a little note to my entrepreneur self
Things I've learned and gone through by being an Entrepreneur.
1. Learning to HUSTLE!
This word got stuck in my mind after Tina Roth Eisenberg(Swiss-Miss) talked at our Entrepreneurial Design class and has continued to echo throughout the whole process. This "work ethic" got Metro Fitter to be connected to Thrillist, got my blog post to be reblogged over 1000 times, got me to find right people to start a company and got many other great things to happen. It's a magic word. Thanks Tina.
2. Empowerment
I've never thought that I am an entrepreneur material, but I got excited about an idea, then it became a project, and then it became a business. Without really knowing, I was an entrepreneur, and I was really enjoying it. At one point, I couldn't believe that I made something and got it out there not just as a student, but as a entrepreneur. It felt empowering. It felt awesome.
3. Forget perfection. Fuck it Ship it
There were times I spent a lot of time on trying to make things perfect. But the perfection never came and ended up wasting a lot of time. Then I heard a phrase Fuck it Ship it which came from Beta Works. MVP is the way to go. Get things out there as fast as possible.
4. Networking
Cold email, twitter, facebook, linkedIn, tumblr. you tell me. There are so many networking tools out there, and to be honest, I did not take advantage of it much. But I saw how powerful those tools can be, so I will keep pushing myself to use these tools to create online persona, share my thoughts and create more meaningful relationships through both online and offline networking.
5. Ah, those brave moments of putting my product and part of me out there
this probably was the hardest part for me. I am an inherent introvert, and when I decided to push my idea further so that it could become a product or service, I also had to decide that I will push myself further out from my comfort zone. oh those stressful and anxious nights... but at the end, I gained more than lost.
I have definitely not gone through so many more things that other startup founders went through, but I did get a taste of it. I already am facing a huge mountain to climb after our beta launch and it's big one. Talking to MTA and all the legal stuff.... sigh. It looks like there will be some pivoting and more stressful and anxious nights are waiting for me, but I am more excited than scared. There are so many more things I've learned by being an entrepreneur, and this is a brief list that I wanted to record and share so I could remind myself in the future of these lessons.
Lastly, Thanks to Gary Chou and Christina Cacioppo, Entrepreneurial Design professors and the two rare venture capitalists who care for other people and willing to help, for an amazing and life-changing experience.
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