3 Lessons Young Entrepreneurs Should Learn Early In Their Careers

The other day, I got an email from someone I’d mentored updating me on some exciting career news.

He told me that since we’d last spoken, he’d graduated from college, began working at the electric scooter company, Bird (which is valued well over $2 billion), and has quickly risen through the ranks. Now, he manages West Coast operations. He said the advice I’d given him had already paid dividends in his relatively young career.

The email was a happy reminder of the impact you can make in someone’s life when you take time to share your experience and provide advice.

That’s why I take very seriously the entrepreneurship program I teach at my alma-mater, Harvard-Westlake high school. According to the Wall Street Journal, young people don’t see entrepreneurship as a viable career option. But there are certain tried-and-true tips for success that I emphasize in my classes and that I hope will empower more people to take an entrepreneurial path.

Here are the lessons my students have found most useful:

1. Don’t make people wait around for you.

When I’m 10 minutes late for a call or meeting, I feel horrible.

Disrespecting someone’s time is one of the rudest things you can do. Everyone is busy, we all have stressors and obligations and places to be. And to assume that someone just wants to sit around waiting for you is beyond arrogant — it’s hubris.

Whenever you waste someone’s time, you send a message that you don’t value them.

But when you keep your word, you’ll develop a reputation as trustworthy and respectful. This is a must when trying to make it in the business world.

Which is why it’s also one of the major lessons I teach in my classes.

It may sound obvious, but you have to do what you say you’re going to do. If you say you’re going to follow up on an email in two days, follow up in two days — even if you have no meaningful update. You could say that you’re checking in as planned, and will follow up shortly when you have more information. A lot is at stake when you don’t stay true to your word — you could lose a job opportunity to another candidate or a major client to a more respectful sales rep, both of which could translate to serious financial loss.

Ultimately, you don’t want to undermine your own reputation — the most valuable capital an entrepreneur has.

2. Do your research early and it’ll pay off.

When you’re meeting a potential business contact for the first time, be prepared.

In the Internet age, it’s never been easier to do your homework on a contact. Check out their website and social media profiles, and read articles written by or about them. It demonstrates a level of respect. It also provides you with some context to make the small talk as genuine as possible.

You might learn that the person you are about to meet recently took a fly-fishing trip to Montana, and you took a similar trip the previous summer. Now you have common ground to foster a real connection. Your contact will remember you as the “Montana fisherman,” and you’ll be front-of-mind when business opportunities arise.

On the flipside, if you aren’t prepared, you could end up embarrassing yourself. You might ask a question that can be easily answered online or mistakenly reference a sensitive subject, like a recently lost client account or failed investment.

Doing your research could give you the competitive edge you need to make a great connection and stand out from the crowd.

3. Your personal brand is everything.

The most successful entrepreneurs today think of themselves in the third person.

It may feel a bit awkward at first, but if you want to thrive in today’s market, you have to build a brand around yourself. As an entrepreneur, people are investing in you. Investors always say the most important asset in a start-up is the “team.” You must, therefore, present yourself as a capable person, worthy of being on or leading the team.

It’s mostly basic stuff. Communication is number one — you have to speak clearly and spell things correctly. If there’s a typo in the first sentence of your email, or if you open a business meeting with an elementary grammatical error, your ideas can immediately be discounted.

But your personal brand also encompasses other aspects of your external presentation.

That means you should pay careful attention to how you dress, how you present yourself online, and even what you order at dinner. If you’ve done your homework and learn that you’re having dinner with a vegan, consider if it makes sense to order a rare steak. If you’re picking a client up at the airport, make sure your car is clean. If your client is known to dress formally, spruce up your attire. People inherently feel more comfortable around people who are like themselves.

In a world where there are countless qualified individuals, your personal brand is an X-factor that can help you rise above the fray.

And if you’re timely, prepared, and cognizant of your appearance, the market will make room for you.