Discourage or encourage brother (13y) from venturing into IM?

disagree. If he's seriously interested and motivated.. take the time to show him.. there's absolutely no reason why he can't crush it at 13.

I was 13 when I started my first computer company... And it made over 6 figures. and now there's way more opportunity online than ever.. so no reason why he can't do it too!

Hi,
Make sure his school work comes first. If he is really interested and motivated then show him the ropes. Tell him that an online presence is necessary. He's not going to get rich overnight, so make sure he understands that. Good Luck!!

Geri Richmond

I would also disagree with this! I read an article on how a 15 year old girls sold 60,000 pairs of flip-flops -- generating her around 1.2 million dollars in a year!

How a 15-year-old entrepreneur got her product into Nordstrom | Profit Minded - Yahoo! Small Business Advisor

This goes to show you no matter what age, background, or experience you have -- all skills are learn able and it is up the person if they succeed or not.

I agree with you in principle but I really think it depends on the "child" (yes, this is a child and should be handled/treated accordingly), and on the abilities and resources/circumstances of the parent(s).

Having home-schooled both of my sons, I often encouraged entrepreneurial pursuits if and when they showed interest or when certain opportunities arose. However, I was not in this business when they were growing up (they are now 19 and 26).

If done correctly, certain aspects of Internet Marketing may be used as teaching tools to instruct in the fundamentals of business administration as well as confidence builders, especially when the child earns his or her first meager wages, totally through his own efforts and ingenuity (under mom or dad's tutelage and mentorship of course).

In my opinion, there are way too many variables concerning the particular circumstances or situation of the child in question for this question to be definitively answered in this type of medium, without much more pertinent information relative to the child and his family situation, and endless, exhaustive debate.

I would proceed cautiously LeonLion. Take into account your own circumstances and the intelligence and maturity of the child. Would such a pursuit truly benefit his mental and spiritual development at this time in his life? Do you have the time and resources to dedicate to him? Only you can make the final decision.

My sons started out mowing lawns, delivering newspapers, and shoveling snow to earn their first money (my wife and I believe an unearned allowance encourages an entitlement mentality). They both opened their first savings account about the age of ten or so. Money earned by the sweat of your own brow is usually appreciated much more, and managed much better.

He's 13 years old, which some might say is kind of young for exploring the world of business and IM, where he is bound to face harsh comments, and witness some degree of ugliness in some people.

But if that is his passion, who are we to deny that? Where exactly should be draw the line and maintain the balance of letting him do what he wants, and also look out for his wellbeing?

I agree with this approach, as you can allow him to then explore his interests, and you can also be there to look out for him. Even when he make mistakes, you can take the opportunity to teach him as well.

In the event that his interest is short-lived, at least he will have had a chance to try things out for himself.

Cheers,
Hum

If his interest was about how to start or run an online business and the technical aspects, methods, etc - I'd say help him start learning.

It sounds as if what interests him about IM is "the money" - and I wouldn't start him on that path at 13.

Young marketers focused only on making money tend to act with the natural impulsiveness of youth and "fudging" his age for Paypal or affiliate networks can result in a lifetime ban. That can limit his options to work online when he is of legal age.

If you encourage him now - you need to keep looking over his shoulder for his own good.

You never know. The 13 year old might be better at it than the rest of us. Here is a link I posted in this forum a few years ago. Just checked and glad to see that the story is still up.

8 year old worth 900,000 net from businesses he started

And do you think I can borrow $10 from my kid? No!

The story got a whole range of reactions, from congratulations to disbelief, to (in another forum) 'I'd like to punch the little ***** in the face.'

I guess if you're filled with hate, there's nothing like a kid being smarter than you to set it off.

I first started learning programming when I was 9 (first in Visual Basic, then a year later moved on to C/C#) and got into Internet Marketing when I was 12. I did't really make much money in IM until I was 15, however At 14, using my programming skills I made £1000 for designing a website.

It's never too early, however I was quite frustrated not earning that much when I was much younger. I would warn him that there will be a few up-sets but the end-result (if he doesn't quit too early) will be quite rewarding.