Entrepreneurial Q&A: What advice would you give those in Generation Z who have visions of entrepreneurship right out of college?
A: Find a mentor. “Success in entrepreneurship can seem daunting when you lack both experience and guidance, which are normally gained by working for someone. Since you are your own boss, adopt good mentors and take their words and example to heart.” Manpreet Singh, TalkLocal
Start while you’re in college. “A lot of people run their life by saying, ‘I’m going to do this when X happens.’ College students think the professional world starts when they graduate. Wrong. The professional world starts whenever you want it to, but sooner is better than later. Joining the world of entrepreneurship starts when you go to events, build a team and start tinkering with your ideas. Get started today.” Andy Karuza, FenSens
Work for a startup. “Before diving into entrepreneurship, Gen Z graduates should look into interning or working for an existing early-stage startup so they can see what it’s like to not only work in the startup environment, but also build a company from the ground up. They will be able to work alongside the startup’s owner (a seasoned entrepreneur) and discover what it’s really like to run a business.” Miles Jennings, Recruiter.com
Build the basic skills. “A lot of success with entrepreneurship comes with having the solid building blocks of skills to get started. That means a basic understanding of things like SEO, copywriting and marketing, to name a few. You need to have a basic understanding of all of these in order to see success over the long term. From there, you can find partners or outsource what don’t fall into your wheelhouse.” Sean Ogle, Location Rebel
Pick an area of focus. “Become relentless in the pursuit of learning about a given industry or area of focus. Find successful businesses, leaders and experts in the field and study up on them. The more time one invests in learning and researching a particular industry, technology or process, the more opportunities present themselves. Developing this knowledge takes devotion, but is invaluable and very possible.” Shawn Schulze, HomeHealthCareAgencies.com
Don’t quit your day job. “I’ve seen so many people quit their jobs to start a company. Don’t quit your job! Start your company on the side while you’re learning/working at a day job. Once your company becomes more profitable than your salary, then you can quit your job and focus on your company full time. This will relieve a tremendous amount of pressure and urgency, and really allow you to focus.” Brandon Stapper, Crown Growth
Build a cash-flow business before raising money. “Most early visions of entrepreneurship are missing one key ingredient: profit. I think it’s important to have some early success as an entrepreneur coming out of college, whether it’s providing a service or consulting, so that you learn to create value that others are willing to pay for. Ideas about the next Uber are dime a dozen, but the ability to make cash on your own makes you an entrepreneur.” Matthew Capala, Alphametic
Find fellow entrepreneur friends. “You will need a community of professionals who truly understand what’s required emotionally, physically and financially of an entrepreneur for advice, support and resource exchanges. Having fellow entrepreneurs at your disposal is especially crucial in the beginning stages and at growth points. Finding local and national organizations for networking and meeting entrepreneurs is a great place to start.” Faithe Parker, Marbaloo Marketing
(Article written by Young Entrepreneur Council) (SOURCE: TCA)
