Olenka Cullinan is inspiring the youth to become world's future CEOs @ Rising Tycoons
I’m the founder of Rising Tycoons, speaker, & GenZ & Millennial Leader. So I keynote events as well as school and college assemblies; run workshops for youth to inspire them become CEOs of their lives; and train adult influencers (educators, parents etc.) to understand the art of raising a future mindful Tycoon.
What is your proudest accomplishment so far when it comes to your business? What helped you get there? Was this accomplishment a clear goal or did it happen by chance?
Being a speaker and traveling to work with schools, colleges and youth organizations allows me to meet the most vibrant and talented people. Last year I had an incredible experience of being invited to speak at TEDxYouth – over 700 youth and adults, live-streamed to many countries. Simply life-changing! The invite however, came because a 16 year-old girl who went through Rising Tycoons workshop, reached out to the organizers and told them that “they must have me” at the event. That chance and her belief in my abilities to transform dreams reminded me of how fortunate I’m to inspire youth’s lives!
Who/What inspires you?
The thousands of testimonials from youth, parents and educators I’ve met through my programs inspire me to be a better human, to always grow and learn and to be fearless. The are the ones who encouraged me early on, to get out of bed, stay in bad hotels, and drive cross country because their lives and futures matter. Rising Tycoons tribe of teens and adults, allows me to have hope and possibility for my life, to stand for what I believe is the pathway to the success for the future generation– turning teens into mindful tycoons.
Do you believe that there is one specific formula for success? What does it mean to be a successful business owner?
I don’t’ think success is formulaic. In fact, I believe it is deeply personal and needs to be aligned with a person’s core values. However, I think that happiness is an unquestionable precursor to success. Being a successful entrepreneur or business owner does mean that you are excited, passionate and in love with what you do, even on the worst days.
What is failure?
A stepping stone to success. Failure is one of my absolute favorite topics, and I even have a workshop for youth, “Fail Your Way to Success.” It carries such stigma in the society, and we are trained to avoid it at all costs. Yet, we learn and grow from failure the most. It needs to be celebrated, as it moves you one step closer to your goal and allows you to adjust the path.