Helpful Resources for Aspiring Student Entrepreneurs
Despite the stereotype of entrepreneurs, there isn’t a demographic requirement for starting a successful venture. You can start a business regardless of your educational background, age, or gender if you build certain skill sets. You need to have an understanding of the concepts behind entrepreneurship as well as a solid business idea.
Even if you are not interested in starting a business, having an entrepreneurial mindset can help you in corporate settings. Innovation is valued in any organization as it helps them stand out from the evolving market. It can be applied in all types of industries and in any job position.
Whether you are already an aspiring entrepreneur or simply interested in building your innovation skills, learning how successful enterprises were built is valuable. You can also learn important life lessons from professionals who have developed their idea into a business. Here is a starter pack for anyone who is interested in learning more about entrepreneurship:
Books
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Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin
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Seth Godin adds another P to the traditional 4Ps of marketing: Purple Cow. Purple Cow is a metaphor for something counterintuitive and remarkable. By providing examples of companies that succeeded by being a Purple Cow, Godin explains that startups need to stand out from the crowd.
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The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
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This book is about turning a vision into a sustainable business. Ries suggests using the cycle of ‘learn,’ ‘build,’ and ‘measure’ in accelerating a venture. He uses numerous case studies to demonstrate the lean startup methodology.
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Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel
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In this book, Thiel suggests entrepreneurs find new solutions or products that create value. He provides tips on the actions anyone should take before building your business.
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Websites/online publications
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Paul Graham is the founder of Y combinator and has helped over 800 startups. His essays answer some of the answers all entrepreneurs have such as “How to Start a Startup?” and “How to Raise money?”.
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TechCrunch is the place to go for startup, technology, and venture capital news. This website will not only help you stay up to date with the latest trends but will also give you behind-the-scenes stories of enterprises and entrepreneurs.
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This website contains video lectures and reading materials that originate from Stanford’s business course. These materials will help you come up with new ideas and teach you how to build them into a successful venture.
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Podcasts
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“The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, “Meet me at the bar and tell me what’s going on with the economy.” Now imagine that’s actually a fun evening.”
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“Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world’s best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.”
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Ideacast features Harvard professors, scholars, and business leaders who discuss a variety of business topics such as strategy, growth, business philosophy, and marketing.
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Beyond the resources online, you could also visit the Center for Entrepreneurship on college campuses, take classes on the subject, or attend speaker events about innovation. Proactively searching for ways to grow on its own is a step towards having an entrepreneurial mindset.
