Teen CEO shows off his flair for business with newest venture
WHILE most teenagers are busy with exams, homework, computer games and the latest Netflix series, this 16-year-old is making a name for himself in the online business world with not one but two successful ventures. Here’s how he did it.
South East
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JOSH Brnjac’s first business grew out his bedroom where his passion for photography began paying dividends.
At an age when many boys have their minds on computer games and the like, the Peninsula boy’s flair for digital images and drive won him both plaudits and trade.
He was just 12 years old when he started what grew into Brnjac Creative — now employing several staff — providing photographic and video content.
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The business grew to such an extent that by Year 9, Josh opted to drop out of school in favour of online education so he had more flexibility and time to concentrate on his burgeoning business.
Eighteen months later, online education went completely in favour of the school of life.
Now 16, he has learnt hard lessons from several business flops and is firmly focused on both Brnjac Creative and a new e-venture, GNTLMEN Australia.
“It was about falling forward — learning from your mistakes by taking that failure and learning,” Josh said.
GNTLMEN Australia offers clothing and jewellery for Millennials at an affordable cost due to the lack of overheads associated with bricks and mortar outlets, he said.
Josh figured GNTLMEN Australia might turnover $40,000 to $50,000 in its first 12 months — but in the first six months alone has hit $105,000.
“The response has been overwhelming,” he said.
Josh moved to Australia from South Africa when he was seven and credits his migrant background for imbuing him with a drive to succeed.
“I wanted to grab this opportunity and run with it,” he said of prospering in Australia.
“It’s been a rollercoaster, but I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
Ultimately, he would like to run a venture similar to Richard Branson’s Virgin Group — investing in a range of companies.
“The goal is to turn what I am doing into an investment group that houses businesses that are innovative and moving forward in the online space.”