Forward Thinking and Taking Risk: Being an Entrepreneur
Intro Heading link
What does it take to be an Entrepreneur? A few late nights & early mornings are required for chasing DREAMS.
Key Characteristics of all Entrepreneurs:
- Creativity
- Dedication
- Self-starter
- Resilience
- Passion
- Open-mindedness
In this day and age, we all have the ability to become our own BOSS and to run a company/business from our smartphone. We have the ability to flip the narrative and change lives! Now is the time to let go of the outdated concept of success and create your own level of success and career journey! Making dreams happen is entrepreneurship! P.s. There is no existing success timeline. You are on your own journey, so let go of the outdated milestone timeline to measure success, i.e., graduating high school, getting into a “good” college, graduating, finding a job/career, getting a house, and starting a family.
Tips to becoming the best you!: Heading link
Find a Niche: your passion! Be a standout.
- Research your passion: learn everything you can about your passion.
- *Understand that hobbies are multi-layered: personal and professional
- *Know the differences between both, with pros and cons.
- Find a Mentor in your field. They will guide you and motivate you to keep going. Likewise, they might even become your support system.
- Know your “WHY.” This will help motivate you when times get rough. Think: Why do you get out of bed? What drives you? What are your goals? Why are you pursuing this degree? What are your short-term and long-term goals?
- Tip: sit down and write down your “why.” Decorate your space with your why. Know that your why is specific to YOU!
7 Habits of a successful entrepreneur:
- Pursue an inspiring customer-focused vision
- Focus on creating greater customer value
- Passionately strive to make a difference
- Search for new opportunities everywhere
- Invent new things and solve problems creatively
- Build and lead synergistic partnerships
- Manage cash flow effectively
Key Points: Heading link
- Fail early and fail forward. F.A.I.L (First Attempt in Learning): Embrace “failure” and take the time to learn what does and doesn’t work for you.
- Know and trust the process. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
- Change your mindset when you hear “NO.” Analyze, adapt and move on.
quote Heading link
“Entrepreneurs are not born, they are made”
Resources: Heading link
- UIC Career Services: Empowerment with career goals, networking and post-college programs. Also, connected with Handshake, an app with a wide variety of employers and future opportunities. https://careerservices.uic.edu/
- Top Must-have Apps for Entrepreneurs: from banking, writing and executing contracts, seminars, invoices and dropbox analytics for the infrastructure of a business. https://thebossmagazine.com/15-best-mobile-apps-entrepreneurs/
- UIC offers courses in Entrepreneurship: introducing the discipline and examines the relationship between business and society. Check out ENTR 200 https://catalog.uic.edu/ucat/course-descriptions/entr/