From Youth Entrepreneur to Working in Tech

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. As an associate national lead, aside from getting to build and host my own conference, I also get to build connections with industry professionals and leaders. My main takeaways from this Think Tank are:

Leadership is something that we can learn and improve on as time goes on, but as with any other skill, we need to be able to make the most of any opportunities we get. Always ask for help whenever you need it: most people know better than you do! Acknowledge the fact that you can always learn more from others, and your strengths will blossom as you learn. In that sense, mentors are invaluable for your career journey, as you develop all the necessary skills and gather all the crucial knowledge for success.

The next part of growing and reaching your goals is to be open to opportunities as they present themselves. Even if things don’t work out immediately the way you had hoped, stay open-minded and give it a few more chances instead of just shutting things down right away. Opportunities are not easy to come by, and you cannot be 100% ready for every one you come across, but be prepared to step through open doors as they appear rather than letting these chances slip through your hands.

In terms of how this all connects to entrepreneurship, the last part of the Think Tank was focused on allowing us to practice pitching items to the group. Some of the tips and trips that came up included being concise, being clear, and presenting a problem that the item can solve. When pitching a product to people, it is important to make sure that what you are saying is clearly delivered and understood by your audience. There is no point in fluffing things up with random words if your key points don’t get across properly. Of course, when you are making a pitch, you are trying to persuade someone that your product is useful. If you can identify a problem that your product can solve, you are much more likely to garner the attention of your audience.

Overall, I learned many tips for leadership and entrepreneurship during this Think Tank. Funnily enough, I actually participated in the Junior Achievement Company Program last year just like Danielle, so I can relate my experiences with hers. I think this coincidence really allowed me to understand what Danielle was talking about, and I feel more inspired than ever to pursue a career in business!