Bennett Shanks is not your average teenager. While most teens are partying or figuring out what they want to do with their lives, Bennett’s been living it up as a social media entrepreneur and influencer. At 16, he is living the good life, running an online company that generates over $5,000 monthly in revenue from a mix of consulting and marketing services with some social media influencer work. Despite having this kind of success before turning 18, Bennett hasn’t let it go to his head, and he has still managed to maintain good grades at school and stay extremely fit.

The impressive teen attributes his incredible success to his work ethic, innovative mind, and a fierce desire for independence. An entrepreneur from an early age, Bennett always knew he wanted to build an empire someday. What he didn’t know was where he’d start until he discovered the social media marketing space. Gradually, he trained himself on the basics of the social media world and started building his brand. The budding entrepreneur spent his free moments on the internet, learning from industry leaders who accomplished a lot in their respective niches.

At 15, Bennett’s efforts and consistency started bearing fruit. He made his first 5-figure income and steadily grew from there. Over the last 6 months alone, the young influencer has racked in over $50,000, an incredible feat for one so young! Bennett marvels at the accomplishments he’s made in such a short time but is eager to achieve even more in the coming days. He’s also incredibly proud of the networks and business relationships he’s grown in that time.

Impressive achievements rarely come easy, as Bennett confirms. Reflecting on the journey he’s been on these past few years, the young entrepreneur admits there were challenges he didn’t think he could overcome. Even though he’s managed to consistently attract clients and make money, his business didn’t become profitable overnight. Most recently, he had to do everything he could to overcome a dry patch in the middle of the summer. That meant less sleep and fun and more hard work than he’d previously put in. Luckily, it ended up paying off, and he’s now better off for it.

As a young, fairly successful entrepreneur, Bennett also faced doubters who thought he was wasting time. He overcame that by tuning them out and focusing on what he was doing. Bennett says he now gets compliments from the very people who used to hate him, most saying they were wrong about him and what he was attempting to do. He’s also glad he has motivated others to follow their passion and turn that into profitable businesses.

Being a successful business owner has also taught Bennett the need for patience, especially when nothing seems to be working how you want. And even when that fails, he advises looking for something else and focusing your attention and efforts there.

“Find something you can excel at, and don’t stop doing it until it doesn’t work anymore,” Bennett urges aspiring entrepreneurs. Despite his success, he is not stopping. In fact, he hopes to achieve more in the next few years, including becoming a millionaire by 22. He also hopes to scale his business and turn it into one of the biggest social media agencies in the country.