I was fortunate to take part on a panel amongst young, successful entrepreneurs yesterday at Georgia State University. The event was called "Campus CEO: The Student Entrepreneur's Guide to Launching a Business". I started Apple-Butter Bakery my senior year in college. I was 21. I had been teaching cake-decorating classes for a few months and I hadn't acquired a job offer for post-graduation. I figured I'd start my company right then so I would have some kind of stability when I really needed it. I had a few jobs after graduation but none of them satisfied me. My entire day was filled with ways to enhance my product, how my storefront would look, or what crazy designs I could muster up. At that time, cakes weren't paying as well as these unfulfilling jobs, but I figured if I didn't take my own future seriously, they never will.
::Fast Forward:: I was the only female panelist present. I found this quite odd as the audience was in fact 85% female (no I didn't sit up there and count but it was overwhelmingly one-sided). All of the panelist were minorities which was nice to see. I had a wonderful time talking about something I'm so passionate about and answering well thought-out questions. I swear I saw wheels turning through-out the crowd as they realize that their dreams of starting their own business no longer seemed so far off.
I'd like to touch on one topic here that I even noticed amongst those on the panel. As a business owner, be modest. You don't have to boast your title and let it be known that you're a CEO. I'm sure Muhtar Kent or George David don't go boasting their title as if it were a spanking new accessory. I'm actually turned off by the notion. Humble yourself. Be the guy doing all the dirty work that no one else wants to do. Celebrate your accomplishments, but not always in a conceited manner. I implore you to demote yourself. Instead, call yourself the Sales Manager (in essence you are... because you're EVERYTHING to your business). You'll find you'll be more successful in negotiating deals if you have someone to answer to instead of you, the CEO, being the be all to end all.
I can go on all day about the discussions we had at the panel but I must get back to work. I'll leave you all like I did them - with a quote that I recalled a wise man saying to me. "Entrepreneurs don't just start businesses, they invent them". If you plan on starting your own company, research existing ones and find loopholes to see what they're missing... capitalize on it and pave the way to your goldmine.
