My favorite podcast is NPR’s How I Built This. I love hearing the host, Guy Raz, marvel at how the founders of Airbnb, Squarespace and Lyft went from a one-off idea of two dudes in a basement to a thriving business worth billions of dollars. But, even as I listen to the passion in the… Continue reading Catching the Startup Bug
From a young age, the no idea is a bad idea concept has been drilled into my head. Even though you know the concept, it still sucks hearing no. Nobody wants to hear no to something the know is good, or that they poured their heart and soul into. But according to the Masters of… Continue reading Bad ideas actually aren’t that bad
I’m afraid of failure and rejection. So coming up with a creative and smart startup idea for class was giving me major anxiety.nI didn’t feel like I had the next great idea that could change the world. I knew I wasn’t Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, or Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx. So when we… Continue reading You Can Start a Startup, too
When people think about how to become the next Bill Gates or Steve Jobs, they expect to suddenly be hit with an idea that’s too good to be true. However, this is not how most ideas that will be successful come about. They require attention and effort, and being ready to strike when that big… Continue reading My ‘ah ha!’ moment? Most great start-ups come from a simple idea
All entrepreneurs have something in common: they’re creative, resilient and brave. They don’t take no for an answer. However, even the most successful ones had to work hard to find their perfect startup idea. Unfortunately, like money, startup ideas don’t grow on trees. Paul Graham, entrepreneur and venture capitalist, said it best: “The way to… Continue reading Startup Ideas Don’t Grow on Trees
Meeting Shanley Pearl over lunch, I can’t help but associate her with the Perrier carbonated water she chose. It’s become part of my perception of her. Like Perrier, she’s bubbly, she appeals to those with fine taste, and she’s got a bit of a sarcastic bite to her. Shanley spoke to our class during our… Continue reading Shanley Pearl’s Refreshing Definition of Success in Entrepreneurship
How do you avoid oblivion? This question has plagued me this semester as we’ve learned how to be a disrupter, how to innovate and how to be successful as a startup. I recognize that, as a startup, you have to worry much more about the present than some distant, uncertain future. But it’s bothered me.… Continue reading The Antidote to Oblivion? Continuous Innovation
So, startups are even harder to build than I imagined. Last week, Paul Graham advised us in his article to find an audience “who wants this [your product] so much that they’ll use it even when it’s a crappy version, one made by a two-person startup they’ve never heard of.” Okay. I can do that.… Continue reading Being Practical and Passionate About Startups
I can see the future — and the future is digital. But it’s not quite that simple. Start-ups are an essential part of our world as it exists today. Without start-ups, we’d have no computers, no Microsoft, no Dropbox and, god forbid, no Facebook. Yet, to shape our world, the founders of these start-ups had… Continue reading Developing Media Startups for the Future
On our class trip to Detroit on Friday, March 24, Jeanette Pierce, our tour guide from the Detroit Experience Factory, told us people often ask her: Why Detroit? Instead of telling you her reasons, I am going to tell you my “why.” Why my love for the companies started there and the reasons March 24,… Continue reading Why Detroit?
Spartans Innovate 