The Small Achievement Enterprise Center is located in Greenwood Village, Colorado High school students They can explore careers and make a plan to achieve their goals. The center aims to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurship is a common goal for young people.
More than half, or 54%, of Gen Z adults say they think they would be happier owning their own business rather than working a regular day job, according to a new CNBC and SurveyMonkey report. Labor force survey. The survey polled 5,993 adults in the U.S. workforce in early April — including 770 Gen Z people age 27 or younger.
“There is a recipe for finding your way to a goal,” said Robin Wise, president and CEO of Junior Achievement Rocky Mountain. “It’s seeing people doing things you might want to do. It’s knowing yourself.”
In partnership with Junior Achievement, CNBC brought together Denver-area business leaders to talk with students about their journey in starting a company. Here are five key tips they shared:
“Embrace what makes you different”
Moe Haile, founder of Sky Blue Builders, Darian Simon, co-founder of Be a Good Person, and Robin Thurston, founder and CEO of Outside Interactive, Inc., talk to students about entrepreneurship.
Caitlin Steuben | CNBC
Darian Simon co-founded the clothing company Be a Good Person in 2015 to inspire positivity. He advises young people to “embrace what makes you different.”
Simon was diagnosed with autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, when he was 28 years old. Now 30, he says he rejects the “disorder” part of the diagnosis and embraces it as his superpower.
“My greatest strength is my neurodivergence, because I have less inhibitory space in my mind and therefore I can think better,” he said. “So the fund doesn’t exist in the same way.”
Value adaptability
Robin Thurston sold his digital fitness technology startup to Under Armor for $150 million in 2013. He recently founded Outside Interactive, a network of media brands in endurance sports, outdoors, and healthy living.
He compares starting a business to going on a difficult journey and advises keeping this analogy in mind when embarking on the journey – you will need to embrace the unknown, realize that things are unlikely to go according to plan and work through the inevitable difficulties. He said.
“That’s what great entrepreneurs do,” Thurston said. “They are resilient, and they work to overcome those challenges.”
Recognizing challenges as “opportunities”
Camila Ozcategui co-founded Vitro3D, a company that uses 3D printing-like technology in advanced manufacturing spaces, in 2020. She said her background in physics and interest in experimenting with technology taught her the value of failure.
“In all of these challenges, I like to see them as opportunities to either shift to a potential new direction or shift to a better way of understanding something,” Uzcategui said.
Expect excellence from your team
Mowa Haile founded Sky Blue Builders, a construction company, during the Great Recession in 2009. He said it’s important to surround yourself with people who share your passion — and always expect excellence from them.
“When you’re an entrepreneur and you have a team, you’re there to coach them, lead them and encourage them,” he said.
Surround yourself with the right people
Lara Merkin founded Larabar, a company that makes gluten-free vegan bars, in 2000 after a career in social work.
“A lot of people were literally dismissive,” she recalled. “They were saying, ‘Why are you doing this? Why are you getting into an oversaturated category?’
She said identifying and working with trusted confidants who were supportive and encouraging was critical to the company’s success. Larabar sold to General Mills in 2008 for about $55 million.
Another recipe for success, Meriken said, is learning from other entrepreneurs’ stories. “While we have our businesses, we still need inspiration every day.”
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