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This Saturday, I had the privilege of attending Dannielle Sakher’s Think Tank on “How Youth Entrepreneurship Landed Me a Job in Tech” as a part of the Associate National Lead program from Illuminate Universe. As Associate National Lead, I also get to build connections with industry professionals and leaders, making this think tank a crucial one to remember as it taught many leadership lessons. As such, I would like to share my main takeaways from this Think Tank.
At the beginning of the think tank, Dannielle explained how her experience of joining the Junior Achievement Program helped her choose her future career path and university major. Her past inspired me as I also would like to pursue a similar path in business. Thus, I encourage everyone to look back at your experiences and reflect on the successes and challenges to determine which path you would like to follow.
Furthermore, Dannielle taught us some important lessons about leadership and mentorship:
Most people know better than you–ask for help: There are many professionals in your industry who have worked in the industry for years and years, know when to ask for help and advice from one of these professionals
Make the most out of mentorships: Mentors are very important for your career path, they can teach you many skills crucial for your career
Be ready to enter an open door: Do not let an opportunity slide out of your hands just because you were busy or unprepared
You will not know what to do until you try: Don’t be too early to conclude if something isn't for you, always give yourself time to try new things
Sales is a highly transferable skill: Sales is a highly beneficial not only in business but also in many industries because it lets you develop people skills
Lastly, I would like to speak to potential entrepreneurs. During the final hour of our think tank, we did a sales pitch competition which allowed us to understand many more aspects of a sales pitch. These are the major points I would like to touch upon when doing a sales pitch:
Be clear and concise: Make sure your pitch is long enough to demonstrate all of the “wow” factors of your product while also being concise with your wording, don’t make your pitch unnecessarily long or repeat the same points. Additionally, make sure that everything you do is meaningful, even your hand gestures or choice of wording(do not let any factor take away from your product)
Identify a problem the audience may face, and explain how your product can help solve it: Identify and define a common problem that your target audience faces and then present your product as the key to finally solving that problem
Give a practical example of your product: Connecting to the last point, help the audience envision a reality where they’re actively using your product to address and finally solve a problem
Overall, I feel that the major takeaways from this think tank were the leadership tips, and the constructive feedback after my sales pitch. Further, I hope that this blog also inspires others to reflect back on the things I have said and take my advice.