April 16, 2020.  I connected with a young entrepreneur named Barathkumaar Ravikumaar whose profile I had seen on LinkedIn.  I don’t exactly remember how I came across him, but I noted that he was 14 years old and called himself a Teenpreneur.  I loved this and it sparked my curiosity.  This is the power of a well-written LinkedIn headline; conversational seeds are planted and you never know in what direction they will grow. I started our first interaction unaware that one of my most interesting reverse mentoring relationships was about to germinate.

Maybe that seems like an odd descriptive term, but the definition sums up the relationship well. Germination: The first visible sign in flowering plants is generally an enlargement of the seed, due to intake of water from the environment. When Barath and I met, I had no idea that it would entail being drenched from a sprinkler turned up to the highest setting. Both of us have so many ideas working at once that we have to turn down the volume.

As I researched his profile, I learned that Barath began learning App Development at 10 years old.  He has completed over 200 courses online at this young age.  His grandfather is one of his biggest advocates and Barath has utilized LinkedIn to build a network of connections and mentors. 

200 courses?  At age 14?  I started thinking about what I was doing at that age and felt like a slacker.  To be fair to myself, I didn’t have tech at my fingertips but was intrigued about what drove Barath to do so much.    Anyone who knows me is aware of my interest in students and helping them thrive so I was instantly curious.

I reached out to connect about his ideas for SEO and website enhancement and found out that he had built an online portal for the teachers and administrators at his school in Tamil Nadu, ran a Computer Science Club, and delivered over 40 coaching classes.  He shared that he was keenly interested in e learning and wants to build out his own “Digital Barath University.”  Two of his many interests are educating students on website development and helping teachers understand tech. His teaching skills span across the generations.

He offered to send me an SEO report and it was very thorough.  Not only was the the report sent promptly, but he provided an overview on the different options to enhance my website.  I hired him to help build out a newer version.

As we worked on this together, I began teaching him about consulting, client proposals, contributed some editing for his website, and suggested content ideas.   We struck up an online friendship and thus began a learning-teaching dynamic where the roles continually shift back and forth. We have enjoyed some fun moments along the way, including the realization during one of our conversations that our definitions of “collapsed” meant two different things.  He meant technologically collapsed, and I was thinking literally.  At first I was concerned, then I laughed until my stomach hurt.

One day he messaged and asked if I would like to work with him on one of his client projects.  He was building a website and needed a content writer and editor whose first language was English.  At 14 years old he put together the creative team:  a content writer, graphic designer, and himself as the website builder.  Off we went to our Trello board communicating across the miles and smiles, sometimes at each other’s expense.

I know at times he’s probably been amused by something I said. There were also moments I wondered about why he had done something in a certain way or his approach. I have to constantly remind myself about his age because it’s easy to forget sometimes.  I move from collaborator to mentor in these cases.  We continue to work together, and I think we have a better mutual understanding every day.

Sometimes when I want to connect with him, it’s not only about the time difference.  I realize he’s doing his homework, in class, or writing his exams and I shouldn’t interrupt.  It’s a funny feeling.

I know random things about him, like he goes to sleep at night listening to motivational talks from his idol Sundar Pichai.  He has a passion for teaching everyone, and he wants to do something about helping students who don’t have access to the same educational opportunities he does.  He loves India and wants to leave a positive mark on his country.  He truly believes age is only a number.  I do too, and together we defy putting limitations on age every day. We share commonalities and leverage differences.

After our first project I referred him to a client in the US for website development and social media, and now we’ve worked together in both of our homelands.  We share cultural tips and the nuances of language when we are writing copy for websites or discussing content ideas. 

I’m a big believer in reverse mentorship.  I’ve been engaged in it many times over, and have seen that it is underutilized in organizations. Meeting Barath has been one of my most interesting experiences on LinkedIn.  His favorite quote is “wear your failure like a badge of honor.”  Somehow, I don’t think he’ll have many badges to wear.  He will continue to plant the seeds for his success while helping others rise like the plants on his terrace.

Follow Barath here: https://barathkumaar.com/