Rylan Kindness: I’m young, rich and successful and had to leave the country because other Australians are always trying to drag me down. Here’s my eight pieces of advice to anyone who wants to get ahead and overcome tall poppy syndrome

A young and successful entrepreneur has left Australia behind because he has had enough of the ‘tall poppy syndrome’.

Rylan Kindness, 22, founded and developed Parking Deals Australia when he was just 16.

The platform earned $250,000 a month for the next seven years and amassed about 500,000 users before selling the lucrative business to Parkhound for an undisclosed fee in April and moving to Dubai’s lavish island chain, The Palm.

Despite his young age, it was not his first business venture.

Mr Kindness also launched a website he hoped would rival Gumtree when he was in high school – and that’s when he says he first started hearing that others were trying to bring him down.

“Kids at school found out and they put a teachers house up for sale – and a law firm – and I had to tear it down,” he explained to Daily Mail Australia.

“I never expected that when you try to be successful, there will be people who will actively try to hold you back.

“But that’s what Australia does best: trying to take down people who are trying to be successful, and trying.”

The entrepreneur said there was no one specific incident that made him leave the country, but rather an accumulation of resentment and jealousy from others over the years.

“Tall Poppy Syndrome is the real reason I live in Dubai,” Mr Kindness said.

‘Here the government supports the business community and no one cares about your successes. There’s always a bigger fish.’

Although he sees Australia as a “safe and wonderful place, with lots of opportunities”, Mr Kindness believes there is not enough support for those who want to get ahead.

‘I love Australia, I love being Australian, but I find it suffocating there. There is simply too much red tape.

‘Everything seems to be a problem. There are always problems. Dubai is much looser in terms of getting things done. They’ve made it easier.’

Below, Mr Kindness, who is currently deciding on his next venture, explains his top eight tips for Aussies looking to get started on their entrepreneurial journey.

Rylan Kindness said tall poppy syndrome is the real reason I live in Dubai (pictured at his home in The Palm)

1. Take the time to find your passion

The former professional BMX athlete was always encouraged by his parents to have a backup plan and figure out what he wanted to do in case he got hurt.

Mr Kindness said aspiring entrepreneurs also need to work out their end goals and what they are interested in.

“Take time to discover and explore your passions,” he said.

He suggests that students do not blindly strive to go to college.

“Instead of going to college, I was already running a business because I had taken the time to discover my passion,” he said.

“I knew early on that I wanted to do this.”

2. You don’t care what other people think of you

‘If you think about what other people think of you, you will never do anything. You shouldn’t let it influence you.’

The entrepreneur said young people should remember that it is their life and they should take control of it.

“Do something for yourself and don’t listen to other people, like parents or teachers, who might tell you what you should do,” he said.

3. Don’t be a talker at lunch

This is a tip that many adults can relate to: stop talking about your ideas and make them a reality.

“I was talking to a friend of mine and he told me his idea that he wanted to do, and I realized that he had talked about the same idea at lunch when we were at school,” he said.

“It was seven or eight years later and I thought, ‘What took so long?’

Mr Kindness said that as you get older there are always more things in life that make it harder to get your idea off the ground, so the sooner you start, the better.

‘If you don’t take action, you won’t get results. People think the idea is valuable, but it’s the action that counts. Talk is cheap, action is valuable.’

Mr Kindness is currently deciding on his next venture

Mr Kindness also launched a website he hoped would rival Gumtree when he was in high school – and that’s when he says he first started hearing that others were trying to bring him down

4. Just start

“If you’re committed to your end goals and you continually work toward them — and you’re going to have setbacks along the way — but if you keep going, you’ll get there,” he said.

The entrepreneur notes that all it takes to get started is a blank page and that those who want to get started “don’t need a big plan.”

‘Just start. Simple as that.’

5. Learn and observe

Those who hope to succeed must always ask questions.

“I had no idea, no money, I knew nothing about business strategy, but I watched people and observed what they did,” he said.

In the same way, young people can learn by ‘hanging out with successful people’ and learning from them.

‘Success leaves clues.’

6. You have nothing to lose

The entrepreneur wants teens to realize what a perfect time to try things is because they don’t pay rent and have no other adult responsibilities.

“There will always be opportunities in every generation. In this day and age, it is so easy to access anything online,” he said.

‘There is a low risk and little money is needed to start something. It’s a great opportunity because the barrier to entry is so low.’

The young entrepreneur (pictured with his father) said it is easier to do business in the United Arab Emirates, while Australia has a lot of red tape

7. Fight for what you want to listen to

The entrepreneur said the biggest challenge for young people is removing information from their feeds.

“Young Aussies are so distracted. There is so much opinion and information on social media. So investing in business doesn’t seem like the ‘fun’ thing to do,” he said.

‘I have no admiration for the man who comes to Dubai for a month and posts pictures of himself at glamorous parties and with lambos – all of which are rented – and then goes home and sells himself as the ‘product’ of how to be successful .

‘It has confused a lot of teenagers because it focuses on lifestyle. Entrepreneurship is not glamorous, it is hard work.’

Mr Kindness said entrepreneurship is not about ‘changing your lifestyle’ and that your childhood should be seen as a great learning phase.

8. There is always a way to make money

The businessman said teenagers should be aware that there are multiple ways to make money.

‘You just have to spend time finding solutions. But some people would rather whine than make money,” he said.

When he was a child, he and his father went to garage sales, markets and street collections to fix things and make money.

‘The lesson I learned is that you don’t have to be afraid of getting your hands dirty. People are too lazy to renovate or clean things and you can make good money with that and resell them.’

Mr Kindness founded and developed Parking Deals Australia when he was just 16