I’ve presented at Menlo University in Atherton, California once before. The last talk I presented here on branding was awesome. Sometimes when I go and present at a college I never know if the students will be interested or ask any questions, but the last time I presented at Menlo the students were engaged and excited to learn! I hate considering myself a lecturer because that sounds so professional so I just say I present fun and engaging talks about being your own boss! Even if you don’t plan to be a CEO one day, you are always in control of your destiny.
I rented a car on Turo and drove from Oakland to Atherton yesterday but first I stopped in Piedmont to get my hair and makeup done at a salon with Julia, who is seriously the coolest and nicest glam person ever. I love all of the people who do my hair and makeup, but she’s awesome. I drove 30 minutes the wrong way and then ended up getting to Menlo right when the talk was supposed to start (don’t trust Waze people) which ended up working out perfectly. I presented for one hour before opening the room up to a Q&A.
I was asked was how I became an entrepreneur without any connections or family experience in business (I had neither!!) Well, I started writing when I was 12. Not good writing, not grammatically correct, but I loved writing. Then I loved emailing people everyday to annoy them until they either said yes or no to my idea. Somewhere along the line I became successful. But it’s not different than someone else liking running or eating or drawing. Just because I’m an entrepreneur and you may not be doesn’t mean you don’t have the drive inside of you that I have, it just means you haven’t found what drives you yet. The key to success is to never be comfortable. If you’re working at a job you absolutely adore, don’t avoid looking at other job opportunities out there. You can go on LinkedIn and see what’s being offered or what the market is looking like in your industry just so you stay a little uncomfortable. After all, you never know what’s going to happen. You might wake up one day and realize you’re destined for something else and this is how you will be ready for it. Thanks to all of the students who attended and inspired me just as much as I hope I inspired all of you!