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Six very different teens, each with their own aspirations and ambitions, all embody one essential element that has afforded them great rewards in their respective entrepreneurial endeavors: passion. While calling the shots in their companies and balancing coursework, these five  

student entrepreneurs

  have parlayed their passion into big-money deals.

Spencer's Cashing in on the Comedy Circuit
Spencer Patterson has been making people laugh since the age of 2 when he gave his first comedic performance on the stage of the Tropicana in Las Vegas, NV. Now 17 and a senior at Ossining High School (Westchester, NY), Spencer travels to nightclubs all over, tickling people's funny bones. "What better thing is there in this world than making people happy?" he asks. Billed the "World's Youngest Comedian" in the 2005 edition of "Ripley's Believe It or Not Planet Eccentric Book," Spencer has even lent his sense of humor to United States Marines in Okinawa, 9/11 fundraisers, and the "Today Show."

Spencer's means of securing gigs is simple: performing good shows. "Word of mouth spreads, and I get more bookings," insists Spencer, who's made as much as $500 a performance. Since Spencer writes his material when inspiration hits him and only performs on the weekends, his career in no way affects his honor--student status.

So what has Spencer learned in the 12 years he's been in business for himself? "Be passionate and know that sometimes things go well, and sometimes not so well. But you have to get out there and do it again, and never give up."

Sanjyot P. Dunung, author of "Straight Talk About Starting and Growing Your Own Business: Smart Advice for Entrepreneurs From Entrepreneurs" (McGraw--Hill, 2006), and president of New York, NY--based Atma Global, agrees. "It's OK to fail. It's OK to make a mistake -- just don't do it twice."

Seth Wasn't a Gopher, and He Won't Let His intern Be One Either
A five-week internship with the Energy Trading Desk of Cantor Fitzgerald in London, England, matured Seth Flowerman more than he could have imagined. He later poured all of the enriching experience he gained into his New York, NY--based company, Career Explorations (CE), LLC, which offers high school students from across the country a four-week summer residential internship. He considers this CE's competitive advantage. "I believed I knew better than any adult what an internship with CE should entail," says Seth, now a 20-year-old student at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY).

According to Dunung, Seth's using his USP, or unique selling point. "What makes you different?" she asks. Once you have the answer, she urges you to communicate that effectively.

Seth had some savings to start up CE, but not all of it, so he turned to family members for loans. "Do not let money stop you from realizing your venture," he advises. "There is always a way."

Jermaine and Tyrone Don't Know the Word "Can't"
Music lovers and brothers Jermaine (pictured here) and Tyrone Filmore came up with a brilliant idea a year ago: They would build a studio in the basement of their parent's Bronx, NY, house so they could produce music. Their friends said it was a no-go because they lived in the housing projects. "It just made us stronger," says Jermaine, now a 23-year-old liberal arts major at Bronx Community college (Bronx, NY). A month after building the booth and in the process of buying the remaining studio equipment, they took their next step toward the ultimate goal of having a record label. The brothers secured two artists and an engineer, but wondered how they would distribute the records.

After considering the "free enterprise" way of life for many New Yorkers, Tyrone, a 25-year-old sophomore business major at York College (Jamaica, NY), decided to sell CDs on the subway. The same naysayers continued to be negative. It didn't matter, though, because tenacity and a firm belief in themselves conquered all. "Our parents always told us not to be followers," says Tyrone. "We just trust in God."

Whenever school is out or after classes are done for the day, Jermaine and Tyrone travel the trains selling a mixture of music. "It helps pay our way through college as well as [fund] the entertainment business we want to do," says Jermaine. Tyrone's entrepreneurial journey alongside his brother has taught him a valuable lesson: "Trust yourself because if you don't, you can't go anywhere."

Ben's Business is Trekking Untapped Technology
Ben Cathers, a 19-year-old business administration major at Boston University School of Management (Boston, MA), and author of "Conversations With Teen Entrepreneurs: Success Secrets of the Younger Generation" (iUniverse, 2003), reached a new phase in his business-owning life in January 2004.

That's when he co-founded Search Rate Technologies, LLC, a patent-pending search engine that offers the most unique search experience around, he claims. That's accomplished through a new set of algorithms and ranking rules instead of those employed by current search engines.

Ben's rationale behind the untapped technology move: "The search technology is powerful as it lets one person enter a term into the search engine and that person will get different results than other searchers. It offers a completely personal search service."

While Ben has made thousands of dollars from previously owned companies, SearchRate is still in beta mode and therefore isn't at the revenue stage of business yet. Although many hours go into nurturing this venture, Ben is able to strike a balance between business and academics. His secret weapon is time management. "Planning the week out ahead of time is crucial," he emphasizes.

Brian Expanded His Service By Learning How to Hire the Right Employees
Since his adolescent days, Brian Hendricks has been fascinated with computers. His interest evolved from the software-related aspect to a fascination with the inner workings of computers when he built his own in 2001 -- at which point he founded StartUpPC and began fixing up his friends' computers.

Two years later, Brian decided to make StartUpPC a full-fledged business that would service PCs, troubleshoot networks, and build custom, blazing-fast computers. That meant he'd have to hire people -- something Brian admits was challenging. The senior honors student at Winston Churchill High School (Potomac, MD) says his first two hires -- a friend and a computer enthusiast -- worked out well. His search going forward was shaky, though. "Finding my other employees ranged from posting flyers to putting classified ads in school newspapers to pretty much asking family and friends if they knew any high school students in the area interested in working for a growing computer company," he admits.

His advice on hiring practices: "Don't act desperate and take the first person you find simply because you're having trouble finding someone. Take the time to write up an application sheet -- a small questionnaire to test a person's knowledge in the industry -- and perform interviews over the phone or in person."

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