It's probably not your first instinct to seek a tween's advice when making decisions about your career.

But it may be rewarding to do so, especially if you want to start a business or launch a side-hustle. That's according to Nikhil Kamath, a 38-year-old self-made billionaire and co-founder of Zerodha, an online stock brokerage platform.

"Don't go to the previous generation to figure out what you should be doing 20 years from now," he told LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky in a recent episode of "The Path" video series. "Go look at what the kids are doing. Go look at what a 16-year-old boy is doing [and] what he might want in 10 years." 

Kamath got his start in business in the ninth grade, buying and reselling cell phones to his classmates before dropping out of high school. He later got a job working at a call center, teaching himself how to trade stocks in his free time, which inspired his career in finance.

Kamath co-founded the Bangalore-based Zerodha in 2010 alongside his brother. The trading platform has since grown to more than 10 million users, making it one of the largest in India and helping Kamath reach a $3 billion net worth, according to Forbes.

In 2021, he co-founded a venture capital firm called Gruhas, which supports entrepreneurs in industries like artificial intelligence and cleantech — both of which are top of mind for younger generations.

"A lot of the advice you might get from someone who's 50 or 60 and in positions of power" may be out of touch with the needs and wants of your audience or consumers, Kamath told Roslansky, adding that young people are the ones who "define culture going forward."

As young people navigate the world, they are often curious and have a fresh perspective that could inspire innovative ideas for your business, Kamath explained. And tapping into their social media habits could potentially help you shape your marketing strategy. 

Nearly half of teens are online "almost constantly," according to Pew Research Center's 2024 Teens, Social Media and Technology report, which analyzed the online habits of American youth between the ages of 13 and 17. They frequent YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat the most, often setting fashion, dance and lifestyle content trends on the platforms.

Moreover, it's estimated that Gen Alpha, or those born between 2010 and 2024, will have $1.7 trillion in direct spending power and a $5.46 trillion economic footprint by 2029, according to research-based advisory firm McCrindle, which says this generation of consumers is being widely overlooked.

"Every organization, every brand, every product is just one generation away from extinction," CEO Mark McCrindle told CFO Brew in May. 

Many executives have seen success using young people as inspiration: His own and other college students' social habits inspired Mark Zuckerberg to launch Facebook in 2004. And Pinterest co-founder Ben Silbermann created the platform with his childhood love for collecting things in mind. 

Of course, you can get valuable business advice and inspiration from older people who've already navigated their way through entrepreneurship. But if you really want to know if your ideas are good, ask a kid, Kamath insisted.

"Look forward, look younger for inspiration, not older," he said.

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