"You can't get anywhere by sitting on your ideas."

Thirteen-year-old Jason O'Neill summed up his entrepreneurial career in one sentence.

And he should know. From lemonade stands to a neighborhood recycling business, the enterprising Temecula businessman has been putting his ideas into practice since he was 5.

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Nancy O'Neill

Jason O'Neill and his Pencil Bugs.

"I was always interested in making my own money," he said. "And if you want it, you have to earn it. People aren't going to just give it to you." His goal is to build up a nest egg for his later years -- something most kids never even think about. For Jason, it's about the freedom that comes with keeping his options open. "When I get older I want to work because I want to -- not because I have to."

In 2005 Jason hit upon one simple idea that was to change his life forever. While helping his mother prepare for a local craft show, he came up with the concept of Pencil Bugs, funny little creatures that wrap around the top of a pencil. Priced at $1.50 each, the Pencil Bugs sold quickly, and Jason soon realized the product had long-term business potential. He turned to his parents for support and advice. His father, Don, helped him establish a business license and coached him on finance. Mom Nancy created his Web site ( www.pencilbugs.com). She also mentored Jason in social media like blogging and Twitter. "It's been an interesting experience for both of us," she admitted. "I'm teaching myself about social media as we go along, and helping Jason with writing and entrepreneurial skills that they don't teach in his school." She is always beside Jason whenever he is on the Internet to monitor and offer help as needed.

Running a personal business is never easy, and there are always people who will try to sabotage or demean what you do. One of the more difficult issues Jason faced was ridicule from his peers. "It's hard," he said hesitantly. "But deep down I don't think it's really about me personally. I think these kids would really like to be doing what I'm doing, but don't have the support from their families to make it happen. You can't do this sort of thing without help -- especially if you're a kid."

Jason admitted there are times he thinks about giving it all up. Parts of the business, like the actual construction of the Pencil Bugs, can be tedious. He's currently looking for a manufacturer to take over production. Still, he enjoys the lecture circuit and likes meeting new people. On top of that he's always coming up with new ideas -- most recently a series of young reader books, the first of which he has just completed. Whenever he's ready to call it quits, his creative drive, love of new experiences and the support of his family keep him going.

If Jason had to choose the single most important characteristic for any entrepreneur, it would be to think outside the box. People worry too much about trying to fit a particular business model instead of concentrating on what works. "Sometimes you just have to push the boundaries and go outside your comfort zone."

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Debbie Lefever

Jason O'Neill onstage in Los Angeles for "The Richest Kids in America" book promotion.

Pushing the boundaries was what propelled the young businessman to national fame in 2006. He decided to enter the Young Entrepreneur of the Year contest sponsored by Young Entrepreneurs of America. Although the contest specifically stated that entrants had to be 16 or older to participate, 11-year-old Jason entered anyway. "I figured the worst that could happen is they would ignore me," he shrugged. They didn't ignore him. In fact they were so impressed by his story that he inspired them to create a new category. Jason won the title of Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the under-16 category.

His success caught the attention of Forbes magazine, and he was selected as one of its top-10 role models in America for ages 18 and younger in 2008. He also appeared on the television show "1 vs. 100," hosted by Bob Saget, where one contestant competed against a mob of 100 to answer trivia questions for prize money. Jason, who was part of the all-kid mob, lost after just the second question. However, he met so many interesting people and learned so much about television that he didn't mind. The free publicity didn't hurt either. "Sometimes what seems like a failure is really a success because you experience so many amazing things."

Most recently Jason was featured as one of 13 kids in a new book by Mark Victor Hansen titled "The Richest Kids in America." He has also been interviewed for an upcoming "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Extraordinary Teens" book by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Kent Healy. Nurture Smart, an organization in Nairobi, Kenya, that runs an entrepreneur program for kids there, has asked Jason to be a peer ambassador and to participate as a judge and keynote speaker in its annual competition later this year.

On Twitter, the Girls Night Out group invited Jason to be a guest speaker on the topic "How to Teach Kids About Charity." Like his hero Bill Gates, Jason believes that with success comes the responsibility of helping others. Early on in his business, Jason felt it was important to put some of the money he made to work in helping kids less fortunate. A portion of all sales goes to support the Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego. It's a connection that means a lot to him, and he personally creates Pencil Bug gift baskets for the children throughout the year.

As for his future plans, Jason has just signed with an agency to write a book on tips for entrepreneurs, which will be out in early 2010. His series of easy reader books for second- to fourth-graders continues to be developed. The series will feature adventure fantasies based on the Pencil Bug characters exploring themes like conflict resolution and other topics kids deal with on a daily basis.

Despite his numerous projects, Jason loves being a kid and knows the importance of balancing work with play. His favorite way to relax is to play Runescape, an online multiplayer fantasy game. Not surprisingly, he's fascinated with the economy system in the game and loves working the business aspect to help his characters earn more money. You just can't keep a good businessman down.