The iPhone has become one of the most popular mobile phones in the United States. An 18-year-old student in California has used his knowledge of the device to create his own business. And he has gained national recognition for his work. Vincent Quigg is the chief executive officer of TechWorld. His company is kind of like a hospital for iPhones. “I’m 18 years old. I’m a college student. And I’m the CEO and founder of TechWorld, where we specialize in customizing and repairing iPhones.” Vincent Quigg launched TechWorld while in high school. “My mom became single a couple of years ago and I had to grow up. And in order to keep my lifestyle, I had to find different ways to stay financially ahead of the game [to] keep my phone, keep a car, transportation and all that stuff. So I had to find ways to be entrepreneurial." An organization called the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, or NFTE, helped the young man get started. Both he and his mother, Carla Quigg, admit that he had a hard time developing a business plan. “He quit the class, which I was very disappointed.” "It was extremely hard for myself to find a business to start and run with it. But once I had that 'aha moment' or what I knew I wanted to go with, it was really easy and extremely fun." At the time, Vincent worked for the electronics store BestBuy. He says people always came into the store with broken electronic devices. He decided that repairing those devices was what he wanted to do. He not only re-registered for the NFTE class, but he also won the organization’s national competition for best young entrepreneur. |