Friday's advice for wannabe MBA entrepreneur

A 25 year old MBA student called me from MIT. I'm always happy to help an alum.  She had already demoonstrated the ability to do a little bit of research and reach out to people and introduce herself.  I told her that's a good skill to have.  My career advice was :

  • Meet with the constituents of the start-up scene in Seattle
    • Entrepreneurs
    • Press
    • Investors
    • Big companies
  • Strive to start your own company before you're 30 -- doing it while your young gives you great exposure, great learning, and you're not encumbered by life's expenses yet.
  • Consider working at a big company for 4 or 5 years -- learn an industry and learn a function. I've never done this before -- so it's a bit of do as I say not as I do. My career has been small company after small company. It's useful to have experience working at one of the big tech companies.  

You're not young forever. Take advantage of it. Now that I'm forty -- I'm learning that I have some perspective of time. Sometimes that's useful....sometime it's an impediment. I'd gladly be 25 again. :-)