Living Entrepreneurship Blog / Babson Entrepreneurs

Two Things That Make YOUNG Entrepreneurs Successful

The following post is from Michael Kurson ’18, founder of Briggs Original, a fall 2016 hatchery business.

Michael Kurson '18, founder of Brigg's Original

Michael Kurson ’18, founder of Briggs Original

My name is Michael Kurson and I’m a Co-Founder at Briggs Original, an alcoholic seltzer company. I’m a 21 year old junior at Babson College, and I have been working on this company for the last 8 months. My daily interactions are with 40+ year old business professionals. Whether it be lawyers, accountants, financial advisors, beverage specialists, restauranteurs, I’m usually the youngest person in the room. If leveraged correctly, being a young entrepreneur can be an advantage. Throughout my experience in these past months, I have formulated two simple and manageable factors that drive a young entrepreneur’s success:

Take Every Meeting – This is contrary to what a lot of experts suggest.  Although I agree that it is important to stay focused and avoid spreading yourself too thin, my philosophy is to take every meeting. You never know how important a seemingly unimportant meeting can be. There have been numerous situations in which I have taken a meeting and have left that very meeting with nothing more than a contact that they ‘suggest I reach out to’. The secondary connection is often times pivotal. Not to mention, there is also great importance in creating a large and diverse network. The absolute best way to do that is to use the business that you’re working on, meet with everyone that you can, and use the experience to perfect your pitch. Even if they have no interest in what you’re doing, or don’t add any direct value, creating a large network is one of the most valuable things a young entrepreneur can do to set themselves up for a successful and prosperous future.

Persistence – As a young entrepreneur, obtaining meetings with people is not an issue. Most seasoned business men and woman are interested in ‘paying back’ to the new generation. That being said, when the time comes for a call to action, many veteran business professionals shy away. Long story short…they’re willing to give advice, but are typically hesitant to invest or become involved. It makes sense; they would rather invest their time and money into their own ventures or partners. So how does a young entrepreneur hurdle over the hesitancy? The answer is persistence. Too many times young entrepreneurs give up when someone doesn’t email them back. The overlooked truth is that successful business professionals are busy, and if you are not directly crucial to their day to day operations, it is very easy to slip through the cracks. Just because you have slipped through the cracks does not mean that they are not interested in you. ALWAYS send a follow up rather than giving up. There is no downside to checking in as it can occasionally lead to your desired result.

These two simple entrepreneurial mindsets are easy to execute and will make a large impact on your desired success.