Defining Entrepreneurship, Post-Fellowship

Post Tow-Knight, Emerging Market Media has much to be thankful for.

As a young firm based in a city that offers no shortage of daily distractions, we’ve managed to evaluate, connect and begin to build products and services that we believe will be guiding us as we chart the next path on our entrepreneurial journey.

So what’s happened since I said goodbye to my cohort? A busy summer that saw a small-scale event in London, various goods and services finding their way to us, an increase in website traffic, an increase of subscribers and more visibility and support from industry partners.

While much of this is daily work and strategizing, it is also a combination of me, the CEO, leveraging what I absorbed during the first half of this year as a Tow-Knight Fellow.

Asking more questions, listening much more to potential partners and clients, making greater efforts to truly understand what our target demographic needs and wants. ​It’s by following such methods that we have been able to not waste time, focus and check things off our ever-evolving to-do list.

So, What’s Next?

Emerging Market Media is heading into 2018 with a stronger (business) mandate, a support system and deeper understanding on how to position our young brand. We continue to see some media struggle, miss revenue targets or make confusing “pivots.” All warning signs, as well as more reason to pace ourselves and not follow any new trends for the sake of scaling up too quickly. Which has also led my cofounder and I to determine one thing — we want to resonate and have impact, not focus solely on scale. The numbers game isn’t our main driver; we’d prefer a polished and consistent brand above all.

Week after week, entrepreneurship takes on a new meaning for me. Yes, I’ve certainly always had the ‘bug.” But more than ever, it’s becoming more evident that I’ve made the right decision to strike out on my own. Between daily business and strategy sessions, discovering new people, products and tools, hearing from potential partners and industry friends, the thrill of discovery, learning and raising the stakes feels just right to me. And just as importantly, to those working with me.

The value of Tow-Knight, coupled with a deep determination and drive to do more, has made the early personal and professional sacrifices of 2017 worth it. The highs/lows, missteps and all are par for the course. A course that nearly every, if not all, entrepreneur will eventually chart.

Graphic: Stanford University eCorner.