, you need financial backing and expert guidance. But if you're studying hard at university and don't have the desire to go into business and make your fortune, keep on studying – an education is priceless!
词汇表
a business brain 经商头脑，商业头脑
big idea 创意，想法
founder 创始人
entrepreneur 企业家
top dog 权威，优胜者
executive 主管，经理
acquire 获得，取得
a keen mind 敏锐的头脑
acumen 敏锐，精明
drawback 弱点，缺点
to bring to the table 提供有用的东西
easier said than done 说来容易做来难
financial backing 资金支持，财政支援
priceless 无价的