20-year-old CEO gives live lessons to students

"If you want to make change, you have to help the people who can't help themselves or don't have the option to. That's what I live by," said Benoit Brookens at last night's presentation on his entrepreneurial career.

Brookens is a 20-year-old CEO of his company, Datatrex.net, which offers hosting solutions to online businesses.

Brookens said his interactions with computers began at the age of 4. His parents sent him to a YWCA daycare, where he learned to type before he even learned to write.

At the age of 8, his parents sent him to an engineering camp, where he learned to solder and to program in Pascal. After solving a particularly challenging programming issue, he was moved up to an advanced level class.

Where his entrepreneurial enthusiasm really began, however, was when his parents divorced in 2001. Needing "something to dig into," Brookens spent that entire summer researching so he may answer the question that intrigued him: How did the founders of Google, Yahoo, and other major sites get to where they are now?

During this time, he also read numerous books, including the Rich Dad, Poor Dad series, and taught himself to code PHP. From this experience, he said he learned one of the key elements of being an entrepreneur - self-empowerment.

More specifically, after his researching, Brookens came to the conclusion that such major sites were in need of servers and an indispensable hosting company. It was at this point in time when he took his first step forward.

By now, he was still only in high school. Through networking, Brookens met someone in Mexico who agreed to pay for servers for him, so long as Brookens managed them.

His next issue was dealing with his shortage of marketing money. He resolved this problem by making a deal with PuroEuro.com, a major trance music Web site, to host the site in exchange for free banner ads. Brookens said this brought him 35 new customers within the first week of the deal.

Not all of his efforts have resulted in success, however. Brookens moved onto his college career at RIT, during which he approached by another businessman who knew him through his work with PuroEuro.com.

The man asked Brookens to host his site, but said he would not pay up front. Brookens, who said that the man was a relatively big name in this line of work, agreed to front the money for the transaction.

While it is not uncommon for people to refuse to pay up front, Brookens nevertheless suffered when the associate breached their contract and disappeared, leaving him in the hole for about $5,000.

Undaunted, he was helped out of the rut by his friends and continued his work.

"I was frustrated, though," he said. "I felt like I was not on the forefront of change. I felt like I was just talking and nothing was changing. Maybe it's a guy thing, maybe it's a girl thing, or maybe it's just my thing."

It was here that he emphasized how helping those in need is the most effective way to make change.

Brookens abridged the rest of his story at this point. He brought the audience to his present-day situation - he currently runs five start-up companies full-time with over 30 people working under him - before he said, "I think that's all I'll tell you about today."

His ultimate goals, he said, are to close the gap between smaller and mid-size companies and to help smaller businesses get online by utilizing his Web hosting- service.

During the question-and-answer session, there was a common theme in his responses; he stressed discussion and networking as a major part of being an entrepreneur.

He said that even though it may seem "sketchy," talking to people you don't know is a good way to make the connections that you need. "You need to open up and be proactive in networking with people," he said.

"You need open dialogue rather than pitching yourself. Sometimes people just want to know who you are."

He even referenced Facebook as a good way to make progress in networking. "Networking in college is much easier than in the real world.

I have found that the people I have met in college have paid off more for me than those I have met outside of college," he said.

It was through Facebook that Brookens and Scott Bradley, the head of BC's Entrepreneur Society, met and arranged the presentation.

In response to one audience member's question of how he generates ideas, Brookens said that he and other experienced people that he has met in his travels often bounce ideas off one another. "You can't trust everybody like this, but it really helps," he said.

He added, "It's all about spotting opportunities before they happen. If you're ready and prepared, the world is yours. That's the spirit of entrepreneurism." n