Three Must Have Habits of a Young Entrepreneur

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things.”  – Steve Jobs

Good habits lead to a successful career.

A Young Entrepreneurs Way of Life

Being an entrepreneur is a way of life; it’s a way of thinking—It’s not an occupation. According to Forbes about 20% of the workforce is engaged in running a start-up or a more established business. Starting a business is one thing, but being a successful business owner is another story. Success starts from within. At its core, success is simply establishing good habits.

Therefor, here are the three must have habits of a young entrepreneur.

1) Be able to see possibility in everything. 

An entrepreneur must be both innovative and flexible. Success is when preparation meets opportunity. Wisely use everything (and sometimes everyone) to your benefit. Smart entrepreneurs form mutually benefiting work and personal relationships. Network, network network. You never know when the friend of a friend’s, cousin’s, neighbor’s, fiancé is best buds with the CEO of XYZ. The point is being creative; if you carefully look at the different angles you might be looking at perfection.

2) Take risks.

The only guarantee that life guarantees is no guarantees. Things can change in the blink of an eye—now you see it, now you don’t. For an entrepreneur, the biggest risk is not taking any risk. Learn to turn obstacles into assets. Take it one step at a time and don’t become overwhelmed. Be satisfied with even the smallest of improvements—Rome wasn’t built in a day so why should you expect that of your endeavors/ business?

3) Start before you feel ready. 

Perhaps the most valuable lesson in life. There is no such thing as “the perfect time.” Being an entrepreneur is seeing an opportunity and taking it when it comes. Always be ready to say yes even when circumstances are not ideal. Sometimes you just have to do it. Sometimes the perfect time is now. Failure is part of the adventure that leads to success. In the wise words of entrepreneur Ajaero Tony Matins, “The fastest way to build a successful business from scratch is to fail fast.”

Being an entrepreneur is a science. Steve Jobs, perhaps one of the most groundbreaking individuals of the Century, faced copious obstacles before attaining success. To put it simply, a young entrepreneur must be innovative, fearless, and relentless. Whatever you are doing now, connect it back to what you want to be doing entrepreneurially. So I’ll leave you with this: If you live your life every day the same way as you did today, what kind of future would that create?

To Blog or Not to Blog

According to the Huffington Post, blogging is a way to organize your thoughts, learn, tell your story, stand out, and make connections. Therefor the only valid question is, “Are you blogging? And if no, why not?” To Blog or Not to Blog that is the question, and the answer is, blog.

However, one will quickly find that after a few weeks of posting blogs it can become difficult to think of new, relevant, and bright things to write about. But it’s nothing to stress about. Below are some ideas that will surely assist you during a blogging block and give you a gazillion and one ideas on what to blog about.

What to Blog About

It is difficult to continuously think of clever topics to blog about but it doesn’t have to be so. When deciding what to blog about think of things that genuinely interest you. Passion shows through writing and if you don’t really care about what you’re blogging about neither will potential readers.  Also, stay relevant; whether it be the season, politics, or world news, don’t talk about Christmas in May. And lastly, listen to your audience. Your readers are the ones that truly matter. Surely, the reason you are willing to publicly write about XYZ is because you want others to hear what you’ve got to say so when you’re writing think about the type of persons you want to attract.

It’s simpler than you think…

Therefor, when deciding what to blog about don’t over think it. Be inspired by what is constantly around you. Blog about food, health, dogs, cats, women, men, politics, “how to”…

So what to blog about? Anything!

Ever heard the saying ‘you are what you eat’? My Mom always told me that if I ate too much of one food I would turn into that food and in my gullible childhood state, I believed her. Would I really turn into a cantaloupe?! Well I am happy to announce that after twenty-one years of life, I have yet to turn into a cantaloupe, ice cream, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, or anything else I have put in my tummy. Continue reading →

Five Things You Must Complete ASAP in Preparation for Graduation

Five Things You Must Complete ASAP in Preparation for Graduation

Spring Break is over and real life must begin again. With that said, it’s time to stop procrastinating; below are the five things you MUST complete ASAP to be fully prepared for graduation.

To Do List

1. Book Hotel

Almost every hotel within a five-mile radius of SMU is booked for graduation weekend. However, there a still many hotels downtown that have a lit vacancy sign.

2. Sign Up for Your Preferred Ceremony

There will be three graduation celebrations; choose as you will. Friday, May 15, is the Baccalaureate Service; Saturday, May 16 is the All-Universities Commencement Convocation, which is where George W. Bush will be speaking, and later that evening each school holds a Diploma Presentation Ceremony.

3. Regalia

If you haven’t read one of the 578 thousand emails about ordering cap and gown then you must live under a rock. The deadline is March 31^st therefore hurry up.

4. SMU Class Ring, Invitations, and Frame

If you place your order within the next week your ring, invitations, or diploma frame will still make it in time for graduation.

5. Make Dinner Reservations

Thousands of families are going to want dinner at around the exact same time. Do the math; this equals chaos. If you haven’t already, make a dinner reservation within the next week or so.

SMU May 2015 Graduation Countdown

So there you have it, the five things you must complete ASAP in preparation for graduation. Graduation is only 49 days away. WOW. More detailed information can be found on the SMU May Commencement website. It’s an exciting time indeed, best of luck on the last few weeks.

George W. Bush Announced as Most Influential Commencement Speaker of 2015

George W. Bush is SMU’s Centennial Commencement Speaker. Former president George W. Bush will be speaking at SMU’s May graduation and students could not be more excited. “It’s really cool; I cant wait to see what he has to say,” expressed senior theatre major Mitchell Presas. The announcement occurred on March 3^rd by the SMU newspaper, The Daily Campus. Within minutes, the link to the article was posted all over graduating seniors’ facebook walls.

“This Commencement is especially noteworthy because 2015 is the 100-year anniversary of SMU’s opening. So it is fitting that we should hear from a president who led our nation and the world during historic times and is a valued member of the campus community,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner

Being that SMU has a unique relationship with the Bush family, many students aren’t surprised. With Laura Bush being an alumna and the Bush Library being located on SMU campus the decision to host George W. Bush as the 2015 Commencement speaker seems natural. This will be the second time Bush addresses SMU; He delivered his first Commencement speech at SMU in 1999 when he was the governor of Texas.

According to Business Insider, the announcement is noteworthy, as SMU will be hosting one of the most notable Commencement speakers of the year. Other notable commencement speakers announced this year include former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick at Harvard University and UN Ambassador Samantha Power at the University of Pennsylvania.

Once an “ad free” social media platform, sponsored ads have slowly sprouted on Instagram feeds in the 18 months after Facebook acquired the photo-sharing startup in 2012. Cautious for users who may become upset with advertisements cluttering their feeds, Instagram has taken measures to introduce paid advertising gradually.

So what has Instagram developed next for ads? Carousel Ads.

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Last semester, I studied abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark. To say I had the best time of my life is an understatement. I was able to live the life of a local in an apartment on the canal, take classes taught by Danish professionals, explore the amazing city itself and adventure through Europe on a whim. I fell in love with the amazing Copenhagen but of course I am biased so let me share with you a few of my reasons that may persuade you to agree.

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It’s not surprising that so many of today’s most successful companies also strongly emphasize different forms of corporate ethics in their business model. In companies that practice strong corporate ethics, the CEOs and presidents understand who are the most important people driving their business forward.  While all large company’s end goal is to maximize profit, some go about it in a more sustainable way. Continue reading →

What causes you to see colors? How can people see different color combinations of the same object? What constitutes color blindness?

If you were plugged into social media this Thursday afternoon, then perhaps you caught a glimpse of this body con lace dress that caused everyone to agree to disagree.

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As the Oscar’s rolled out their red carpets last Sunday, everyone had their fingers crossed hoping for their favorites to win Best Picture.  The Theory of Everything, based on the memoir by Jane Wilde, Stephen Hawking’s first wife, did not win but was certainly a crowd favorite among the many of the categories it was nominated for.  Although, the tear jerking story presented in The Theory of Everything was a much more messy tale in real life. Continue reading →

Do you believe in magic? What if Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny were all real? Would all your childhood memories change?

Now consider this, what if you could text a specific number and get anything you wanted?

Enter Magic. This text-messaging-based concierge service promises to pull strings, place orders, and schedule deliveries so you don’t have to. The enthusiastic goal of the new start-up is to act as a phone number in your contact list, instead of an app, and provide a delivery service for anything you may need. Only catch- it must be legal.

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Twitter is chaos. How are you to fit an entire idea is a mere 150 characters? What make a tweet successful, or popular for you or your company? How can one achieve Twitter fame?

A recent study at Cornell University uncovers that elements of a popular tweet have more to do with a tweet’s style versus the content that is being said.

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Ever wished you could pin an app on Pinterest? Or find out about new, up-and-coming apps that will make your life a heck of a load easier? Then Pinterest App Pins is definitely up your alley.

Partnering with Apple, Pinterest debuted its newest product, App Pins, which will allow Pinners to find iPhone and iPad apps. Without having to leave the Pinterest site, pinned apps can be downloaded directly to an iOS device by just clicking on the image.

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For the first time throughout my years of education, I am taking a public speaking class. To say the class intimidates me is an understatement. I have no problem with interviews or group projects or class discussions but something about standing in front of thirty or so students, judged on my performance, scares me to no end.

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