Through the Eyes of a Millennial Entrepreneur

We live in a society where we constantly hear about start ups that turn into billion dollar ideas. This past week I had the opportunity of speaking with a fellow entrepreneur who started his first business before he was even 20 years old! It got me thinking; What can I do to be such a visionary entrepreneur like the late Steve Jobs, billionaire Warren Buffet, and the great Mark Cuban?
 
 Millennials have already begun to be labeled the entitlement generation. After a quick glance, that might hold true for some individuals. What about the outliers? The individuals who are motivated, hungry for success, and want to fix their current situation? What about me? How was I going to go from, someone who grew up in a paycheck-to-paycheck household, to starting a company in a generation nobody can trust?
 
 I recently began to read Walter Isaacson’s book titled The Innovators. In it, Isaacson talks about those who “created the Internet, computer, and were on the forefront of the digital revolution”. Also, what made them different? How did they think, and “what talents they had that allowed certain investors and entrepreneurs to turn their visionary ideas into disruptive realities”. As a millennial entrepreneur, I couldn’t think of a better book to start my summer reading with. I told myself I wanted to be that innovator who has a visionary idea that will change the world. But most importantly, the one who breaks free from living in the paycheck-to-paycheck cycle that consumed his parent’s life for so long. 
 
 Part of being a millennial entrepreneur has its hardships. We don’t have the experience yet. Others think we are too young. Consumers wont trust us. Individuals are afraid to invest in us. The list goes on and on. How are we ever going to break free from the millennial stereotype if nobody has faith in us?

The first thing I did was tune all the doubters out. When you are brave enough to go against the status-quo, people notice. There are some who will actually try an stop you. I saw it myself. I had people telling me that I should just focus on something else. They would tell me “hey, it’s to risky”, or my favorite “Thats a dumb idea, that wont work”. If you can learn to drown all of that out, you are well on your way.

After I came up with an idea I knew I needed a business partner. I recently sat down with a trusted friend of mine and pitched the idea. We traded ideas back and forth and I started to realize I may need to put this business on hold for a little bit. I just didnt have the resources and capital yet. Then we came up with our social marketing idea.

The idea was perfect. It was a needed service. The service was low- cost to us. The low-cost can help us maximize favorable profits. My business- partner created a logo, Facebook page, this Medium blog, and more. I collected business cards from businesses that might need our service. We were put in contact with a local bar. We are well on our way.

Part of life is about taking risks. If you want to change the world you have to change yourself. If you want something go out there and get it. Every generation has their celebrities, millionaires, politicians, those that will live in poverty, and those that will make their dreams a reality. In life, nothing is forever; you have to work for it. Which part of your generation are you going to be a part of! How are you going to be a visionary entrepreneur?