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WHO WANTS TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR?
READ THE TEXT BELLOW AND ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW:
A YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR
Jayson Meyer was sixteen when he and his younger brother Matthew started their technology company. Jayson lives in Daytona Beach, Florida, in the USA. He looks like any typical university student, but Jayson doesn´t need to. He is already a successful businessman. Jayson is co-founder and CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of Meyer Technologies, Inc.
At night school, Jayson spent a lot of time working on computers for the school and local businesses. He didn´t have time for school work, but he could fix almost any computer problem. So, when he was fifteen, Jayson left school and went into business full time. With this brother, he set up a shop at the local weekend market.
The business was successful and quickly went from making $4,000 in the first year to $100,000 per year. Soon, Meyer Technologies, Inc. expanded and was making over $500,000. The company builds special computers and creates software programs for its clients. Many small businesses in Florida can´t afford in-house coumputer support. They rely on service companies like Meyer Technologies to maintain their computers, and the company has plenty of customers. In 2000, the sales grew to over $ 1 million. No bad for a business whose CEO was not old enough to vote!
Currently, Jayson is helping to grow another company called WorkSmart MD, which makes special software for doctors´offices. Jayson now employs a number of technical staff and most of them are older than their boss. Jayson himself works 80 to 100 hours a week and often sleeps at the office. He doesn´t have a lot of free time to do the things that most young people do, but he doesn´t mind. He says, "I´d rather be building an international business. I think about my business most of the time - it´s in my blood".
ACTIVITY 1: Answer the questions:
a. What is an entrepreneur?
b. Do you know any famous entrepreneurs in the world?
c. Give examples of famous Brazilian entrepreneurs.
ACTIVITY 2: What´s the difference between an entrepreneur and a CEO (chief executive officer)?
ACTIVITY 3: If you had a chance to be an entrepreneur, what would you do? What kind of job would you like to have? What kind of company would you like to own or manage?
ACTIVITY 4: In your opinion, what´s the greatest entrepreneur in the world? If you could interview this person, what questions would you ask?