Tina Wells, 24, is the CEO and founder of Buzz Marketing Group, a multi-million dollar company that surveys teenagers and advises Fortune 500 companies on how to reach that target audience.

When Tina was just 16, she began writing product reviews for The New Girl Times, a national newspaper based in New York City. Soon, the companies were hiring her to review the products and offer feedback through the eyes of a teenager. It wasn't long before Tina began receiving more products than she could review by herself.

When Tina found herself with 40 clients in just three months, she hired ten friends to help her. In 2000, CosmoGIRL! Magazine held a contest that featured Buzz, and Buzz received 15,000 applications. Since then, it has grown as a teen and young adult oriented company conducting peer-to-peer research, product testing, and promotions, among other things.

We talked with Tina on the rooftop of her company's New York City HQ and wanted to share her story and valuable insights. For additional photos from the photo shoot click here.

KOUSHI: How does Buzz work?

TINA: It's all done peer-to-peer through our network. I have about 150 teens on the BCB (Buzz Consultant Board) and the Buzz Network is governed by the board. I feed the study to the teens, who feed it to two other teens, all peer-to-peer, which keeps the research completely honest and true. If it were me asking 15-year-olds about their experiences with drugs, they obviously wouldn't be open and honest. When a peer is asking another peer, there's no reason not to be truthful. If something's not working, be it a product or campaign, it's my job to say, this isn't working, based on the teen's feedback.

KOUSHI: If someone wanted to get into this business, would you suggest the route that you took?

TINA: Well, to each his own, but I would not have done one thing differently. I would never discourage someone from going to college. Knowledge really is power, and the more you know, the more you grow.

KOUSHI: What tips would you give to someone else who wants to be where you are right now?

TINA: You have to persevere. I built a career for eight years; I started when I was 16. I'm 24, and just starting to see the fruits of that labor. It's not something you can do overnight; there is no over-night success. It's something that you have to love, be passionate about, and believe in.

KOUSHI: Do you think that it takes a certain personality type to do what you're doing?

TINA: I'm kind of a go-with-the-flow person. I don't really let a lot of things ruffle my feathers. One of my employees said to me, "You know how you look at life? When you see a closed door, you don't say, 'oh it's closed; I can't get in.' You think, 'I'm either opening it, busting in, or using a credit card to pick the lock.' There's never a closed door to you." I never give up. I'm a cusp baby, right between Aries and Taurus, so I will never take no for an answer.

KOUSHI: Do you put a lot of stock in Astrology?

TINA: Oh no; I just think it's funny because I look at Taurus, my sign, and I'm like, "yeah I'm a stubborn bull."

KOUSHI: Do you feel that what you do is standard compared to what other companies do?

TINA: No. Definitely not standard. I don't like the cookie-cutter approach. I like to think, and make my clients think. If you're feeling uncomfortable, I'm doing my job. Sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone to do something that's incredible.

KOUSHI: What's the best business decision you've ever made, besides going into it?

TINA: Two years ago, we decided to really delve into the market and come up with cool studies, not just the typical ones. We hit hard issues like sex, rape and music downloading, and weren't afraid to go in front of people and say this is how teens feel. For instance, we went in front of the recording industry and said 99 percent of the 500 teens we talked to have downloaded music in the last 30 days and they're not going to stop. We had to say "you're going to continue to lose money, and I'm sorry; I can't say otherwise." That takes guts, but it's what the teens told us. My job is to report the truth, because sooner or later, you're going to see that I'm right.

KOUSHI: Who is the biggest celebrity you've met?

TINA: I've met a lot of them, but I think the biggest for me was Howie Dean, the Backstreet Boy. I met him at the height of his celebrity and he was such a nice, normal person. But now I expect every celebrity to be nice like that, and some of them just really aren't. And I don't like celebrities; I really don't.

KOUSHI: When you met your first big celebrity, were you nervous?

TINA: No, I never have that "Oh my God" feeling. People obviously like Oprah Winfrey. If I met her, I'd be like, "Wow, you're inspirational," but never "Oh my God." It's just not in my personality. It's because I spend so much time on the side of the business that makes people like that. There's always a part of me that says, "a person like me pours themselves into a person like you and makes you a big celebrity." I'm not going to bow down to you, because I know what it took, and there are tons of people like me behind you.

KOUSHI: If you had one thing that you wanted to tell the readers of brass, what would it be?

TINA: I went to Honduras and kids there would do anything to go to school. We don't have that same passion for learning yet we have so many resources available. Don't take your education for granted. Be passionate about learning, both inside and outside of the classroom.