University entrepreneurship — without the university | TechCrunch

June 3, 2020June 3, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Across the country, university campuses are in limbo.

The California State University system has committed to online classes in Fall 2020. Northeastern University is reopening as normal. UT Austin is taking a hybrid approach: in-person classes until Thanksgiving break, then online classes during flu season.

This presents a special set of circumstances for university entrepreneurs. The traditional resources and networks are nonoperational. But time and focus, historically the most scarce resources for ambitious students, is now at an all-time high.

Basics of Franchising | Getentrepreneurial.com

June 2, 2020June 1, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

When entrepreneurs dream about their future, franchising is rarely the starting place for their fantasy. While it’s not always choice No. 1, the benefits of franchising make it an enticing career opportunity for entrepreneurs. With an established brand and support system, franchises offer franchisees a chance to taste running a business while also giving them significant help.

“A franchise is a business with training wheels,” said Tom Scarda, founder of The Franchise Academy, a podcast dedicated to franchising. “For a majority of franchisees, franchising has proven to be a viable way to become a business owner. For the most part, it offers the lowest risks and the highest level of support. Because a franchiser doesn’t succeed until the franchisees do, you’ll find a team of dedicated professionals willing and able to help you every step of the way, from site selection to employee hiring to grand opening.”

How Entrepreneurship Can Help Millennials Build Wealth and Cut Student Debt | Inc.com

April 29, 2020April 28, 2020 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

It’s a favored tradition amongst well-established generations to look at younger generations with contempt. People love to tease millennials — calling them lazy, entitled, and self-involved — but research by Boston Consulting Group shows that these stereotypes are unfounded.

Yes, there are generational differences — driven largely by technology and social trends — but millennials as a whole are ambitious and idealistic. Not only do they want to “make the world a better place,” but a new report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that millennials work significantly more hours and have higher levels of education than previous generations.

Considering that education costs have risen 65 percent and food costs have increased 26 percent since 1996, it’s clear that the struggle is real. Many millennials live in survival mode, trying to keep up with basic expenses.

Should You Start a Business Without a College Degree? | Business News Daily

August 23, 2019August 20, 2019 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Entrepreneurship can be a great way to financial freedom, but building a successful business takes a lot of time, hard work and perseverance. Many young workers are left wondering when they should start a business and what education is required to do so.

A college degree is not required to start a business, but it certainly helps. College not only teaches students educational topics that can be helpful in starting a business, but also soft skills, like how to be lifelong learners.

5 Principles of Personal Growth that Every Entrepreneur Should Adopt | Getentrepreneurial

November 8, 2018November 7, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Entrepreneurship is about creating and growing a business, but don’t let that concept consume you. If you want to be an effective entrepreneur, boss, leader, teammate, and visionary, you can’t be content to only make changes and spark growth in your business—you have to make changes and spark growth in yourself as well.

Your personal growth is what’s going to equip you to carve a path to success:

You’ll gain knowledge to make better decisions.
You’ll develop skills to expand to new areas.
You’ll earn experience to apply different perspectives and engage your creativity.
You’ll transcend your business, so that when your business is sold (or when you depart some other way), you’ll be able to do even more in your next venture.

The Almost Unbelievable Power of Your Belief System | Entrepreneur

August 1, 2018 ~ jtweetcustombpscom ~ Leave a comment

belief I was horsing around with my dog the other day — I promise this is an article on entrepreneurship — when something extraordinary happened.

We’d been playing tug-of-war with her red doggie blanket when, after 10 minutes of tugging, I finally managed to wrench the festering rag from her clenched, bulldog jowls. I flashed the blanket about like a torero, bowed, then I flipped it behind me and hid it on the small of my back.

Sugar searched frantically for a minute while I sniggered and snarked. Finally, my inner villain satisfied, I dropped her prize in plain view at my feet. Here’s where it gets weird.

Are Millennials More Or Less Likely To Start Their Own Businesses? | Forbes

May 2, 2018June 13, 2018 ~ jessicahwang1 ~ Leave a comment

Are Millennials More or Less Likely to Start Their Own Businesses?

The millennial generation is shaping the modern workforce—whether you like it or not. They’ve been blamed for a host of problems, such as being too entitled and obsessed with social media, and credited with several positives, such as appreciating creativity and having higher moral values. But of course, all of this depends on who you ask—some people claim these traits are inherent in the millennial generation, while others assert that they’re attributable to the coincidental youth of this particular generation or exist purely as anecdotal evidence.

Millennials: 10 Things Old Farts Won’t Tell You About Entrepreneurship (Tenth in a Series) | Peter Mehit

February 6, 2017February 14, 2017 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

10. Plan for Daylight | Peter Mehit

I was flying from Philadelphia to Dallas. It was an early Thursday morning flight and almost empty. I got a complimentary bump to first class and sat at the front bulkhead, half awake with a pile of papers in the empty seat next to me. The cabin PA crackled to life.

“We got a problem,” the captain said in that droll voice that we all make fun of. Then the plane went into the steepest dive I’ve ever experienced. “Everything’s going to be okay,” he added, I think as an afterthought.

But things were pretty far from okay. Oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling and then floated in the air, weightless. My papers were floating off the seat cushion and in that moment, I noticed that I was weightless too. It only lasted for about five, maybe ten seconds and it would have been the coolest thing ever, if it weren’t totally terrifying.

Continue reading “Millennials: 10 Things Old Farts Won’t Tell You About Entrepreneurship (Tenth in a Series) | Peter Mehit” →

10 Things Old Farts Won’t Tell You About Entrepreneurship (Ninth in a Series) | Peter Mehit

January 16, 2017January 23, 2017 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

9. You Define Success

“The things you own end up owning you.” So said Tyler Durden as he opened a round of Fight Club in the cellar of Lou’s bar. That statement feels right because it is. We get attached to goals, to things, and we lose ourselves.

When you’re starting out, the excitement of doing carries you along. Each new success, each milestone achieved places you closer to where you believe you want to be. The late nights, panicked preparations for demos, the sweaty palmed waits in law office lobbies, they take a toll. You think you’ve rounded the corner to easy street, things fall apart. Just when your heart is about to shatter, you catch a break.

It’s exhausting and exhilarating, but it brings your team together. You become more than friends or teammates. You become stronger than family because you live through more intense experiences in one month than most families go through in a year. This bonding continues as you struggle with one mind to achieve a kind of birth. You believe that nothing will come between you and your partners after all you’ve been through.

Continue reading “10 Things Old Farts Won’t Tell You About Entrepreneurship (Ninth in a Series) | Peter Mehit” →

How Entrepreneurs Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable | Entrepreneur

December 29, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

You can’t be a successful entrepreneur if you’re afraid of being uncomfortable. Strange as that may sound, it’s a reality you’re going to have to face if you want to own and grow a business. Countless entrepreneurs, from Richard Branson to Mark Zuckerberg, have professed the importance of taking chances and pushing yourself past your “comfort zone,” but what does that actually mean? And how on earth are so many entrepreneurs able to tolerate immense mental discomfort and do things that scare, intimidate or otherwise cause them distress?