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Did you know that Jane Pratt started Sassy magazine when she was 25-years-old? Or that Jerry Yang, the creator of Yahoo!, founded his company when he was only 29? So what do these  

young entrepreneurs

  have that you don't? Nothing -- except the determination to make things happen.

Dare to Be Different

Dineh Mohajer, CEO of Hard Candy Cosmetics, 25
Frustrated by never finding nail polish colors outside of red, pink, and purple, Dineh Mohajer decided to mix her own shades and created the now famous "Sky" blue nail polish.

Mohajer, 25, started a color fad unparalleled in the beauty industry that called for a 'knockout nail,' offbeat approach to polish. Her innovative colors have even more innovative names like "Pillow" and Moody." Hard Candy polish has since been spotted on the tips of trend-setters like Courteney Cox and Drew Barrymore, among others.

Thanks to Mohajer's ingenuity, her small collection of enamels has turned into a full line of beauty products dedicated to those who dare to be different.

A "Wonderful Place"

Marcia Kilgore, Spa Owner, 30
After taking some beginner skin care courses and giving facials in her living room, Marcia Kilgore decided to open a small salon in lower Manhattan. Quickly outgrowing two locations, she moved into a spacious 5600-square-foot space in Soho, and renamed her all-service spa Bliss.

Today, she boasts such clientele as Courtney Love, Oprah Winfrey, and Calvin Klein. In fact, Julia Roberts recently told People Magazine that although the spa is tough to get into, once there, "It's a wonderful place to be." It seems that the 'Pretty Woman' isn't the only one who feels that way-Bliss is already booked into the year 2000.

Young money

Ken Griffin, President of Chicago's Citadel's Investment Group, 30
Ken Griffin was a sophomore at Harvard University when a wealthy client of his broker friend entrusted him with $50,000. By senior year, Griffin's wise investment strategies turned that money into a one million dollar profit. A year later, in 1990, he founded Chicago's Citadel's Investment Group.

Griffin now manages more than $4 billion worth of assets a year. Not bad for a guy who is two decades younger than most of his employees!

Mogul, Jr.

James Murdoch, Vice President of News Corp., 26
At only 26, the youngest child of media mogul, Rupert Murdoch, oversees News Corp.'s music and new media divisions, which puts him in command of the entire Web presence of the Fox network. As if that weren't enough, the young Murdoch, wanting a project of his own, recently launched Rawkus Entertainment, a hip-hop and electronica music label.

A 'Stand Up' Guy

Jonah Edelman, Executive Director of Stand for Children, 28
While at Yale, 28-year-old Jonah Edelman decided to follow in the footsteps of his activist mom, Marian Wright Edelman. Inspired by her work with the Children's Defense Fund, he became executive director of the national advocacy network, Stand for Children.

Edelman has since trained more than 200 teams in 43 states to advocate children's rights. Thanks to his group's efforts, Congress has forked over a landmark $48 million for children's
health care.

Hip Hoppin' Ahead of Everyone Else

David Mays, Publisher of "The Source," 29
While only an undergraduate at Harvard University in 1988, Mays started "The Source," a one-page zine dedicated to the then ignored world of hip-hop music. Ten years later, the magazine's circulation has grown 357,000 percent and has spawned a slew of imitators looking to cash in on what Mays knew 10 years ago: Hip-hop is music's new revolution.

Actin' Up!

Danny Seo, Founder of Earth 2000, 21
Danny Seo started the animal rights and environmentalist activist group, Earth 2000, when he was only 12. Since then, his organization has grown to become a 25,000-member, non-profit group with a six-figure budget.

Seo, 21, has also written a book, "Generation React: Activism for Beginners" (Ballantine) and lives just five blocks from Capitol Hill where he continues to lobby to protect the environment. All this from a guy who graduated 169th out of 200 in high school and failed English twice!

He Put The "Hot" in Hotel

Karim Masri, Hotel Owner, 28
This 28-year-old Lebanese entrepreneur bought and refurbished (with a small loan from his dad) a decayed, deco building and turned it into Astor -- South Beach, Florida's hottest new hotel. High-profile patrons like Matt Dillon, Cameron Diaz, and Jeff Goldblum, and rave reviews from Forbes, Vogue, and the New York Times, guarantee Karim Masi a full house year-round.

Just "Be"

Ned Ambler, Casting Visionary , 28
As a freelance assistant to a stylist at L'Uomo Vogue, Ned Ambler met famed photographer Steve Klein. Together they created the ad technique known as "new realism" and went on to cast campaigns for CKbe, the Gap, CK Jeans, and Valentino by scouting New York City clubs and squatter dorms. When he's not running his production company, Ned Ambler Pictures & Casting, this 28-year-old plays in a punk rock band called New Hope For the Plasmatics.

Capitalize On Your Own Gifts!
OK, so you don't have an outstanding idea or the capital to back it. No problem...
you need only look within yourself and capitalize on the gifts you were born with. Check out how these cool twenty-somethings did just that.

Eric Stough, Illustrator, 25
Have you ever SAT in class and doodled endlessly into a notebook? Well, for 25-year-old Eric Stough, those drawings have become a fruitful career. As director of animation for South Park, he oversees all the zany visual effects used on the show. Thanks to him, we have cheesy poofs!

Gil Shahm, Classical Violinist, 27
Gil Shahm entered Juilliard School of the Arts, New York, NY, on a scholarship at age 11. He played at Carnegie Hall by 15. At 18, he was called out of English class to replace an ailing Itzhak Perlman in London. Since then he has performed in nearly 200 concerts around the world.

Kevin Young, Poet, 28
Young wrote his first poetry collection, Most Way Home (William Morrow, 1996) as an undergraduate at Harvard University. He has since received an MFA from Brown University and is currently teaching "The Black Male Image in American Cinema," "20th Century Black Poetics," and graduate level courses in experimental forms of poetry and prose. He currently holds a tenure track position-a rarity at his age-at the University of Georgia at Athens.

Sandy Dalal, Fashion Designer, 22
This 22-year-old's résumé reads like that of an old pro: Winner of the prestigious CFDA Perry Ellis Award for Menswear, a degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and the accolade of being voted one of People Magazine's Most Beautiful People in the World.

With projected sales of $1 million for 1999 and celebs like Wyclef Jean and Beck knocking down his door for clothes, it's certain that Dalal is a fashion wunderkind with a winning design for the future.

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