Two Roads Taken: My Advice to Graduating Entrepreneurs

Robert Frost’s iconic poem, “The Road Not Taken,” applies to many up and coming entrepreneurs of all disciplines and industries. Entrepreneurs feel the need to choose only one road and stick to it. After graduation, they decide to go straight into business or simply ignore their dreams of owning a business and work strictly for corporate America. My question to them is, why not do both? Frost's poem addresses the need to make a choice between two paths in life, but I believe you can have the best of both worlds. Real entrepreneurship cannot be developed merely by reading from textbooks or choosing to ignore knowledge that can be gained from different sources. It's developed by diving into the deep end and gaining real world experiences. I believe my success has a lot to do with having the best of both worlds. With that being said, I want to encourage students who are currently entrepreneurs or aspiring to be entrepreneurs to go about life with an open mind.

Check out my 5 tips to help graduating entrepreneurs reach milestones and enhance personal development

1.  Embrace Contract Positions

As our graduation dates approach, college students usually apply to companies that offer salaried positions. Personally, I applied for contract positions directly after I graduated from college. This is probably one of the best decisions I made post-graduation. I was able to work for two awesome companies under excellent management. The skills I learned, both technical and mental, helped me to become a better entrepreneur & employee once I secured my first salaried position. Furthermore, seeing how processes work at different companies can generate ideas about how you plan to run your own company.

You may even decide to go into a completely new direction.

2.  Don't Shy Away from Corporate America

Although I took on a couple of contract jobs, these positions were still an eminent part of corporate America. Some entrepreneurs graduating may only want to focus on their company and skip working for someone else. However, the skills and personal development gained from working for corporations is priceless. No matter when you decide to start your business, it’s always worthwhile to learn from more established professionals. Working under someone for a while will further build your contact list and allow you to learn from prominent industry leaders. There are somethings that you’ll only be able to learn on the job.

It’s much better to make mistakes as an employee, rather than have a failing enterprise on your hands.

3.  Choose a Boss, Not a Company

One lesson many employees learn eventually is that the individual supervising and directing you is more important than the actual company you’re applying to work for. Your boss can be toxic and possess a host of other bad traits that will lead you down a path of destruction. You can work for a Fortune 500 company and fail miserably because of your boss. My first two contract positions post-graduation helped me increase my technical and professional skills under incredible management. The skills I learned were priceless and worth a lot more than having the bragging rights to say I worked for a prestigious company. From that point on, I paid more attention to my leaders rather than just the company’s image.

As an entrepreneur, it’s vital to build valuable skills that will facilitate your success in any role or business endeavor you choose to tackle. Working under poor management will only delay your progress.

4.  Network

It may seem cliché, but it’s very true; a well-established professional network frequently makes the distinction between success and failure for your company. Post-graduation I started joining entrepreneurial groups, social clubs, and personal development clubs. The amount of business I was able to generate from these collaborations advanced my company tremendously. Aside from financial gain, the professional mentorship and connections I made are priceless to this day.

While growing your network don't overlook the potential power of your current relationships. It can be a monumental mistake to neglect the web of classmates, relatives, acquaintances, community leaders and former employers that have shaped your life.

Those mentioned above are often times the most invested in your personal and professional development. They can give guidance, important introductions, and continuous assistance.

5. Provide Pro-Bono Services

It’s hard for young entrepreneurs to NOT put profit first. However, not every task you perform should be charged to the client. I’ve done social media marketing, web development, and more for non-profit organizations without asking for a dollar. I've even done small website maintenance changes for clients and did not bill them for it. By doing so, this made our relationship stronger and helped me make connections I wouldn't have made otherwise.

Nickel and diming for everything isn’t the way to go.

Wrapping It all Up

Be sure that you’re pursuing entrepreneurship for the right reasons. Many graduates start companies due to the excitement of working for themselves; this can be extremely exciting if you’re successful. Another likely outcome is that you’ll fail miserably if your plan does not work out. You have to be alright with that! Success comes with experience, skills, and relationships in order to make it past the five-year mark.