16-Year-Old Internet Mogul
Aug. 2 -- Someone has finally figured out what teenagers want.
In between doing her schoolwork and hanging out with friends, 16-year-old Ashley Power runs an Internet site called Goosehead.com, where hundreds of thousands of teenagers go to talk about everything from pimples to the pain they try to hide when their parents divorce.
"People can relate to it," says Power, who has 30 people — including her parents — working for her. The Web site features a show called "Whatever," with Power playing her alter ego Skye in a series that captures the minutia of a teen's everyday life.
In the last few months, she has shot a pilot for a network TV show and has also finished writing a new book called The Goosehead Guide to Life.
A Powers Chat
Power joined ABCNEWS.com for a live chat. Here are some edited highlights:
Q: How did you come up with the idea for Goosehead.com?A: I had a really bad year, 8th grade year, and I was on the Internet a lot, and I decided to create my own Web site. I used HTML for Dummies and started building goosehead.com.
Q: What's it like having your mom, dad and a team of 30 people call you "boss?"A: We all kind of really work together. It's not like I boss everyone around;we're like a family. It is extremely overwhelming at times,but it is a lot of fun! I really enjoy it.
Q: How did people find out about your site?A: Word of mouth — that was the first way. And I made relationships with many Web masters,and they taught me how to manipulate the algorithms and the metatags to get my site at the topof the search engines.
Q: What is your advice for teens who want to start their own business?A: Just be strong and have your goal and your dreams and work hard at them. And don't listen when they tell you that you can't do it, because I heard "no" a lot, and I just kept going until I heard "yes." It doesn't matter how old you are, or if you're a girl, or a guy, or if you're in school or not. If you want to do it, you can! Just keep going until you hear "yes"!
Q: What did you do to stay on top of the good feelings in life, when you were in the eighth grade? A: That was the worst year ever! I never cried at school; I would suck it all up at school and act like I didn't care.And I would rely on people who were my close friends,and talked to my family. I spent a lot of time on the Internet, with my friends there and with the friends who I had before. I laugh about it now,but it was really hell when I was living in it.But, it made me a stronger person.
