8 Lessons Learned In Preparation for Entrepreneurship
What all perspective small business owners need to know.
Editor’s note: This is part three of a three-part series.
As I stated in my last piece Accidental Entrepreneur- My Second Big Break and It Was BIG!, I noted that really didn’t WANT to start my own firm and didn’t have ego issues to be THE BOSS. I didn’t want to order people around; I didn’t need people looking up to me. I needed a space where the point was the work. I wanted to focus on what the research project needed, not on company policy, not to appease anyone’s ego, not to impress anyone, just to do solid research in my community.
Once I decided to move forward I relied on what I had learned in the preceding years and applied them as a new business owner.
8 Lessons along the way as I was preparing to launch my entrepreneurial life:
- Do not underestimate the power of a good education.
Knowing how to write, developing analytical thinking, juggling competing priorities, meeting deadlines, how to handle having way too much to do and make it look easy these are the skills you inadvertently pick up along the path of getting your degree. As I mentioned above, a lot of what you learn in your education isn’t in the books it’s in the discussions in the classes, in the coffee shop chit chat, in the pressure to get 3 twenty-page papers out in one week. Just like real life, you will find.
- Finding a career that will really work for you is like finding yourself.
Hopefully the career will consist of tasks that you are inherently good at or able to learn very well, that you like doing, and that naturally fit your personal traits and quirks. And that includes your personality. Figure yourself out and try things that could/should fit. If you do it only for the money, you may find yourself unhappy and not that good at what you are doing. You want to wake up every morning excited about going to work.
- Find a mentor, hopefully a solid professional on the rise.
Stick to him/her and learn as much as you can. I lucked out with mine, although sadly we did not sustain our friendship once I left her firm.
- Get out.
Go to conferences, meetings, events, meet-and-greets. Gather cards, develop relationships, and do NOT stalk people or kiss ass — even people you really would like to know better, people who could really advance your career. Try to connect, and when there is real chemistry, it can help you. If there is not, don’t force it. In some cases, it takes several random encounters for these professional connections to develop. Most people want to be nice, but they have only so much bandwidth, so be understanding.
- Social media vs. face to face.
Nowadays, LinkedIn and Facebook and whatnot have completely changed this process of network building, but in some ways, it’s made it harder. Nothing can replace in-person meetings, sharing oxygen, eye contact, a handshake, eventually the occasional peck on the cheek or bro-hug as the relationships mature.
- Help your professional contacts whenever you can.
A referral for a job, a suggestion, reviewing a rewritten resume, helping them find an employee, etc. You never know when this good karma will come back, and it might be never. But that’s okay, because in my experience at least one in two people you help will eventually come back to return the favor months, years or even decades later. And remember this when young people reach out to you. At some point one of them may become your client, or your boss.
- Always, always work as hard as you can on whatever you are asked to do.
The only standard you can have is excellence, even when the work is not your cup of tea and you earnestly hope to NOT be doing this for the rest of your life. Even when slimy superiors take the credit for your work, people will find out, and in the meantime, you will have developed a habit of excellence.
- When confronted with crazy.
Whether they are bosses who are screamers, egomaniacs and/or monsters, just stay calm, bide your time, take note but don’t scream back, no matter how tempting. Remember, this is about YOU, not THEM. You can’t solve their problems, and besides, revenge is a dish best served cold. Developing a thick skin will help you immensely as you embark on your own career. If you think your bosses were crazy, just wait for those you meet in your life as an entrepreneur.
Related articles:
Part 1: An Accidental Entrepreneurial Journey
Part 2: Accidental Entrepreneur- My Second Big Break and It Was BIG!
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