You're young, excited, and willing to spread your wings and quickly get into the "real stuff", the real life outside the educational system. Starting a business and making it a success is a common goal among students all over the world, and it represents a one way ticket to greater life success.
We see it every day on TV, Internet, Radio...individuals succeeding with their outstanding ideas, and heck, they're doing it while they're still in college or university!
Everybody heard of Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg. These people revolutionized our generation by coming up with brilliant ideas that provide value, while still working towards obtaining their university degree. Before even thinking about it: no, you don't have to be like them, and maybe never will be - but making them an example and a motivation is going to skyrocket your chances of living a successful life on your own terms.
University is supposed to help you develop your aptitudes, shape your mindset, and prepare you for life. But guess what. It is not enough to solely count on the education you're receiving from university. The plain truth is this: if you want to start your first successful business, you need to work hard and do a ton of extra work, and the perfect time to start is now.
This article is meant to educate and help you start your own business while you are still on your way towards obtaining your degree. The tips presented are a reflection of the steps that other successful and famous people took in order to get there. You don't have to reinvent the wheel, you just have to follow the ones that have already made it. Let's take a look at these powerful insights.
Raise Your Standards
I can't even emphasize in words how important this aspect is. It's the core principle that differentiates the average from the top. Donald Trump once said "If you're going to be thinking anyway, you might as well think big". This concept is pretty simple: why spend your energy on small things when you can just think of something greater, and work towards it instead of limiting yourself?
Your mindset will dictate your future. It's truly important to decide now, while you are still young, what kind of life you want to live. Is it going to be a 5 to 9 job for half of your life...or you work hard now, and live half of your life traveling and doing activities you enjoy? The choice is entirely yours. My honest advice is: desire more than average, and raise your standards every day.
Never Stop Thinking and Exploring Ideas
Not having any plan yet is fine for now. But this has to change as soon as possible, and you'll eventually have to decide what kind of business you want to start, how it will look like, and how you'll provide enough value to the marketplace in order to boost your success.
You've got nothing to lose by thinking and exploring ideas. Share them with your roommates. Don't be afraid that people are going to steal your idea...because 99% of the people you will meet will not have the same motivation, skills, and vision as you do. Them starting your prototype idea is less likely to happen. On the contrary, they may provide you with real value through feedback and other additional ideas.
Educate Yourself as Much as Possible
Highly successful people read every day. You know why? They are aware of the importance of non-stop education. The principle is simple...one should never stop learning during his life. These people are extremely rich in knowledge, and you can see where that got them.
Being in University is a great advantage, because you can get access to dozens of valuable resources that most people don't. Books, labs, courses...everything you need is already available to you. If you want to create a business, you must understand everything you are doing, and then become an expert on that field by testing over and over again.
Develop Your Idea and Create a Business Plan
Ideas are everywhere. Some are good, some are bad. Unfortunately, they have zero value if they are never applied. This is why it's extremely important for you to treat each of your ideas accordingly. In other words, if you think you found your million dollar idea, don't waste the opportunity by just skipping it and never trying to bring it to life!
A business plan is totally required if you want to turn your idea into reality. If it's a big target, break it into many fragments and start tackling them one by one. Success is not instant. It takes excessive effort and commitment. It also takes consistency. If you have never created a business plan before, don't despair. Everything you need to know about creating business plans is out there - find the information you need, and put it into practice.
Find a Mentor As Fast as Possible
A good mentor will make a huge difference for you. His role is to help you understand and apply the things he did wrong in the first place. By taking his advice, you won't have to waste so much time trying out things that don't work. Mentors provide valuable tips, and most importantly, direction. Most of the successful people you see on TV have had a mentor in their life, and they are not hiding it.
The key here is to look for someone that has already done what you're planning to do. If for example you want to start an international online store, you'd better start looking for entrepreneurs that already made it there, and they're running their online store right now. Try to get in touch with this people by all means, and ask them nicely if they can offer you some time in order to discuss. From there, it's up to you whether you can or can't convince them to mentor you on a longer basis.
Conclusion
If you truly desire to start a business while you are still a student, you will find the ways to do so. It's all about figuring what you want, then going out there and taking it. It's that easy. At this young age, you have your whole future ahead, and you also have a ton of energy that's going to help you build that future.
Remember. Even if you fail one thousand times, do not give up. Instead of perceiving failure like something bad and hurtful, you should see it as just an effect. You see, the actions you take represent the cause. The result is the effect. If you take the right actions, you will have success. If your process of doing things is not right, you will fail. When you fail, you change your actions until you succeed. No giving up, ever.
Starting a business during your university years will not only ensure you with a better university life (because you can afford stuff on your own), but will also set you up in the right direction and give you tons of opportunities and alternatives. Everyone can do it, it's just a matter of how bad you want it!