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 iPhone to create his own business, and he has gained national recognition for his work.
Vincent is the chief executive officer of TechWorld. His company is like a hospital for iPhones. Vincent launched TechWorld while he was in high school. He says his mother became single at the time and he needed to find ways to make money. So he found 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, admit that he had a hard time developing a business plan.
The first time Vincent attended an NFTE class, he quit. At the time, he worked for the electronics store Best Buy. 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.
Estelle Reyes is executive director for NFTE in Los Angeles. She says Vincent "has an incredible gift for presenting himself and his dreams in a very compelling way that engages everyone to rally around him." His business has grown through word-of-mouth.
Vincent says he now fixes up to 10 phones per week. He earns about $1,500 each month in sales. TechWorld has two employees, and Vincent says he wants to continue to grow his business. His biggest goal, he says has always been to work for himself.
For VOA Learning English, I'm Carolyn Presutti. (Adapted from a radio program broadcast 17Dec2012)
+VOA Special English
