This week I had the pleasure of corresponding with Nick Tart of JuniorBiz.com.  Nick is a great guy with some excellent ideas and a desire to help young people start their own successful small businesses.  Read up on what is going on with Nick and JuniorBiz right now, and feel free to throw your two cents in!

What prompted you to start JuniorBiz?

NT: When I was 12 years old I started a lawn care service. It was relatively successful. I had a steady client-base of about five lawns per week for six summers. And I bought my first car for $6,000 when I turned 16. So I didn’t do too bad.

But then I came to college and realized I had no idea what I was doing. Had I known just a few basic business principles, I could have been much more successful. Instead of purchasing a ’98 Ford Explorer (that I still have and love), maybe I could’ve afforded a brand new Explorer. (In fact, the kid who co-authored the Official JuniorBiz Lawn Mowing Guide made $135,000 his senior year of high school.)

So I was sitting in a classroom towards the end of my sophomore year, watching a business plan competition, and I realized that I wanted to help young entrepreneurs with their businesses. This has since become something I am incredibly passionate about.

NT: I have done a terrible job of assembling a team. Over the last year and a half I’ve had 50+ people help me with my business, but few of them have taken on a large role. It’s mostly an issue of me not wanting to give up control. I’m very selfish and need to get over myself.

The person who is contributing the most right now is my editor. His name is Nick Scheidies. He’s living in Costa Rica. And he’s my best friend. Nick is also one of the smartest people I know. (We also just started writing a book together, 50 Interviews: Young Entrepreneurs)

On another note, the $100K kid I mentioned earlier is going to start writing with me in October. His name is Emil and he’s an awesome guy! He has won entrepreneurial awards and has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine. Needless to say, he’s credible.

I found Emil through an article on RockyMountainNews.com and contacted him through Facebook. It’s hard to tell how well we’ll work together but I don’t foresee any issues. I’m really looking forward to it!

NT: It’s not too hard. People tend to think they’re busier than they actually are.

I give priority to my schoolwork. When that’s done, I focus on my business. I’ve found that having classes as the primary structure of my day keeps me organized and productive.

As long as I’m in the “working mindset”, I get stuff done. And getting into that mindset is much easier when I have assignments with actual deadlines. School helps me stay on track with my business.

Also, I try not to watch TV. Television is the biggest waste of time. And when I watch TV, it’s Shark Tank, Wipeout and The Office. And occasionally the news. Nothing else… Maybe Jay Leno too.

NT: Yeah, I self-published the Official JuniorBiz Lawn Mowing Guide earlier this year. I haven’t figured out how to sell it (only 26 copies thus far), but I’ve gotten great feedback. And one of the comments I receive often is that they can tell I wrote from experience.

I was planning on writing the JuniorBiz Internet Marketing Guide this fall, but I’ve never had an Internet marketing service. One thing I’ve learned is that I don’t want to write it without writing from experience. Also, I’m toying with the idea of writing the JuniorBiz Blogging Guide and the JuniorBiz Web Development Guide (two things I’m immersed in right now), but I’ve been busy with other things.

I’m glad you’re expecting that I continue this series because that’s exactly what I want to do. Eventually I want it to become the ‘For Dummies’ series for young entrepreneurs.

NT: About a month from now I’ll be launching a brand new site. I spent the majority of the summer redeveloping my blog with WordPress (it’s Joomla right now). Included in this site will be a list of 100+ business ideas for young entrepreneurs. I’ll be spending most my time over the next three weeks creating this list.

I have a few ideas for expanding my site. Eventually, JuniorBiz.com will be more than just a blog. But that requires programming skills that I don’t have.

Also, I’m a firm believer that you should start with a blog. Once that’s successful, you can expand your site with other Web 2.0 features. If your site isn’t successful as a blog, then don’t waste your money.

1. Comment on my posts. I love when people comment on things I write. If you read an article on my site, leave a comment. I always reply and I want to encourage discussion.
2. Writing for my site. I’m always open to guest posts. But this doesn’t mean I’ll publish bad writing. A guest post is a reflection on my site and ultimately on yourself and your business.
3. Authoring a JuniorBiz Guide. I’m not sure how this will work, but I’m open to the idea of having other people write JuniorBiz Guides. You would be the author and would get a healthy commission on every book sold. Specifically, I’m looking for someone with babysitting experience.