My entrepreneurial spirit emerged early in life in Ireland. As a teenager growing up near Oldcastle, Co. Meath, I made my first investment by convincing my dad to let me buy a calf for the family farm. A year later, I sold the calf for a nice profit. That success spurred me on to start my first proper business venture - painting neighbours' houses as a summer job. Door-to-door sales for an introverted teenager was not easy I can tell you.
Although I was very young at the time, and this was a long time ago, I guess I was pretty perceptive to see that the rewards in farming didn't match the massive efforts required. So I moved on to pastures new and ended up studying marketing. Painting the internet if you like.
I was never going to be a programmer.
Despite receiving a Commodore 64 (C64) as a family Christmas gift, I didn't use it much as it pre-dated the internet, and I was more interested in sports than computer games. However, one of my brothers used it to learn programming, which led to a successful international career in consumer electronics. What an impactful present for Fergal Lynch!
The C64 played a pivotal role in popularising personal computing as it was sold not just through specialised dealers, but also in department stores and toy shops - this allowed it to reach a wide audience.
However, in the 1990s, after university and several international summer jobs, I recognised the emerging importance of the internet and potential online marketing. Despite having no experience, apart from college projects and the C64 I didn’t really use, I was willing to relocate to a small regional town to secure my first role in sales and marketing at a small Irish technology company.
Breaking into tech marked the start of an exciting career combining technology, business, and culture. Nowadays I can be found making images of what I might have looked like as a teenager holding a computer.
Technology has now moved so far that I’m also working with friends on creating web apps using AI, despite me still not being a programmer. Nice.
You are never too young, or too old, to start.
Although doing my own thing came early for me, it is never too late to try and do your own thing. The key takeaway from my life of experiments is that these small bets do not need to make money to be worthwhile, they are a practical education using action learning. You cannot lose once you make small bets and digital is the best approach for experimentation.
As I mentioned in a previous newsletter, ‘Don’t look for a job, look for work’. Create your own work on your own terms. Create your own future.
Only this week, my wife Aisling correctly pointed out to me that my Multi-Me book first draft didn’t highlight retirement career options for people. Yes, she’s right. Even after you finish your traditional work life, a new life awaits. However, if you are still in your early career, why wait until ‘retirement’, why not create a Multi-Me career plan today?
My last investment was a Wacom Intuos and some lighting equipment. Watch out soon for more experimental video content about Multi-Me from yours truly.
Invest in skills, invest in tools, invest in yourself.
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The Multi-Me book is now in my hands and being proofed and edited. The eBook might be available in March to hit my target for release in Q1 2025. Follow for more details on how to get a sample or the real thing, real soon!
Edit - Additions to the book mean the release date is delayed but watch out very soon for my Career Design eBook which is a slimmer version and almost ready to go.
CONOR CAREER DESIGNER
As a Career Designer, you can talk to me if you want help to maximise your personal potential, personal brand, and lifetime earnings. If you are happy underachieving, I totally understand. ;-0
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