033: Break Into Business: Monica Lage on Launching Your Passion From The Ground Floor
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Summary:
In this week’s episode, Executive Minds is joined by Monica Lage—Founder and Executive Director of Break Into Business. Break into business is a summer camp for entrepreneurs, ages 9-14, who work toward launching their own real small business.
They brainstorm a product idea, perform market research, design a logo, manage a budget, make a website, style an Instagram post, make t-shirts, distribute flyers, film a commercial, and enter the Shark Tank before making their first (real) sale.
Not only does Monica help young launchers, but she’s a launcher herself. We’re so happy to have her share her wisdom and advice with us today.
Welcome to episode 33 of the Executive Minds Podcast.
Links + Resources:
Break Into Business 2017 Summer Camps
Jeff Shinabrger of Plywood People on Episode 13 + Episode 14
Three Takeaways:
1. It’s okay to be risk-adverse (as long as you push yourself to take risks).
It’s easy to look at other successful entrepreneurs and think that they’re just wired to take risks and you aren’t. But you don’t have to be a hardwired risk-taker to be an entrepreneur. Monica describes herself as being risk-adverse at times, but when the right risks seemed smart – she pushed herself through it.
2. Find people a few steps ahead of you.
Monica found a group of peers through Plywood People who provide her with encouragement and advice (and the fact that they’ve been where she is now is immeasurably helpful). She could spend months researching the right payroll software, or, she can reach out to her trusted network for recommendations.
3. Keep going back to your raving fans.
As a form of market research, Monica frequently reaches out to her network of customers who have continued to support her business. When she’s thinking about a new idea or project, she asks for their feedback. Not only does it help her keep a pulse on the customer’s needs, but it makes her most loyal customers feel valued.
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