Balancing academics, work and launching a business is no small feat. The journey is filled with long nights, difficult choices, and moments of doubt, but the payoff is usually worth the work. It’s also an incredible opportunity to build something meaningful while you still have the safety net of college life.
Some successful entrepreneurs start their ventures as students, while others bring their idea to market after a few years of work. Embracing your unique entrepreneurial path—challenging yourself, leveraging your education and knowledge, learning to support yourself and simply getting started—is the key to beginning the journey.
After graduating, you’ll be going out in the job market and evaluating your options. Do you start working for yourself, or do you learn from another business/venture by joining their team? Only you can weigh the options to determine what works best for you. As an entrepreneur, you are going to have to make some tough decisions. Are you ready?
Embrace Lifelong Learning
Graduation is not the end but simply the launch pad for your next adventure. Now that your formal education is done, there is still so much learning to do. You often learn more working in the field than you would continuing your education. Years of work experience will help you develop and connect the dots to prior experiences. You’ll also learn from your co-workers, managers and your network. By engaging with others as a method of learning, you are able to problem-solve with community input.
As Henry Ford once said, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” A mindset of curiosity and a willingness to learn has to continue after graduation. That drive to absorb new ideas and seek out knowledge is a strength, don’t lose it. As your business and career grow, you’ll be ahead of the game because you’ll learn how to lead while learning—an ability that will serve you well every step of the way.
Leverage Your Education
You took a bold step toward your future by investing in yourself at ASU. Be proud of the journey, the challenges you embraced and the legacy you’re building as a Sun Devil. At one of the most innovative schools in the country, you’ve gained an education that will empower you for years to come. ASU’s degrees are uniquely designed to push the entrepreneurial envelope, so use this to your benefit. Having pursued either a Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD, you have been exposed to what it would be like to intersect entrepreneurship with any major. Look at your classes and see what story they tell. Did you excel in one type of coursework, and if so, how can that influence the conversations you have with potential investors? Your degree should assist you in becoming a subject matter expert, and your interest in your own business means that you likely have additional knowledge that would qualify you as such.
Additionally, look into university resources. While most programs are aimed at students, there are some larger programs supporting local entrepreneurs as well. Programs such as Chandler Endeavor are great examples of how we collaborate with local governments to support more than just students. These incubators are accessible and provide additional support and spaces for ventures to network and learn.
Start Smart: Learning on the Job First
If entrepreneurship is your plan, you don’t need to rush into launching your business the second you step into the real world. In fact, taking time to learn on the job can set you up for long-term success. Working in a related field, joining a startup or interning at a company you admire gives you a front-row seat to how things actually work—way beyond what you can Google or learn in a classroom.
While you’re learning on the job, here are a few things you can do to stay focused on your future business:
- Take notes on what works and what doesn’t: Processes, customer service, pricing, culture—observe everything.
- Build relationships: Stay connected to mentors, coworkers and industry contacts. These people could become future partners, collaborators or advisors.
- Test small ideas: Start a side hustle, build a simple prototype or test a service on campus. Keep it low-risk while you’re still learning.
- Document everything: Keep a journal or digital doc with ideas, lessons and potential pivots. This becomes your playbook when you’re ready to go all in.
It’s not about delaying your dream. You are building the skills and perspective that’ll make you far more prepared when you do launch.
Shape Your Journey From the Start
Getting started can be scary and frustrating at the same time. The first question you are probably asking is whether this is feasible right now, and if you have the support (financially, physically and emotionally) to start your own business at this time. You have to learn when to launch and work on your business full-time or if you’re looking to gain industry experience and work on your venture part-time.
As a founder, you will want to build a business strategy, a clear mission, and a vision statement that helps individuals understand your business. Developing clear milestones and a business strategy from there allows you to connect with your mentor about the clear objectives you have and how you plan to reach them. Being able to learn from someone else’s mistakes is critical, so you want to make the most out of every moment.
There are plenty of accessible ways to learn business essentials on your own. Start by focusing on the basics: budgeting, pricing, marketing and customer experience. Free and low-cost resources like YouTube tutorials, business podcasts and on-demand digital courses like Edson E+I’s Training and Development Courses can give you a solid foundation.
As a graduate, we welcome you to join any one of our communities aimed at community members and alumni, such as Chandler Endeavor Venture Innovation Incubator or Pitch In AZ.
