Wouldn?t you have to be crazy to launch a startup while in school?
?I?ll start by saying that it?s possible, simply because I did it. And I would recommend it to anyone! I?ve gotten such a huge network out of it and business contacts from all sorts of places. I now know people that I would never have gotten to know if I was merely a student. Like a lot of other people, I found it hard to find a relevant student job, so I spent that time doing my own thing and I?ve had the opportunity to try so much and get so much experience, you wouldn?t believe it. Other Law students don?t get to experience Law in real life until much later, but I?ve done so many contracts and negotiated so many deals that I?m just ahead of that. It pays off to get practical experience and it also improves your CV immensely. Before you know it, you?ll have a dozen references on hand.?
But there are no resources for student entrepreneurs in ?rhus!
?When I started out, I thought the same thing, but if you look for it there are plenty of opportunities and organizations to help you out. Try going to Startup City or Studenterhus ?rhus and join their events. That?s what was ultimately lead me to STARTit, which I then became a member of. At STARTit we are students who?ve been though those early phases and we are trying to help others. We do events where you can come and talk to us. Basically we just want more people to know that you have the option of making it yourself.?
There is no startup environment at AU!
?Well no, unfortunately, not really. I recently had a conversation with another entrepreneur who is studying Political Science and she said the same thing: that your education seems to only prepare you for a student job and then a government office afterwards. I wish there was more focus on innovation and entrepreneurship at AU, that the option was available.?
Only business students or programmers would ever build a startup!
?That?s really not true at all. It is true that you should find other people for your team. It?s unlikely that you know both the business side, the storytelling side, the IT side and the legal sides to a startup. So find other people with different skills than you. Just think of Nana Pedersen. She had no business experience and was on welfare when she decided to start Dressme.dk ? and have a baby! If she can do it, you can do it. You just have to be brave and not listen to all those people that tell you that you don?t have the time, that it?s not doable. You are in charge of your time and your life, you can decide what you want to do!?
Even if I did do it, I would probably fail!
?You cannot fail. Whatever you do and whatever happens you will have made experiences. Regardless if it was mistakes or successes, you now know more. You know what not to do. You should get out there and make all the rookie mistakes, but remember to build a network. Get an advisory board together to help you. I collected a team of a lot of different people to ask advice: a tech entrepreneur, a marketing specialist, a journalist. People are a lot more willing to help you than you think. All you have to do is ask for it.?
But I have no ideas! My idea isn?t good enough!
?Get on with it, do it. There are no bad ideas, just bad execution. You have to test it out and see if it will work. That mental barrier, that voice in your head that says ?you can?t do it?, you have to get past that. Sometimes you have to test yourself and try things without over thinking them. If you think this about yourself, then you are never going anywhere. It?s true that it?s time-consuming and it?s a lot to take on, but if you prioritize your time and decide that you are at least going to give it a go, you will be amazed at where you end up.?
I always thought I should apply for the same job as my fellow students.
?Being a founder is different. You learn to love to work, not just show up for it. You work all the time but you also grow all the time. You learn all the time. You will love it.?
Venture Cup helps hundreds of students write business plans each year. Find out more about why you should apply for the Idea Competition and like us on Facebook and Twitter for tips, tricks and events you don?t want to miss.
Venture Cup is a non-profit organization constantly striving to help and inspire young entrepreneurs through access to advisors, workshops, networks and competitions. For the past 12 years we have facilitated the creation and growth of more than a 190 startups and continue to do so every day.
Venture Cup | www.venturecup.dk | Tel +45 3815 3377 | [email protected]
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