Do’s and Don’ts For Collegiate Entrepreneurs
A couple pointers from an entrepreneur who started in college
As a student entrepreneur and someone who has worked with well over a hundred others — these are just a few do’s and don’ts I came up with. I could write a book on this topic, but I’m going to release a couple at a time in hopes that they actually hit home.
Don’t: Major in entrepreneurship.
This I don’t have much personal experience with; however, as a student entrepreneur, I can’t seem to make much sense of the logic behind it. As an entrepreneur it’s great to have an understanding of all trades (business, marketing, sales, engineering, etc.) needed for you venture, but I can’t imagine they cover everything in detail enough through a 4-year program. And regardless of what they teach you I can tell you it won’t cover even close to everything you need to know to become a successful entrepreneur. I’m still figuring it out.
Do: Major in a challenging subject.
You will learn the most important skill of them all — how to learn what to learn. Ask any entrepreneur (2+ years in) what they learned along the unbeaten path and they will tell you they couldn’t possibly put it all into words — rather it would take multiple volumes of books. There is no textbook or professor to point you in the right direction, but having the ability to sift through the vast amount of resources and pick out insightful and inspiring pieces can only increase your chances of success.
Don’t: Expend all of your energy on your classes.
Classes are great but if you’re passionate about an idea and actually pursue it, you will get more experience than any of your peers will get in their first five years of employment … while in school. Trying to build and scale a sustainable business is the most valuable experience you could ever have and as an undergrad you will stand out among your peers in every way imaginable — even across other majors. I could write a book on the differences between students who passionately take on a side project/business and ones who do not, so you’re going to have to trust me on this one.
Do: Utilize Campus Resources.
I graduated from the University of Maryland and I used every resource I could (I still try to sneak in to legal office hours). VentureStorm would not be where it is today if it weren’t for that help. From grants to fund your marketing, prototyping, and development, to FREE legal office hours, to prototyping labs, to just getting insight from professors and experts in the field –there is no better incubating system than college. Even if your campus doesn’t have the resources you need, chances are the professors know someone who could help you out, or there is a neighboring school. You just have to ask.
