Five myths about entrepreneurship
CU Boulder is one of the global leaders in entrepreneurship and startups and yet, students may have concerns that hold them back from pursuing their ideas. Here are a few of the myths about entrepreneurship that Career Services hears the most—and the truth behind them that might just encourage you to pursue your own business ideas.
My degree doesn't qualify me to be an entrepreneur
Search for leaders and founders of the largest businesses in the world and you will find every kind of degree imaginable—engineering, sciences, liberal arts, business, music, education and the list goes on. Go to a pitch event, startup meetup or entrepreneurial program and you’ll find an even bigger spread of majors and types of people. Your degree does not determine whether you are an entrepreneur and it might just influence you to think a little outside the box on a subject matter.
I don’t have the skills to be an entrepreneur
No entrepreneur will ever tell you they had it all figured out when they started their business or joined a startup. Talk to startups at an event like Startups2Students and you’ll find that business leaders are often “building the plane while it is flying”. This means they are learning the skills and knowledge they need as they go. Of course, having some skills before becoming an entrepreneur can be helpful and CU Boulder has dozens of programs and resources to give you a head start!
Only a CEO or founder of a business is an entrepreneur
Being an entrepreneur doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll find yourself in a specific role at a particular type of business. People take entrepreneurial mindsets to all types of positions in every business, organization and institution you can imagine. An entrepreneur is someone who applies critical thinking, problem solving and creativity to strategizing. Entrepreneurs can lead businesses and they can also lead teams, new initiatives and even small projects within a broader mission.
I have to have a brilliant, unique and cutting edge idea
Some of the most well known entrepreneurs are those who lead in groundbreaking fields, bringing entirely new ideas to market. That said, there are millions of successful entrepreneurs who are leading small business teams, adjusting existing products or processes slightly to make them more effective and/or finding new markets for existing ideas. The New Venture Challenge at CU Boulder contains many examples of people finding small ways to innovate to make a big impact!
It is too hard to get started!
Whether you have already started a business, are percolating an idea, are thinking about working at a startup someday, or are simply exploring entrepreneurship, CU Boulder can help you get started. Check out the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative for a variety of ways to begin your entrepreneurial journey and dig in to Startups2Students events, jobs and content to find out more about working at startups!