
This is part of my new Series on Student Entrepreneurship
In the previous posts in this Series we established the mindset and awareness required, the immersion you need to inititate in your local startup ecosystem, what you need to do to acquire subject matter expertise, how to develop a social media presence, all with the objective of greatly increasing your chances of success as an entrepreneur.
Next on the menu is understanding the importance of mentorship. Take a second to remember what is was like when you first started trying to learn a new language, sport or skill. It was probably somewhat daunting and uncomfortable at first. Perhaps you found a great coach to quickly help you get the hang of things that gave you real-world insights that you never would have found in a book. I suggest you look at learning entrepreneurship in the same exact way. It's really not something one "just does" and hopes to be good at. You need experienced people to help guide you so you can avoid major pitfalls. The sooner you accept this reality, the better. Having an ego about this is a mistake. Don't confuse being intelligent with actually knowing anything- it's a huge problem that's rampant in our society.
The good news is that most colleges and universities are being swept up in the tidal wave of university entrepreneurship I predicted three years ago! Whether the school's administration is genuinely interested in helping student entrepreneurs succeed or just "trying to keep up with the Jones' (and the Stanford's for that matter)", doesn't matter much, because they're all falling over themselves to find entrepreneurs-in-residence and start mentorship programs to point their students to. I strongly urge you to take advantage of these resources and to receive some ongoing advice and mentorship.
Also, as you immerse yourself in the local startup community, keep your eyes open for experienced and successful people who might be inclined to help you. Perhaps they went to the same college as you did or simply love what you are trying to create. When you find such a person, get to know them and take your time- don't clumsily ask them to mentor you on your first or second meeting. Let it happen organically. Usually the conversations will just head in the direction of advice and mentorship- all you need to do is roll with it at that point!
In a nutshell, finding a solid mentor can dramatically increase the chances of you succeeding, so get out there and see what you can do about it! Here's some additional posts I've written in my Series on Mentorship that you may also find to be helpful.
Best of Luck!
Recent Comments
Hi David, thanks for writing this insightful article. I'm a entrepreneur at Yale and it's been quite a journey getting our startup up to speed so far. Everyday there's just so much more to learn, and I appreciate you giving advice to students like us!
What Every Student Entrepreneur Needs to Know to Succeed (3) Know Something! · 10/19/11
Great post, Dave and it is exciting to see meaningful entrepreneurial activities like this at Columbia!
I’m a student in the Berkeley-Columbia eMBA program based in the Silicon Valley and it would be great if we could find a way to get the BCEMBA community involved with the entrepreneurial activities at Columbia notwithstanding the geographic distance as most of us are not located in NY.
Our current students and recent grads are in management positions at places like Google, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, Yahoo, Intel, Oracle, NVIDIA (just to name a few…) and a number of us (myself included) are working on startup ideas. It would be great if we could realize some synergies between Manhattan and the Silicon Valley.
I’d be happy to explore possibilities with anyone in the Columbia venture community who’s interested.
David Zilberman
BCEMBA 12’
zilberman@hotmail.com
A New Breed of University Entrepreneur Arrives on Campus · 02/10/11
thanks...
Angel Profiling (2): Global Directory of Blogging Angels · 11/25/10
yes- agree Brian.. insiteny!
Thoughts on the Various Types of Entrepreneurial Mentorship · 11/25/10
Thank you so much! your words are brilliant.
Angel Profiling (2): Global Directory of Blogging Angels · 11/25/10
insiteny.org?
Thoughts on the Various Types of Entrepreneurial Mentorship · 11/22/10
Hi David, thanks for the reference to one of Kurosawa's best films. I saw it as a student back in the late 80s, and it stuck with me. Now you've made me want to watch it again, and more importantly follow the model that you have highlighted... yes, sometimes our ecosystem is like the unforgiving Siberian taiga with scary creatures and long dark cold spells. Anyone who is willing to share the knowledge/skills to survive with others, probably deserves a movie about them as well!
Remembering Dersu Uzala, Siberian Entrepreneur- Community Organizer · 11/11/10
Hi David,
great idea, but agree with the comment that it will be very hard to get an overview once additional information is loaded in. Nonetheless, am willing to give it a try.
Could you add Dubai to the list of locations, please ?
Regards - Simon
Crowd-Sourceable Map of World's Entrepreneurial Ecosystem · 11/01/10
Great content!
Angel Profiling (2): Global Directory of Blogging Angels · 10/14/10
Dark Angels!! Can't wait. :)
Angel Profiling (1): A Moveable Feast of Mugs, Maniacs and Masters of the Game · 09/29/10