Is age an issue?????

[Dorsky01]

HI all
I have been talking to you all for about 3 months now and have gotten a lot of great info. THank you for that. BUt there is one thing that i feel might be holding me back from getting jobs that can not be taught.......AGE. I am a college student at 19 years old starting a business that i hope will be my side job (i am going to be a firefighter) for years to come. I sometimes feel that my age is a bit intimidating to people when i meet them what do you think???

 

[grasshawg]

Could be. A customer may be skeptical at first. A youthful appearance may suggest that you don't know what you're doing, but if you show confidence in what you say, and be educated enough to show them you DO know what you're doing, then their minds will quickly be changed.
Most people are impressed more by professional attitude and confidence than by anything else. But you'll have to make a good first impression. Remember--you don't get a second chance to make a first impression. My .02 cents.
Randy

 

[north coast]

"and be educated"

That’s classic, I could not help it but I had to point that one out.

 

[R L S]

Show them you know your stuff by giving them demos. And always act, dress and talk like a true professional.
If that doesnt work grow a beard!!!

 

[Micah]

I beleive that if you introduce yourself, shake their hand, and use their name at some point in a professional converation, you'll gain their respect. Your age can even work for you. Theres so many young people today that just don't care. I've found that many people are impressed by seeing a young person WORK to make a living. Give firm and reasonable estimates. If you give a bid thats too low, they may think you don't know what your doing, or you're going to do the job halfway. Be confident in your conversation, it will show if your not.

 

[north coast]

As long as you act and present yourself professionally your age should not be a factor. My concern is that you are not established as a company. In another post you said your company name was DC Services. Being that you are also in Ohio I wanted to know where you are located. I could not find you in the phone book (yellowpages.com) and nothing from a google search. Do you have insurance, workers comp, Federal ID, a service vendor’s license, and an Ohio Charter number? How long have you been in business? Do you offer referrals? Do you pay the sales tax that you are collecting? Do you have professional equipment and supplies? These maybe some questions that your targeted customers are asking themselves. If you answered no to any of those questions then you will need to address them accordingly.

 

[johnny]

Eric,

It's possible that DC stands for Dorsky Cleaning (Sevices)maybe located in Parma. Just a thought.

 

[north coast]

Not sure anything is possible and he did not respond to it. He had DC Services, no dba or anything else.

 

[russ s]

Anything Can Be An Obstical If You Let It But In The Age Issue You Will Probably Have To Do A Little Work And Get Your Name Out There Then The Rest Should Take Care Of Itself

 

[Dorsky01]

Hey GUys
Thanks for the info
In the state of Ohio a business does not have to file with the state (incorporate) until the have made a total of $5,000. i am in the process of doing so because the $5000 is approaching rapidly (not complaining). So i currently am in the process of taking all of the steps mentioned previously