Young Entrepreneurs: Taking Charge

What do Steve Jobs, Sam Walton, Mark Zukerberg, Michael Dell, Sergey Brinn and my father all have in common? No, it is not that they all have been highly successful in building fortune 500 companies (my father build a modest Food and Beverage Distribution company in my hometown.) What they have in common is that they all started their ventures when they were in the early 20’s.

The question is being asked whether extensive experience helps in becoming a successful entrepreneur, and I am sure it has a significant impact. However, the list above shows that the people that really made it big didn’t have the experience, but they did have the idea, the obsession and the drive to succeed.

One of the main reasons that young entrepreneurs have been so successful is that they have got little to lose. They can go all out, take the risk, work as hard as humanly possible and if it doesn’t work, at least they can say they tried, learned from it and can try again.

As Mark Zukerberg says it: “There will never be a better time in your life to live your dream of entrepreneurship. Swing for the fences with a goal to add your name to the prestigious list above. If you fail, it will have been one of the best learning experiences of your life”

I read an article on Inc. with tips from America’s Coolest Young Entrepreneurs and picked out some important highlights:

• Simplify Your Mission: “I would encourage other entrepreneurs to spend a lot of time boiling down what their business is, what it does, and what it represents. If you nail down a 60- to 90-second synopsis, that will pay a lot of dividends throughout the life of your business.”
  – Eric Koger, ModCloth
• Ditch your safety net: “I lined up a job at Goldman Sachs. I thought I was pretty smart since this would give me a backup if the start up wasn’t working out. Looking back now, I realized that having that in hand was a reason not to push harder and higher. The day before the job started, I told them I wanted to pursue my own company. They thought I was crazy, but I think it has worked out pretty well.”
  – John Goscha, IdeaPaint
• Be Nimble: “The landscape no longer changes every two, three, four years like it did in 2002. If you’re not quick on your toes, you will miss opportunities.”
  – Tristan Harris, Apture

And my favorite:

• Don’t Go It Alone: “Surround yourself with an awesome team because you’re going to need them to overcome all the obstacles that come with starting a company. Lots of people have great ideas that they try to tackle by themselves, but I think it’s almost impossible to do everything by yourself.”
  – Emily Olson, Foodzie

I am sure there are a number of amazing entrepreneurs out there in Pakistan. People that have got great ideas but need a support network in order to make it big. I would love to contribute to the success of young Pakistani entrepreneurs. Men and women that have embarked on the journey of launching and growing their company, and in the process change their future.

I know that it can be lonely setting up a new company. Knowing whether you are taking the right steps, sharing your success and more importantly your failures so you can pick up the pieces and bounce back even stronger.

I want to reach out to aspiring young entrepreneurs that have recently started their own company, maybe have one or two other people working with them and are looking for companionship, counsel and a desire to be part of a larger group of like-minded people. If you are interested, send me a quick email at paulkeijzer@engageconsulting.biz and lets catch up and see how I can help you take your business / idea to the next level.

Go for it!

– Paul Keijzer