Entrepreneurship

Pursuing Entrepreneurship

Have you always felt like you were destined to own your own business?

Maybe you've always had an idea for a product and now you're in a position to take it to market?

Maybe you've always tinkered with things and are ready to pursue a patent for your unique doohickey?

If you're one of those people who love autonomy, pushing the boundaries of what you want to accomplish, setting your own schedule, if you love pitching ideas and presenting your thoughts, then you might be an entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurship is oftentimes the path most closely aligned with the mission of the Your Future: Make It Your Own (YF:MIYO) brand. After all, most entrepreneurs use their strengths, skills and abilities to find something they're interested and passionate about so that they can build a business and get paid for it.

Entrepreneurship can be a difficult path, but for those of you with the gumption, perseverance, and patience, it can also be a very rewarding endeavor.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Starting your own business is no longer just an option for the economically well-off. Today's marketplace has the most business-friendly climate and the barriers to launch a business are slim. And the statistics show that most entrepreneurs take a very non-traditional educational way to finding their path.

STATS

90% of new American billionaires are self-made.
15 million Americans are full-time self-employed.
62% of adults believe entrepreneurship is a good career.
55% of entrepreneurs say their biggest motivation for starting their own business was the idea of being their own boss.
30% of entrepreneurs only have a high school degree.
Only 9% of entrepreneurs have a Bachelor’s Degree in business.
83.1% of US business owners started their companies.
Business and food are the two most popular industries for entrepreneurs.

information c/o smallbizgenius.net

Life Considerations for the Entrepreneurship Path

Look at the sliders to review this career path to see if it makes sense for your situation, needs, and wants.

Productivity Comes From

Autonomy/Independent Work

Collaboration/Group Work

Work Day Success

Clock in and Out

Accomplish Things

Thoughts on Education

Foundation to success

I can learn on the job

Moving Up the "Ranks"

Not important

Very important

Preferred Project Mode

Task-driven

Outcome-driven

Thoughts on Student Loans

A little is OK

It's an investment in myself

Motivation

Money

A job well done

Work Place Flexibility

WFH

On location

On the Job Environment

Desk job

On the go

Learning Happens

On the job

In a classroom

Thoughts on Work/Life Balance

Career-focused

Family-focused

Starting My Career

Immediately

I can wait

Career Starting Point

Entry-level

Be a boss

Whether you want to chase your dreams or follow a well-planned path, take some time to explore our resources, expose your mind to new possibilities and experience a glimpse of what your future could look like from your perspective.

SEE ALL

My journey to yo-yo mastery

Remember the days you struggled just to make a yo-yo spin, and if you were really fancy, to “walk the dog”? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet. Japanese yo-yo world champion BLACK tells the inspiring story of finding his life's passion, and gives an awesome performance that will make you want to pull your yo-yo back out of the closet.

2 questions to uncover your passion -- and turn it into a career

Social entrepreneur Noeline Kirabo reflects on her work helping young people in Uganda turn their passions into profitable businesses, and shares the two questions you can ask yourself to begin doing the same.

Why specializing early doesn't always mean career success

A head start doesn't always ... well, help you get ahead. With examples from sports, technology and economics, journalist David Epstein shares how specializing in a particular skill too early in life may undermine your long-term development -- and explains the benefits of a "sampling period" where you try new things and focus on building a range of skills.

The best career path isn't always a straight line

Conventional wisdom frames the ideal career path as a linear one -- a ladder to be climbed with a single-minded focus to get to the top. Career development consultants Sarah Ellis and Helen Tupper invite you to replace this outdated and limiting model with "squiggly" careers: dynamic, open-ended growth paths tailor-made for your individual needs, talents and ambitions.

What gives a dollar bill its value?

The value of money is determined by how much (or how little) of it is in circulation. But who makes that decision, and how does their choice affect the economy at large? Doug Levinson takes a trip into the United States Federal Reserve, examining how the people who work there aim to balance the value of the dollar to prevent inflation or deflation.

Three Questions to unlock your authentic career

Ashley Stahl at TEDxBerkeley 2014: "Rethink. Redefine. Recreate." Her talk is titled "3 Questions to Unlock your Authentic Career."

Jack Ma's Advice For Young People

Jack Ma talks about the advice he would give to young people as they embarked on their path for their future career.

Prof Galloway's Career Advice

As summer winds down, Scott offers some unsolicited career advice.

Success, failure and the drive to keep creating

Elizabeth Gilbert was once an "unpublished diner waitress," devastated by rejection letters. And yet, in the wake of the success of 'Eat, Pray, Love,' she found herself identifying strongly with her former self. With beautiful insight, Gilbert reflects on why success can be as disorienting as failure and offers a simple -- though hard -- way to carry on, regardless of outcomes.

The surprising habits of original thinkers

How do creative people come up with great ideas? Organizational psychologist Adam Grant studies "originals": thinkers who dream up new ideas and take action to put them into the world. In this talk, learn three unexpected habits of originals -- including embracing failure.

How to find work you love

Scott Dinsmore quit a job that made him miserable, and spent the next four years wondering how to find work that was joyful and meaningful. He shares what he learned in this deceptively simple talk about finding out what matters to you — and then getting started doing it.

How to get better at the things you care about

Working hard but not improving? You're not alone. Eduardo Briceño reveals a simple way to think about getting better at the things you do, whether that's work, parenting or creative hobbies. And he shares some useful techniques so you can keep learning and always feel like you're moving forward.

Forward Thinking

THRIVING INDUSTRIES SKILLS IN DEMAND EMERGING CAREER PATHS

Explore Other Paths

Select one of the career paths to learn more about opportunities, resources available, demand, and more.

Higher Education Community College Workforce Military Certifications Skilled Trades Program Internship Apprenticeship Entrepreneurship