Welcome To Startup Students

Young entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes.  But what truly makes an entrepreneur, is his or her desire to win.  A willingness to lead and a commitment to succeed.  These are just a few common characteristics that successful entrepreneurs share the world over.  Do you posess the traits below?  Any other traits you think should be added to the list?

1. Laser Focus – The best entrepreneurs stick to their guns.  Find your passion and then follow it through.
2. Confidence – You need to have the confidence to make a decision without always being concerned about other’s opinions.  Stand by your decisions without caving in to the pressures around you.
3. Creativity- Young entrepreneurs must think outside the box in order to stand out in a sea of conformity.
4. Fearlessness - Don’t fear the competition. the consumer, the reaper, or failure itself.
5. Leadership- You must have the ability to lead your ideas to fruition, and leverage those around you to do so.
6. Scholarship - True entrepreneurs never stop learnin, especially those young entrepreneurs out there still in college!
7. Financial Savvy -  Knowing where your money is going and where it is coming in is very important.

Did I miss anything?

Class dismissed.

When determining if you have what it takes to become the next great startup student, it’s a good idea to check which characteristics you have. Heres the top 10 from both sides of the aisle.

Top 10 Killer Factors (the bad ones):

1. Weak Personality
2. The Loner Syndrome
3. Cash Flow Troubles
4. Lack of Marketing Strategies
5. Lack of Control
6. No Plan
7. Associate with the Wrong Crowd
8. Not Enough Financial Backing
9. Underestimating your Competition
10. Lack of Focus on your Core Idea

And now for the Top 10 Success Factors of young entrepreneurs:

1. A Willingness to Succeed
2. Self Confidence
3. Understands the Competition
4. Uses a Targeted Marketing Strategy
5. Clear Idea for their next Startup
6. Healthy Managerial Support
7. Cooperates well with Others
8. Well Structured in Life and Business
9. Keeps Close Tabs on Finances
10. The Business Plan

#10 is a biggie, and we’ll will discuss it in depth over the coming months with tips and strategies, templates, research, and everything else you’ll need when developing the plan for your startup.

If you possess a few (or many) of the Killer Characteristics (remember – those are the bad ones) don’t worry, you’re not alone! I just ask you to make a concise effort to move towards the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs.

Class dismissed, see you tomorrow!

Well, I don’t know about you, but I never took a test on the first day of class. Don’t worry though, this one isn’t graded. Here is a quick four question test to see if you’ve got the goods when it comes to being a startup student.

1. Determine the difference between what you want to do in life (and business) and what you’re good at. Make a quick list of your skillset and hold onto that for future reference.
   
2. What drives you to succeed and what gives you satisfaction in your daily life?
3. Determine your values and priorities. Looking ahead, what values and priorities do you want to establish for your new venture? Can you find any differences between the two?
4. Having measured these differences, do you have what it takes to overcome those differences?

Life and business overlap – especially for young entrepreneurs. Knowing the difference between your own personal values and those of your future startup is essential to the success of your next venture as a student startup.

Class dismissed, see you back here tomorrow!

Since this is the first post, it’s only sensible to get rid of the introductions before we move onto the juicy stuff tomorrow. This blog will be a place for young entrepreneurs to learn skills and share ideas for creating the next big startup. I am the owner of a web development company and am working on a startup of my own – so I’ll be sure to keep everyone posted on the status of that venture.

Startup Students will be structured almost like an online classroom. I’ll be delivering a new lesson all the time, and while they wont always build upon each other, it would definitely be beneficial to read up on previous posts down the line – so be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed so you’ll stay updated!

I want everyone to learn as much as they can while creating the next student startup, so remember to digg some posts and make a few comments along the way.

Class will be in session tomorrow so I’ll see all you startup students then!