Successful Self-Starter

Andy Butler, Young Businessman of the Year, is definitely not your average 22-year-old. Far from it. He's not planning a backpacking trip round the world, and he doesn't go clubbing until three and then sleep until midday. He's always been ambitious and not afraid of hard work. But he's also had a dream and he's made it all come true without any help from his parents.

Andy is boss of his own computer business, and he's already made a small fortune. He told us how it all started. 'I've always been fascinated by computers and it's always been my dream to run my own company. So I read lots of computer magazines, and when I got fed up with washing neighbours' cars at the age of 14, I put a small advert in the local paper: "Problems with your computer? Let me solve them for you. Ј15 per hour. No solution, no charge." The phone never stopped ringing!

It seems I'd really discovered a gap In the market. Lots of people work from home nowadays and they invariably use PCs and the Internet. But PCs have a habit of going wrong and that's where I came in, because they want them fixed - fast. When I arrived on my bike, people were amazed how young I was. Some of them didn't trust me to take their valuable PCs to pieces, and I had to persuade them that I knew what I was doing. But they were happy enough when I fixed the problem.

Then, a few months later, I was at the dentist's and I was telling him what I did. He immediately asked me to design a website for him. That's really what got me started. I got a book and I more or less taught myself. It wasn't too difficult. A week later his website was up and running and he was very happy with it. After that, word got around, and his friends and clients started ringing me up. And since then I've never looked back. I did computer studies at university and now I'm putting everything I've learnt into practice.

I can't believe my luck. If you ask me, there's nothing more exciting than having your own business. The company doesn't fix computers. Instead, we specialize in website design and we're taking on new clients every day. I work with some great people and they're all about my age, so everything's very informal. Sometimes I work 14 or 15 hours a day, but I don't notice the time because I'm getting such a buzz from what I'm doing. I suppose I'm already a millionaire, but that isn't the point. The main thing is 'I'm enjoying it. And this is only the beginning!'

1. Who helped Andy to make his dream come true?

A. his parents;

B. nobody;

C. his friends;

D. his relatives.

2. What did he do at the age of 14?

A. worked as a waiter;

B. delivered newspapers;

C. sold computer magazines;

D. washed neighbours' cars.

3. When Andy Butler arrived to his clients they were ... to see how young he was.

A. irritated;

B. very surprised;

C. angry;

D. annoyed.

4. Who started ringing Andy Butter up?

A. dentist's friends and clients;

B. dentist's relatives;

C. people abroad;

D. his classmates.

5. Why does he think he's lucky?

A. he is a millionaire;

B. he enjoys his works;

C. he has many new clients every day;

D. he woks with some great people.

6. What does his company do for their clients?

A. they fix computers;

B. they specialize in website design;

C. they help their clients to use Internet;

D. they enlarge their clients' knowledge of computers.​

Neznat13    3   30.04.2020 10:37    893