The Junior Achievement Free Enterprise Center in Greenwood Village, Colorado, serves as a hub for high school students to delve into the world of careers and craft a roadmap towards their aspirations. The center is dedicated to fostering the spirit of entrepreneurship among the younger generation.
Indeed, entrepreneurship holds a strong appeal for Gen Z. A recent Workforce Survey conducted by CNBC and SurveyMonkey revealed that 54% of Gen Z adults believe they would find greater happiness in owning their own business than in holding a traditional nine-to-five job. The survey gathered insights from 5,993 U.S. adults employed in the workforce, including 770 Gen Z respondents aged 27 and below.
Robin Wise, President and CEO of Junior Achievement Rocky Mountain, emphasized the significance of mentorship and exposure in shaping career paths. He stated, “There’s a recipe for finding your path to purpose. It’s seeing people do things that you might want to do. It’s knowing yourself.”
In collaboration with Junior Achievement, CNBC connected business leaders in the Denver area with students to share their entrepreneurial journeys. Here are five key pieces of advice they imparted:
1.
Embrace What Makes You Different:
Darian Simon, Co-founder of Be a Good Person, encourages young people to recognize and leverage their unique qualities. Diagnosed with autism and ADHD at age 28, Simon reframes the “disorder” aspect of the diagnosis as his superpower. He asserts, “My greatest strengths are my neurodivergence because I have less inhibitive space in my brain, therefore I can ideate better. Therefore the box doesn’t really exist in the same ways.”2.
Value Adaptability:
Robin Thurston, Founder and CEO of Outside Interactive, Inc., draws parallels between starting a business and embarking on a challenging hike. He advises embracing the unknown, acknowledging that things rarely go according to plan, and persevering through inevitable obstacles. As he puts it, “That’s what great entrepreneurs do. They’re resilient, and they work their way through those challenges.”3.
Recognize Challenges as Opportunities:
Camila Uzcategui, Co-founder of Vitro3D, sees value in experimentation and failure. With a background in physics, she believes that challenges present opportunities for exploration and innovation. She explains, “In all of those challenges, I like to see them as opportunities to either pivot into a potentially new direction or pivot into a better way of understanding something.”4.
Expect Excellence from Your Team:
Mowa Haile, Founder of Sky Blue Builders, emphasizes the importance of surrounding oneself with individuals who share your passion and drive. He believes in setting high expectations for your team and providing them with guidance and motivation. As he states, “When you’re an entrepreneur and you have a team, you’re there to coach them and lead them and encourage them.”5.
Surround Yourself with the Right People:
Lara Merriken, Founder of Larabar, attributes the success of her company to the support of trusted confidants. She emphasizes the need to identify and collaborate with individuals who believe in your vision and provide encouragement. She recalls, “A lot of people were literally naysayers. They were just like, why would you do this? Why would you get into a category that’s oversaturated?” She adds that seeking inspiration from the experiences of other entrepreneurs can also be invaluable: “While we have our companies, we still need inspiration every day.”These insights underscore the importance of embracing uniqueness, adaptability, and perseverance in the pursuit of entrepreneurial success. By recognizing challenges as opportunities, expecting excellence, and surrounding oneself with the right people, aspiring entrepreneurs can increase their chances of achieving financial security and fulfillment.
