30 TEENAGE ENTREPRENEURS Surveys often reveal that more than half of all the teenage entrepreneurs that have recently emerged in the United States are firstborn children, and many are from immigrant families. Some are content with modest revenues, others are primarily after big money - but most are driven simply by the desire to shape their own destinies. Certainly, all possess qualities such as ingenuity, a good intellect, a healthy sense of self, inner drive, and a clear-cut purpose. "It's not luck; it's hard work," says one of them. "If you work hard, you'll be successful - that's what I always say. You can't rely on anybody but yourself." Perhaps the most engaging quality of the teenage entrepreneurs is their effervescent optimism. Reared in an era of unprecedented exposure to news of disaster, terrorism, famine, and the threat of nuclear mayhem, they nevertheless developed into positive-thinking achievers. Aware of the obstacles, they are far more interested in the opportunities.