KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: The "last in, first out" syndrome is forcing many young adults to grab the first job available, believing that this is the best way to ride out the economic storm.

But top young entrepreneurs who've made it to the who's who list in business are convinced that starting a company in this economic crisis will reap great benefits in the future.

"This is the best time to be an entrepreneur. The economic downturn provides a great opportunity to start your own business.

"It's not easy to get a job now but it's cheap to start your own company. Costs are low and competition is less," says Catcha Media Group founder and group chief executive officer and Iproperty.com executive chairman, Patrick Grove.

And what's the best industry to get into?

"Recession or not, Internet is the business to dive into. Everyday, people use the Internet to do more and more things. And its use will only increase with time. But every individual has to be smart in managing revenue."

The 33 -year-old Grove also warns against looking for short-cuts.

"There is no way of making a quick buck. Entrepreneurs go through tough times. But you must be 'thick-skinned' and persistent. Believe in yourself."

Just like a football game, he says, you'll win some, and lose some.

"People will judge you; some may not trust you because of your age. But if you have a good product or service to offer, believe in it."

He adds: "Don't focus on building wealth. Yes, that's important. But you have to figure out what you like to do first.

"You got to love what you do to survive in the business world. If you have faith and passion in what you do, no one can take that away."

Ganesh Kumar Bangah, the co-founder and CEO of MOL AccessPortal, shares the same sentiments.

"There is always an opportunity in a crisis and if there is a right opportunity to start your own business, I'd say this would be as good a time as any to start one.

"If you want a challenge and want to 'change the world', then look at starting your own business."

The 29-year-old says cash-flow is the key to strong holding power in today's business world.

"It's very important to get a strong sustaining cash-flow to pay your overheads as soon as possible so that you don't have to worry about how to pay your salaries at the end of the month.

"Once a company has achieved this, then the sky is the limit on how much it can expand."

But, he says, being an entrepreneur is not for everyone.

"It really depends on what you intend to achieve in life. If you're happy with a nine-to-five job and with what you already have, then it would be better to stay in an establishment.

"A person who is happy with what he or she has should not be an entrepreneur, because an entrepreneur is never contented.

"On top of that, a young entrepreneur faces many challenges from gaining the trust of business partners and employees to building strong cash streams that can sustain the business."

Ganesh has one advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

"If you want to be a young entrepreneur, dream the unimaginable, think the impossible, never take 'no' for an answer and never give up."

Ezer Ratchaga, CEO of a group of multinational companies specialising in online business and marketing solutions, is convinced that entrepreneurs usually start out doing something part-time and end up making more money doing their own business.

"This is how it worked with me. I worked for Motorola for over a year but, at the same time, had my own web hosting company back in 1996 called Astro-Space.

"After a year or so, I was making 10 times more from my hosting business. My full-time job as an engineer became irrelevant and I went into business full-time."

A member of the "International Who's Who of Professionals", Ezer believes an entrepreneur is someone who's not afraid to take risks.

"Someone who's been a leader all their lives, even from young, is the sign of an entrepreneur. The entrepreneurs are society leaders, they are the ones at the top of school clubs and organisations," says the 37-year-old.

But the challenges facing a young entrepreneur are endless.

"Entrepreneurs face challenges daily. If it's not the economy, it may be human resource, if it's not human resource it may be suppliers, if it's not suppliers, it may be customers.

"Problems are never-ending. That's why starting a business is highly stressful and is only suitable for certain people."

But once you've made it to the top, Ezer says, young entrepreneurs have to be careful not to make mistakes that could bring the company down.

"The founder of a company is the person who'll give it strong holding power. In whatever circumstance, this person should never wash his hands off responsibilities.

"If you look at Apple computers, for instance, they were doing really well when CEO Steve Jobs was there but went downhill when they fired him. Then when he was rehired, they did well again.

"Why is this so? Because the founder knows what he's doing and that's why he started the business in the first place. He knows the business inside-out, giving him the ability to change with the times.

"Some companies grow to a certain size and when they hire new managers, it may not survive downtimes as no one is smart enough to move the company in a different direction.

"A good CEO is key in any company. The CEO will be able to move quickly through all economic situations and reinvent the company as need be and should be 'hands on' in every aspect of the business."

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