As a student, choosing a major can be challenging enough. For an entrepreneurial student, deciding what to do with your life after college can feel overwhelming with so many possibilities. Even though entrepreneurship spans a broad spectrum of industries and directions, you can find your specialty by understanding what drives you and following your unique curiosity.
Identifying the skills you’ve mastered and the hobbies you love can help you find the right entrepreneurship opportunities for you. Skill sets are crucial for entrepreneurial students to create self-awareness and reflection. Honing in on your skills helps you create goals, have strong career plans, and a great ability to become adaptable.
Document Your Strengths
The first step to understanding your entrepreneurial path is to create a list of your hobbies and strengths. Recognizing your talents helps you to decide what to pursue as an entrepreneur. This list can also assist in evaluating market trends. For example, if you love technology and are good at solving problems, you might be a good fit for looking into digital innovation. Understanding where your skills match market demand helps you find areas where you can make a difference. This strategic alignment boosts your chances of a successful and fulfilling entrepreneurial venture.
Once you have your list, map your interests from least to greatest. Consider what makes you exceptional! Was there a time when you had to be a leader? How do you handle quick thinking? What skills do you excel at? When organizing your skills, remember your accomplishments. What have you been told you do well?
Consider starting your evaluation with these four proficiencies: leadership, critical thinking, creativity, and a growth mindset. Understanding your leadership, critical thinking, and creativity skills will help you establish a growth mindset for handling entrepreneurial problems and opportunities.
This exercise identifies your skill sets and interests. Understanding these characteristics can help you choose an entrepreneurial path that suits your strengths and promotes personal and professional growth.
Consider These Four Inspiring Types of Entrepreneurs
When you think of an entrepreneur, what comes to mind? Most students believe that being an entrepreneur is about making money, taking risks, or just being lucky. In reality, entrepreneurship can mean many different things to students. Consider these four types of entrepreneurs: Small business, Scalable/start-up, Social impact, and Lifestyle.
Small Business Entrepreneurs
Small business entrepreneurs are truly the backbone of any community. Small businesses typically contribute significantly more to their communities than corporations because they are more involved and care about what comes in and goes out. A Phoenix business, Archwood Exchange, is a great example of a small business making an impact. According to their website, “The Marketplace also quickly became a place to build community and learn about various resources and initiatives designed to benefit the community. The Marketplace is still held every first Saturday of the month in downtown Phoenix.”
Scalable Start-Up Entrepreneurs
Steve Jobs, who made Apple a leader in technology advancement, and Jeff Bezos, who transformed e-commerce with Amazon, are two examples of scalable start-up founders. These notable entrepreneurs are more than just tech innovators; they’ve paved the way for smaller start-ups to tackle big problems and get others on board. Their knack for coming up with fresh ideas and quickly turning them into high-growth companies shows just how important smaller start-ups are for progress. Even if they only grow to a fraction of the size of these big names, they can still make a huge impact on society.
Some scalable start-up founders start with an idea in college that takes off later. For example, Melanie Perkins co-founded Canva at age 25, based on an idea she developed while studying at the University of Western Australia. And Mark Zuckerberg launched ‘TheFacebook’ from his Harvard dorm room when he was just 19 and in his sophomore year.
Social Entrepreneurs
Social entrepreneurs aren’t usually thought of as entrepreneurs. Nonprofits support entrepreneurship, yet entrepreneurship discussions often ignore them.
Social entrepreneurs address local, national, and global issues. These entrepreneurs aim to benefit humanity while generating a profit to maintain their organization. Social entrepreneurs can start as nonprofits or as for-profits with a nonprofit component. The Ocean Cleanup is a prime example. According to the organization’s website, “After a year of experimenting with ideas and simple tests, [founder] Boyan [Slat] came up with the idea to develop a passive concentration system. He envisioned to use the ocean currents to his advantage, and let them be the driving force behind catching and concentrating the plastic.” The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit that not only invented new technologies but also has a social impact of solving the problem of plastic in the ocean.
Lifestyle Entrepreneurs
Lifestyle entrepreneurs may appear to be a recent phenomenon, but they have actually existed for quite a while. These include contractors, freelancers, advisers and other similar professions. Content creators for sites like YouTube, TikTok, Pinterest, and blogs are examples of lifestyle entrepreneurs today.
Build Entrepreneurial Confidence By Trying
Entrepreneurial students have many job options. However, my best recommendation to entrepreneurial students is to start. Thinking about your future and worrying about making the right choice can be scary. As you progress in your career, you will gain confidence in your decisions and be able to choose between opportunities. So just start!
ASU provides a plethora of programs to students and ASU Alumni to prepare students to consider a career in entrepreneurship. ASU Career Services provides in-person and virtual appointments with a staff member to discuss topics ranging from career exploration, resume or cover letter review and networking.
At Edson E+I, we have a variety of programs and resources available including upcoming programming specifically designed to provide opportunities for you to Just Start:
Launch Days
Consider participating in Launch Days, a week of events, workshops, and other opportunities for you to think through your ideas, learn about entrepreneurship, connect with others and potentially launch an idea! Launch Days will take place the week of Sept 23 – 27, 2024. Learn more and register for events at the Launch Days website.
Open Pitch Week
Open Pitch Week consists of a week of Open Pitch events where any ASU or MCCCD student can share their idea in a two-minute pitch to receive feedback, connect with others and compete for a crowd-favorite prize of $250 to further develop their idea. Open Pitch Week is occurring the week of Sept 30 – Oct 4, 2024. Register to pitch your idea or attend as an audience member on the Open Pitch Week website.
Venture Devils
The Venture Devils program is an opportunity for ASU and MCCCD students to bring an idea to life! Venture Devils provides a robust suite of resources, programming, mentorship, and funding opportunities to help you develop your idea. Join Venture Devils at any time by filling out the Venture Devils application.
Entrepreneurial Student Organizations
You can find a variety of entrepreneurial clubs on campus. Browse through the directory and find one that fits your style.
