By Traci Newell

Joe Hu/Town Crier Kyle and Kent Healy visit Los Altos High School March 27. The former LAHS students spoke to teens in Michelle Bissonette’s class about the skills their book teaches.

Three years ago, two brothers from Los Altos High School began work on a book, which subsequently sold nearly 20,000 copies.

The pair, Kent and Kyle Healy, had tried to run a skim board and wakeboard company when they were 14 and 15 years old, respectively, and then a window-washing business called Mario and the Squeegee Bros. about a year later.

The enterprising brothers quickly realized the difficulties of running a business and their own limitations.

“You have to be smart enough to realize how little you know,” Kent said.

The Healy brothers tried to find a packaged answer for success at a young age and realized there wasn’t one, so they created a manual for young adults titled “‘Cool Stuff’ They Should Teach in School (Cool Stuff Media, 2004).”

“Life is the most important game we are going to play,” Kyle said. He said the book covers the fundamentals of life and the skills needed for success.

The two tackle topics such as attitude, goals, habits, pressure, job searches, building your own business, money management, people skills, communication and the future.

Kent said he feels the topics are important for young adults to learn because they are not necessarily addressed in high school or college.

“These are skills you eventually have to know,” he said. “The earlier you learn them, the better off you are going to be.”

The brothers have attended nine schools in two countries. Kyle said working together was challenging at times, but they are each other’s best friend.

Kent and Kyle said they credit their success to their parents.

“They instilled the thought in our head that anything is possible as long as you put the effort into it,” said Kent.

The pair, former students of Los Altos High teacher Michelle Bissonette, returned to the classroom March 27 to discuss with students their book and their thoughts on the skills necessary for young adults to acquire outside the classroom.

Kyle said Bissonette helped the brothers during the writing process. They would submit chapters and she gave her feedback.

The brothers live in San Clemente, where they run their business, Cool Stuff Media Inc. The company focuses on producing audio, T-shirts, books and events for young adults. The pair also write a regular column for young adults in their local paper and will write a column for the Orange County Register beginning in September.

The brothers said they are trying to offer a solution and start a movement to better prepare young adults for the future.

For more information on Kent and Kyle and their book “‘Cool Stuff’ They Should Teach in School” visit www.coolstuffmedia.com.