• Young innovators today often push age stereotypes to the side to strategize their way to success. And these entrepreneurs did just that, making power plays that keep them ahead of the pack, and taking risks to see their dreams come true. As part of our Young Bosses series, providing tools and resources for budding and experienced business leaders ages 35 and under, BlackEnterprise.com spotlights their stories. Learn how you can use these plays to get in the game and win.

• FILLING A VOID IN AFRICA: GREG MARCHAND

Marchand, 35, founded Chicago-based Gizmos L.L.C., and after seeing a demand for IT products and services in Africa, expanded his venture to Zambia. He heads Gizmos’ African division, Gizmos Ltd., which provides business solutions to the Sub-Saharan African business community. With nearly $1 million in revenues in 2010, Gizmos’ clients include the MTN Group, a multinational mobile telecom company, and UNICEF.

• For resources on how to expand your business internationally, check out 4 Steps to Taking Your Business Global.

• BANKING ON SUSTAINABILITY: NATALIA ALLEN

This 20-something founder of Design Futurist, a product design consultancy founded in 2005, is hired by top companies to provide innovative environmentally friendly materials by using non-toxic methods of production. She touts sustainability as bigger than a trend– a necessary business move–and gives lectures and workshops to companies and organizations on incorporating Earth-friendly practices to increase their bottom line. “Any company that wants to be relevant in 10 years needs to grab hold of the idea of innovation and sustainability as core business practices and realize it’s not a do-good exercise. It is a business opportunity,” Allen told Black Enterprise magazine.

• For tips on how to succeed in green industries, check out Green Insider: Preparing Generation Next for Energy Jobs.

• TAPPING INTO PEERS: JASON SMIKLE

This 24-year-old founder of Truly Unique Vision (TUV) Online/TUV Media sought to provide engaging media produced for young people by young people and teamed up with friends Ebele Mora and Fabricio Sousa to launch the media company, which helps brands connect directly with audiences age 18–24. “There’s a huge disconnect between the mindset of young people and the companies trying to create products that young people buy,” Smikle told Black Enterprise magazine. With a client list boasting companies including Foot Locker, BET, Toyota, and McDonald’s, the company is set for major revenue growth in coming years.

• For more Web resources to grow your business, check out Top Sites for Young Entrepreneurs.

• TRANSLATING BUZZ OF GEN X & Y: TINA WELLS

Wells, 30, has grown her market research firm to position itself as a leader in giving companies from MAC Cosmetics to American Eagle effective marketing and research strategies—related to beauty, fashion, lifestyle, and entertainment—for 6 to 24-year-olds. With a worldwide network of nearly 10,000 teen consultants, the research aggregator provides a realistic view of what’s poppin’ –or not–among the youth of today, providing valuable insight on an audience with major buying power and cultural influence.

• For career tips on marketing success, check out 12 Things Every Entrepreneur Needs to Succeed in Marketing

• FLIPPING CATASTROPHE INTO DOLLARS: AMOS WINBUSH III

Twenty-six-year-old Winbush turned a loss of more than 100 contacts from his phone into a lightbulb moment that sparked a venture. In 2008, he started Cybersynchs, a company that allows for the synchronization of phone data with one’s computer. Holding partnerships with companies like Sun Microsystems and Samsung, the company has its sights on providing service for camcorders and cable devices, and synchronization to medical devices.

• For tips on how to turn a bright idea into a venture, check out Take Your Dream from Concept to Company.

• RISKING IT ALL FOR THE BIG WIN: AARON ARNOLD

Arnold, 31, gave his all to start his dream venture, leaving a high-paying job as a public relations executive to start Music Is My Business, an Atlanta-based music company with a client list that includes ESPN, Heineken, and the United Nations’ World Food Program (WFP). The former Bad Boy intern who worked closely with Sean “Diddy” Combs, lived off credit cards and a prayer–and even worked for free– and it all paid off, with his company recently launching its first music single from its debut album called The Unknowns on MTV.

• EMPOWERING THOUGHT LEADERS VIA SOCIAL MEDIA: ARIELLE PATRICE SCOTT

The co-founder and CEO of GenJuice offers young influencers and entrepreneurs, ages 17-29, a community where they can view helpful content and resources to point them toward success. Using her digital strategy and social networking skills, Scott, is leading several business development projects at Game Changer Products, and describes herself as “part businesswoman, part artist, and full badass.”

• For more on how to stay away from social media blunders, check out 5 Twitter Mistakes to Avoid.

• Want to know more about young entrepreneurs and professionals doing it big in their industries? Check out our 40 Next list and get inspired!

Aaron Arnold used skills learned while an intern at Bad Boy Records to start his own music company. (Source: Aaron Arnold)

Following a passion and turning it into a lucrative career can be quite daunting for many, especially in an economic environment where the choice stands between joblessness and simply earning a paycheck to survive.

However, there are some who are brave enough to step out on faith and take the risk of forfeiting an immediate means of survival to pursue a dream.

Aaron Arnold, 30, founder and CEO of Music Is My Business, made that decision, leaving a high-paying job as a public relations executive to take an unpaid internship working under one of the hardest-working men in show business – Bad Boy Records founder and entertainment industry powerhouse Sean “Diddy” Combs.

After the life-changing experience (and living off credit cards and a prayer), Arnold’s Atlanta-based music company now boasts a client list that includes ESPN, Heineken, and the United Nations’ World Food Program (WFP). He’s also worked with Grammy-award winning songwriter Bryan Michael Cox and platinum-selling artists Danity Kane.

He talked with BlackEnterprise.com about finding the courage to pursue his dream, being inspired by Combs, and the lessons in learning as you go.

BlackEnterprise.com: You transitioned from working in public relations to becoming the CEO of a music company. How did you become interested in the music industry?

Aaron Arnold: Although I had a great job for a great company, I wasn’t happy anymore. My ambition had outgrown what I was currently doing. I closed my eyes and asked myself, “If I could do something for free, what would it be?”

Shockingly to me, it was music, but it made sense too, [since] my mother performed opera and my dad was a jazz musician and music professor. I was even in concert choir during high school. I basically followed my heart.

How did working for Sean “Diddy” Combs inspire you to branch out on your own?

My work with Mr. Combs was an amazing experience, and every day was different and intense. I came to him with the goal of being the next generation of executives to influence music and business. All I asked of him was to mentor and groom me, and in return I’d work a year for free if he saw fit. At the first meeting I ever attended with him, I was so inspired by his work ethic, energy, and knowledge of various industries. I went home that night and launched the concept of Music Is My Business.

What was your involvement with the U.N.’s World Food Program (WFP) and the inspiration behind it?

In 2007, we took part in creating a public service announcement for the WFP. I brought five-time Grammy-winning songwriter Bryan Michael Cox to the table, and we scored the PSA which ran on news networks all over.

In 2008, the WFP launched the Red Cup campaign [to raise awareness on hunger], which they debuted on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Upon seeing that, I decided I wanted to do something for the kids and pitched the idea of doing an animated musical for the same campaign. They approved it, and we went to work. It took us 12 months as we conceptualized via our brand-management team, animated via our TV, film, and animation team, and scored via our music team’s producer and artist. We’re hoping to debut this on Oprah later this year.

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in pursuing your success?

Of course, you have people who do not believe in you or aim to take advantage of you because of your youth and [your] being new to the business, but the main one for me is when I first started Music Is My Business, I had a team that was too large. So we weren’t efficient, and that was due to me not knowing what I was doing. In addition, I had a vision but not the know-how in which to execute that vision. I learned that things don’t happen overnight and that ideas are just ideas unless they are backed up by results.

How did you overcome those challenges?

I overcame those challenges by just knowing what I (and Music Is My Business) was destined to become. Eventually my team became a lot smaller, and I had to walk away from several situations that weren’t conducive to the long-term growth of Music Is My Business. I also had to figure out what would drive Music Is My Business revenue-wise, build that component first, and then integrate everything else from there. Most importantly, learning from my failures and mistakes really helped me and humbled me.

What would you say are the three keys to success that have directly been used in your life and business?

Keep dreaming, even when you are awake, and then act on that vision. Sometimes inspiration can come in the form of many things, but always have those outlets. It keeps you creative.

Find peers and mentors who have like energy, ambition, and visions. These are the people who you will grow with and who will support you on those bad days and who you will also make money with. I am only successful because of the wonderful team that supports me as I support them.

Keep your vision intact. As long as you stay the course regarding your vision, you will somehow get there. It’s not about being the smartest person; it’s about being the person who wants it most. Persevere.