Traditionally, the business world has adhered to a hierarchy: people fresh out of college have taken entry-level jobs while leadership positions have gone to those who have been working longer. It makes sense, as with age comes wisdom and experience. What if, however, we have it all wrong? What if some of our best thinkers are found, in fact, among our youth? Does society risk stagnating if the working world automatically puts men and women in their teens and twenties in a box and lets them out only when they are older? We asked these questions of Madison Gorn, the twenty-year-old owner and CEO of Maddie Girl Marketing. Madison is only a few years outside of high school but has already created digital marketing campaigns for brands in Walmart, Sephora, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Ulta. Her answers will give you insight into the minds of the younger members of society and challenge you to see them differently.
“They are tricky questions to answer because it’s undeniable that the longer you live, the more skills and experience you pick up,” Madison begins. “The ‘real world,’ so to speak, is very different from high school and even college, and each person enters it with a different psychology and maturity level. On top of that, people evolve at different rates, so I don’t think you can say that every person in their twenties is ready to take on leading a company. For that matter, however, there are middle-aged individuals who aren’t ready, either.”
That said, Madison believes the potential of the younger generations is untapped. “I can tell you that when I started my first company, Maddie Girl Cosmetics, I was in high school. I had a dream in my heart and was determined to make it happen. Whenever I needed to know about something, I either read about it, asked someone for help, or just figured it out on my own. I was able to generate thousands of dollars in sales for myself.”
Madison had more than a few classmates tell her that they wanted to do something similar. “They were closet entrepreneurs,” she remembers. “They had an idea for a great product or service, but they were a little uncertain about how to develop it into an actual company. I was always so impressed by their innovative thinking and encouraged them to pursue it.”
Madison thinks there are plenty of high school students who have the same mindset. “We need to be on the watch for them so that we can encourage them to follow their dreams. They are our next Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. They have incredible ideas that will change our society for the better.”
She thinks that many of these future innovators will benefit from first working under the supervision of someone who has been in their industry longer. “That’s true. However, my opinion is that we must be sure they are really being challenged at work. Whoever is mentoring them needs to give them more responsibility so that they can grow into the business leaders we need in our country.”
As for those who want to jump right into the business world with their own companies, Madison fully supports them. “Sometimes you just have the instinct to lead and have the right idea at the right time,” she says. “That’s how it was when I created Maddie Girl Marketing. I had learned so much from running my own marketing campaigns for my first company that I felt I was ready to help other businesses achieve their goals. Now, a few years later, I am working alongside people twice my age or even older. Where would I be today if I had listened when others told me I was too young?”
Ultimately, Madison believes society is growing more accepting of younger CEOs. “It’s an exciting time in the business world,” she reveals. “We have so many twenty-somethings who are bringing their ideas to the market and really nailing it. I myself am seeing that the divide between those in their 40s and 50s and those in their 20s is shrinking. As it does, I think you’ll see our society really benefit from it because the best advancements happen when everyone, regardless of their age, works together and shares ideas.”
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