Philosopher Eric Hoffer once said, “In times of great change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped for a world that no longer exists.” When I was growing up in the late 70’s and early 80’s, everyone always told me to go to school, get good grades, go to college, get a job and contribute to their 401K to save a little nest egg for retirement and life would be good. Well, I did not take that path, and I’m really happy I didn’t…
The world has changed dramatically since the 80’s and there is now more opportunity to become an entrepreneur than ever before. With the internet boom, we have seen more and more people creating from home, becoming app developers, internet marketers, social media gurus, SEO and website experts. Businesses are able to start with very low start up capital. According to the Small Business Association, there are over 28 million small businesses in the US and another almost 19,000 with over 500 employees.
There are so many options for education online. The Khan Academy offers SAT prep classes for students that cannot afford to pay the minimum of five hundred dollars for the other prep courses. It has been noted that the Khan Academy classes are on par if not better than the expensive classes (and it is free!). We can even finish school online. My daughter is taking online high school courses so she can chase her dreams in the music industry. You can go take online college courses and even start your own business out of your dorm room like Mark Zuckerberg did. My son started a successful lawn company over a summer between college semesters just by joining a few community boards and advertising for free.
I’m not anti-school or anti-college, my point is there are so many opportunities to start your own company that you should go figure out a business to start now, today! Don’t delay your dream until you reach the end a certain path or earn a degree. By that point, another visionary may have launched their own business built on a similar vision, and you’ll be too late.”