Student Business: Why You Should Jump on the Opportunity

If you are like me, I have always know that I one day, I would work for my own company. Entrepreneurs are born with it in their blood. The thing is, more often then not, students are left out of the loop. You see, as children, entrepreneurs are encouraged to dream - kids can be anything they want. But by the time they hit their teens it becomes painfully apparent that they are either going to give up those dreams and settle into the 9 to 5 grind or wait until they have some post secondary education before they can really get moving with their entrepreneurial ambitions.

I don't know why this happens. I went through it myself. I think that anybody with entrepreneurial drive should be taken seriously. Students are no exception. I was in university when I started my first serious venture. I met with fierce resistance from friends and family alike. Why jeopardize school for a pipe dream? Get your degree first then you can do what ever you want. You need a degree to succeed at anything these days. While I will be the first to admit that there is a value in a degree, I will also be the first to offer that a degree is no longer the meal ticket it once was. I will also hazard that a degree can pigeon hole people into certain fields. This happens because once you get your degree, you work in that field and more often then not you stay there. I say get your degree, get your education, get schooled - but do it for yourself and write your own meal ticket.

Starting a business as a student was the most challenging thing I have ever done. I was forced to learn a wide spectrum of skills from technology to banking. I the learning curve was steep and at time costly. But I always new I was working toward my own ticket. I guess my point is that starting a student business was the single greatest learning event of my life.

There is a misconception that I'd like to touch on. Student business tend to be thought as glorified lemonade stands. It not true. Student business have changed the world. Microsoft was born out of a dorm room as was Google and Dell. They are household names. The point is that if you have the entrepreneurial bug, you act on it. Fight and claw to get your idea off the ground. It is a chance for you to write your own ticket. There is no feeling on earth like seeing someone buy your product, or seeing people come to your website. Be smart. You are an entrepreneur. You inherently think outside the box. When you meet resistance, work around it. Use the doubt of others to drive you forward. There is no better reward then to prove them wrong.

I wish you the best of luck.