Entrepreneurship

What is entrepreneurship? It is the process of starting a business, typically a startup company offering a product, process or service. The entrepreneur perceives an opportunity and often exhibits biases in taking the decision to exploit the opportunity. History: Entrepreneurship has been around since the beginning of trade. These early entrepreneurs were called merchants and traders. Trends for 2015: Digital Health, Virtual Reality, Full-Stack Startups and more!

What makes an entrepreneur? Skills Characteristics Resiliency Focus Learning Self Reliance Sales People Managing Communication Passionate Planning Money Savvy Customer Focused Competitive Organized Creative

Who’s who? Entrepreneurs Under 30 My Personal Favorites Michelle Phan Ipsy – Glam Bag Subscription Enplug Interactive Digital Signage Kegan Schouwenburg Sols – 3-D Printed Orthodics Dale Partridge The Daily Positive Blog Author - People over Profit Tyler Perry Tyler Perry Studios Susan Caine The Power of Introverts

5 sarcastic truths of an entrepreneur If you enjoy not knowing where your next paycheck will come from, entrepreneurship is for you! You may be the CEO but you’re the secretary, IT guy and janitor too. Your office will be open more hours than 7-11. You are unique, which makes you weird to everyone else. You will be thought an idiot until you start making money.

Pro’s to being an entrepreneur Get to work on something you are passionate about. Your product, process or service will meet needs and that is rewarding to see! Flexible scheduling. Freedom to do what you want because you are your own boss. The excitement of risk taking. Brainstorming and networking with other entrepreneurial thinkers.

How to become an entrepreneur Make sure you have the skills, characteristics and personality for it. Self evaluate – Do you have what it takes? Find a need to be met and create the solution. What would make this world a little better? Come up with a business plan. Include market research, financial plans and goals. Pitch your idea to investors. Elevator pitch – Get to the point, why is your idea great and how will it work? Take your idea to the world! Networking, sales and distribution.

resources The Daily Positive – Dale Partridge Blog NFTE – Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship Entrepreneur.com People Over Profit – Dale Partridge Early Poppers – Losoncy & McClellan LinkedIn Crowd Funding Small Business Development Centers Square Up & PayPal