TOPIC 5: What makes an entrepreneur a technopreneur

10 Business Ideas for Entrepreneurial College Grads

Traditional 9-to-5 jobs are no longer a strict

norm, especially for young people just
entering the workforce. Side hustles,
freelance work and self-run enterprises are
increasingly popular and offer a plethora of
ways to make a living from outside the
confines of a cubicle.

Many recent grads are choosing to forge

their own paths by starting their own
businesses across a wide variety of
industries. Here are 10 low-cost business
ideas you can start as a new graduate.

 Clothing company
Did you dream of working in the fashion world, but couldn't find more than a few low-
level opportunities in the field? If you have a great eye for design, you can strike out on
your own and start an independent clothing company. Knowing how to sew or silk-screen
will help you get off the ground, but you'll eventually need to find a good manufacturer
to reach the next stage of growth. As with any business, high-quality products combined
with great marketing skills are the keys to success.

 Content creation
Thanks to social media and the 24-hour news cycle, creative individuals like writers
and graphic designers can use their talents to produce high-quality, shareable content
for businesses and media outlets. A growing gig economy of freelance and contract
workers makes it easier than ever to market yourself as a professional freelance content
creator. This can also be a great way to build up your skills should you choose to seek a
full-time job later on. To help yourself stand out, make sure you have an idea of your
brand, how you want to market yourself and how you want your skills to be used.

 Electronic repair
In today's tech-obsessed world, most people use smartphones, tablets and
laptops daily. With this constant usage, there's a good chance that at least one of those
devices is going to crash or break at some point. If you're a techie who can fix these issues
with relative ease, you can offer to repair people's electronics for cheaper than what the
big retailers charge. Start by marketing your services to students at your alma mater who
don't want to wait for the campus IT department to fix their hard drives.
 Event entertainment
If you spent your undergrad years tinkering with sound-mixing software and staffing
the DJ booth at your college radio station, starting an event entertainment company could
be the right path for you. With only your music collection and your laptop, you can get
people out on the dance floor at weddings and birthday parties, or simply provide
background music at more casual events. DJ equipment is a big investment, but plenty of
companies offer daily rentals of speakers, subwoofers and other accessories that you can
use until you save up enough to buy your own.

 Fitness instruction
Were you constantly hitting the gym after class? Turn your passion for fitness into a
lucrative job by becoming a fitness instructor or personal trainer. You'll have to put in a
small amount of time and money to get certified, but organizations like the Aerobics and
Fitness Association of America offer online certification programs that you can complete
at your own pace. Once you're a certified trainer, you can look for openings at local gyms
or work one-on-one with clients at their homes. You can also find numerous programs for
certification to teach fitness classes such as yoga or Zumba.

 Graphic design
Are you a whiz with software tools like Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop? Many small
businesses are clamoring for affordable access to professional branding, such as logos,
banners and signs. If you're about to leave college with a toolbox full of graphic design
skills, consider launching a freelance design business that caters to other entrepreneurs.
Once you establish a network of contacts and a reputation for quality designs, you can
leverage past work into new jobs and possibly even set yourself up with a full-time job
right out of college.

 Handmade crafts
Do you have a knack for knitting, making jewelry or creating other small crafts? If you
can produce a lot of items quickly, you can open up an online storefront and sell your
creations to the public. Startup costs are extremely low if you purchase your materials in
bulk from a craft supplier, and if you can turn orders around quickly, you'll make a profit
in no time. You could even turn your store into a full-time gig. Websites such as Etsy,
Bonanza and ArtFire are great places to sell your work, and a supplementary Instagram
account can help drive traffic to your online store.

 Social media consultation

Want to put that marketing or communications degree to good use? Consider starting
a social media consulting firm. Small businesses often have to take care of their own social
media marketing. With so many other responsibilities, though, the company's owners
may be too busy to come up with great strategies for each of the growing number of social
channels businesses are expected to utilize. As a consultant, you can help businesses
 determine the best tactics, posting schedules and content for your clients' target
audiences. As their follower counts grow, so will your business.

 Teaching your skill

Are you an expert in photography? Guitar? Coding? Consider starting a freelance
business teaching your skill to others. This is a great way to utilize (and monetize) your
passion, and if you have a knack for teaching, you can grow your business to incorporate
multiple teachers and skill subsets. Start by making sure you have a way to show your
expertise in you field (think a website with your photos or audio clips, or an active
Instagram feed with other examples of your work), and get the word out through as many
channels as possible.

 Partnership with man's best friend

With 7 out of 10 millennials reporting they own a furry friend, there's a rich
market for all types of pet care, such as grooming, walking, sitting and training. If you
have skills in or passion for any of these areas, you can start up a business in no time.
Pet sitting and walking requires little to no professional knowledge or equipment, while
grooming and training will be more time- and cost-intensive. Head to your local dog
park or grooming center to find clients and identify customer needs.

9 Simple Steps to Becoming a Tech Entrepreneur at a Young Age

1. S urround yourself with the right

people
The people around you are those who
would motivate you when you are about
to give up. When you are surrounded by
people who are also passionate about
what you do, anything is possible. A
supportive eco-system is extremely
epreneur.html important.

Whether you like it or not you will pick up attributes or characteristics from the people
you spend time with. You don’t want to be with negative personalities because this will
be detrimental to you and your future.

R
2. ead Wide
Most tech entrepreneurs are fantastic readers, fascinated by tech books and magazines.
To become a technopreneur at a young age, you have to lay your hands on all the books
you can. This will give you a wide exposure and also give you a glimpse of what you are
getting yourself into. Curiosity is an attribute that a tech entrepreneur should possess.

Curiosity leads one to search for information both online and in books. During this process
of acquiring knowledge you are sure to come across things that will help in your journey
to become a successful tech entrepreneur. Ask yourself questions each time you discover
something new, “is this possible?”, “Can I achieve this?”

3. W ork Hard
If you are lazy in nature and still want to become a technopreneur at a young age, it will
be very difficult for you and you might end up quitting. If you want to be successful at
what you do, then the word “lazy” shouldn’t be found in your dictionary.

Had the likes of Mark Zuckerberg, Ludwick Marishane and Ezlyn Barends not worked so
hard, they wouldn’t have gotten to where they are today. As an aspiring technopreneur,
have it at the back of your mind that all successful technopreneurs on planet earth worked
their ass off, stayed up at night and brainstormed. Hardwork doesn’t kill, it pays.

B
4. e Passionate
If you do something you are not genuinely passionate about, the end result might be
disastrous. To go a long way you have to be passionate about what are about venturing
into. Being passionate about what you love will help you go a long way. Money shouldn’t
be the reason why you want to be a technopreneur. Being passionate about what you do
will be the driving force in achieving your dreams.

N
5. ever Give Up
When things don’t go according to your plans, your second thought would be to give up
and go in search of a job in a tech company. Every young technopreneur have been
through this. When things go wrong, don’t go wrong with it. There is no kind of failure
except not trying. Becoming a technopreneur at a very young age requires you not giving
up when you face hard times.

B
6. e Ready for Competition
The competition in the industry is high but adding a little touch of creativity into what you
do would ensure that you become successful. Before the arrival of Facebook and
snapchat, there were social media sites that were popularly used by people, but some are
gone because they were unable to compete. Life itself is survival of the fittest. There is
always advancement in technology every day, every hour and every minute.

7. Financing the business

Financing the business is one of the biggest problems technopreneurs face. Signing up as
a freelance programmer or web developer on freelance websites is one of the smartest
and best ways to raise funds for your business.

Signing up for tech competitions is also another way for start-ups to finance their tech
business. The bank might not give you a loan because of your account status but that
uncle who has so much love for you and also believes in you may lend you some cash for
your business. Approaching a family, friend or colleague is not a bad idea. You might be
lucky.

You need money to finance your tech business because you cannot market your tech
business without money. You need to employ few people for a start and get yourself a
sales department team who would help you in marketing. You cannot do everything all
by yourself even though you are very conversant with the business.

G
8. etting Certification and insurance
You don’t need certification for a tech business as long as you are an expert in the field.
Mark dropped out of Harvard to start facebook, and it is the same story with many other
technopreneurs; though it is going to be a plus for you if you have the required
certification.

There goes the big question, “Do I need to insure the company?” Yes you do. Not insuring
your company is very bad for business. Clients want to be secured in case anything
happens. Insurance means your company would be safe if there is any bad occurrence. It
is simply a protection from financial loss.

K
9. now your Risk factor
The biggest risk is not taking any risk as a tech entrepreneur. In a world that is dynamic,
the only way that is guaranteed to fail is not taking any risks. To become a tech
entrepreneur, you have to be able to take calculated risks. Mark Zuckerberg started
facebook when he was just 19, he didn’t know much about business then.

The late Steve Jobs said, “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, everything
else is secondary”. It takes more than courage to become a tech entrepreneur. Having a
basic understanding of HTML and CSS coding would be a Plus for you. It would give you
better understanding on how websites and the internet as a whole work.

Knowing how the ‘biggest thing that ever happened to the world’ works which is the social
media is a big bonus. As a soon to be tech entrepreneur you should capitalize on this. The
social media is your greatest asset. This will help your business reach that audience you
have always dreamed of.
 Knowing how to communicate with your audience is just as important as everything else.
As a technopreneur you have to be a goal getter and a problem solver. For your brand to
be a success you will have to invest wisely in email marketing.

15 Signs You Might Be Ready to Start Your Own Business

1. You have a passion for your
new venture. Passion is often
overhyped. It’s not enough on its
own, but it is essential. Make sure you
have something you’re excited about
starting, rather than just frustration
with your current job.

2. You’re a true believer in

your idea. You’ll face a lot of closed
doors and “no”s as you start your new
venture. You need to have a tenacious belief in your product or service to give you the ability to
weather the storm.

3. You have a product or service with a good market. A great business exists where what
you love meets what other people will pay for. Before you leave your day job to start a new
company, be sure that your product or service has a market.

4. You know your players. If you already know who you want on your team and you have
their agreement, you could be ready to launch. On the other hand, if your intention is to start as
a solopreneur, you can jump in at any time.

5. You have a plan. Cashing out your 401(k) and expecting a new venture to suddenly
appear is not a great idea. Before you leave your day job, make sure you have a plan for your new
business -- whether that involves a full business plan or a back-of-the napkin outline.

6. You have a good brand idea. Your brand is the way your company connects with the
world. Are you irreverent, funny, professional or classic? Make sure you know your brand and
how it connects with customers before taking the leap.

7. You’re ready to learn -- a lot! The experience of starting a business will teach you more
than you can imagine -- about yourself and the marketplace. Be ready to learn these lessons,
even when doing so forces you to confront your ego.
 8. You can face the fear of failure. Being afraid to fail can paralyze you in business. We all
feel it to some extent, but if you can’t face it, you aren’t ready to start a new business.

9. You can face the fear of success. It sounds strange, but many people are also afraid of
success. Success brings higher expectations, more work and more visibility. If you aren’t ready to
deal with these things, you aren’t ready to launch.

10. You have some cash available. While there are businesses you can start with very
little capital, the fact remains that it takes time to be successful. If you have some cash saved up
or have another way to access the money you need while your company grows, you’re more
ready than somebody who’s deeply in debt and counting pennies.

11. You’re not in the midst of major life changes. Major changes often bring clarity that
make us want new work. That’s great, but make sure you move through the change before you
launch. Only after you’ve given yourself time to recover should you think about launching a new
business.

12. You have experience in your new industry. If you have experience in the industry
you’re going into, you’re more ready to make the jump into entrepreneurship. If not, consider a
side job to gain experience before you quit your day job.

13. You know a lot about business itself. Not everyone who’s a great baker should open
a bakery. There are so many extra demands on business owners beyond simply doing the task
itself. If you already know a lot about business -- including things such as hiring, leasing and
marketing -- you’re in a much stronger position to start your own venture.

14. You’re good at managing your time. Many times, people want to start a business
because they don’t like their boss. But are you skilled enough to be your own boss? Being in
business take self-discipline, and if you already manage your time well on your own, you’re much
closer to being ready than if you rely on others for motivation.

15. You understand the risks of owning a business. Business owners understand that
they’re taking a risk. It’s possible that you’ll never make a profit, and it’s possible that you’ll grow
so quickly you’ll be overwhelmed. Being ready to understand and manage those risks is a sure
sign you’re ready to launch.