There is no age limit on owning a business. It does take an entrepreneurial spirit, a willingness to put your own neck on the line, and, in some cases, a healthy slice of luck, but you can be as young as you like and still own your own company. Even in the city centre of Dublin, where rents, rates and building costs are spectacularly high, there are proprietors whose biggest advantage is that they have still youth on their side.

Tom Cleary was just 25 years old when he bought Kennedy's on Westland Row along with Ronan and Gavin Clarke. He had come to Dublin from Tipperary in 1997 to study Philosophy and Politics at Trinity College, and, perhaps as a result of the lack of hours required to undertake a philosophy degree, he found himself working in bars.

"It's the old cliche . . . if you do politics you will be found at a bar, either behind one pulling drinks, or in front of one, telling people what you should have done with your life, " he said.

Having qualified in 2001, Cleary went on to do a Masters in International Relations in DCU . . . but he soon realised that he would have to wait a long time for a job in the Department of Foreign Affairs. Instead, he, like so many others, headed to Australia, where he successfully ran a bar with his friend Keith Noyes . . . so successfully, in fact, that he was asked to stay. Which he would have done, except that he was not willing to stay the four years that was being asked of him.

Having returned to Dublin, Cleary ran Murray's in Bath Avenue, whereupon he was given the opportunity to become part of the ownership (along with Ronan and Gavin Clarke). But, instead, the opportunity to purchase Kennedy's came up, and following an auction in late 2004, the pub reopened in 2005 with some alterations . . .

the most significant of which was the transformation of a function room downstairs into a busy nightclub called "The Underground".

"I had always wanted a pub, and I had to know if I was going to sink or swim, " said Cleary. "I didn't want to die wondering if it would have worked."

Of course, pub ownership can be a risky business . . . but armed with his experience and his youth, Cleary approached the enterprise with open arms and open eyes.

"In the past, I felt that bars didn't offer enough, " he said.

"I had picked up a lot of things in my experiences here and in Australia. For example, I learned that a barista (someone who makes the coffee) is as important as a barman, and food is seriously important . . . something that the smoking ban has facilitated."

So does Tom Cleary feel that his lack of years is an advantage in his trade?

"At the end of the day, bills come in here the same way as they do anywhere else, " he said. "I don't have any special formula for success, but I will say that, in this business, you have to be there, on site, all the time. Between myself and Keith (Cleary brought his old friend back from Australia to act as manager of Kennedy's), there is always one of us here. But you also have to be open to all changes. There are those who say that a pint of Guinness will always sell, and they are right. But that pint could also sell with a meal or with a latte."

Paula Rowan was just 32 when she took over the business selling high-quality leather bags at Claudio Ferrici in the Westbury Mall - which is a long way from the History and Classics degree that she studied at UCD.

"There are a lot of entrepreneurs in my family, both my immediate family and my extended one, " she said. "So owning a shop had always been at the back of my mind over the years. When I left school, I didn't know what I wanted to do, but by undertaking further education in something with which I wasn't familiar, I felt that I was developing myself both intellectually and personally."

During her time at college, Rowan worked in leather bag retail, and following a course in interior design, she returned to the retail industry. And, four years ago, she was appointed manager of the Claudio Ferrici shop in the Westbury Mall . . . the shop which she now owns.

"Owning your own business gives you freedom, allows you to make your own decisions, and gives you independence, " she said. "And if you have ambition and motivation, and you believe in what you are selling, that will keep you going. I have always been a hard worker, but I had to ask myself "why am I working hard for someone else, when I could be doing it for myself?" I have never been afraid of borrowing money, or being in debt, and if you are an entrepreneur, you can't be afraid . . . you have to be willing to take a risk."

Indeed, when the option arose to take over the business, Rowan did not think twice . . . despite people often asking her if she was concerned about the pressures of going into business for herself.

"For me, it was a natural progression, " she said. "I have always had an interest in aesthetics, and in the finer things in life. I knew the business inside and out, so although staring on my own was daunting, it was also an exciting time. I am selling a good quality product, not a name, and the business has been building steadily over the years."

So does Rowan have an overall philosophy for how a young woman should run her business in a competitive world?

"When customers come in, they are getting the full package, " she said. "It is a stylish shop with a relaxed ambience, and they will be talking to somebody who knows their product . . . that is something that can be missing from some of the chains that have opened in Dublin. But, overall, to be successful, you need to believe in your idea, you need to be willing to give 100%, you need to be unafraid of debt, and you need to be on-top of things to keep progressing . . . for example, I now provide high-quality corporate gifts as well as running the shop."