profile

Tinkering with OCE

👩‍🏫 20 Lessons I Wish I Knew Before Starting a Business

Published about 1 month ago • 1 min read

​

What I learned as a sole founder (after bootstrapping to profitability)

​

But FIRST

If you are new, welcome to OCE’s weekly newsletter curated for the ambitious youth…here are some articles you missed from previous weeks:

📈

Forget Goal-Setting, Here’s What Actually Works

​Read More →​

🎨

Best tools for building your passion project

​

​Read More​ →​

📘

Ready for some real talk?

​

​Read More​ →​
  1. Get comfortable SELLING. Everything is SALES.
  2. You don’t need a cofounder, but you do need conviction.
  3. Start with as little of money as possible—your future company will be stronger for it
  4. You can grind 24/7, but smart processes will always win.
  5. Karma is real—give more than you take.
  6. Your network is your leverage. Nurture it.
  7. When in doubt, always default to generosity.
  8. If you don’t ask for it, don’t expect it to be hand it to you.
  9. Your equity is gold—protect it and bootstrap as long as possible.
  10. Choose who you work with wisely. Some people bring more problems than value.
  11. If you don’t track your numbers, you’re running a hobby, not a business.
  12. The hardest part of building a business? Keeping it alive.
  13. If you’re struggling without progress, you’re focusing on the wrong things
  14. No one cares about your idea. They care about how it helps them.
  15. Whether it’s a skill, a business, or assets—build something that’s truly yours.
  16. Your competitors are studying you. Study them harder.
  17. Work with people who believe in the mission, not just the money.
  18. That one terrible group project? It taught you more about teamwork than the good ones.
  19. Being different is an huge advantage.
  20. Playing the long game always wins. Just make sure you survive long enough to see it.

​

​

PS. This summer, we are going to tackle pressing global issues and drive innovation in regions (such as your own community) where it is needed the most. Want in?

We run a summer cohort for ambitious youth (high school and undergrads) to work directly with world-class founders while learning from Silicon Valley leaders.

​

​

You can also explore purposeful opportunities through our Impact Internship Opportunities Database.

​

Get Curious.

​

Lena

​https://www.openclassroomexperience.com/​

113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205
​Unsubscribe · Preferences​

Tinkering with OCE

Subscribe to OCE's weekly newsletter on tech, business and higher education...curated for the ambitious youth.

Read more from Tinkering with OCE

Most people will never be successful. That’s not an opinion—it’s reality. #1 NYT best-selling author and entrepreneur Tim Ferriss put it bluntly: “It’s lonely at the top. 99% of people are convinced they are incapable of achieving great things, so they aim for mediocrity. The level of competition is thus fiercest for ‘realistic’ goals, paradoxically making them the most competitive.” In other words: playing it safe is actually the riskiest thing you can do. Why? Because mediocrity is a trap....

about 6 hours ago • 2 min read

You don’t have to be an economic whiz to see the flashing red lights. The U.S. is $36 TRILLION in debt. That’s 36 followed by twelve zeroes. And no, this isn’t Monopoly money—we’re talking about real dollars, the kind that determine your future job prospects, cost of living, and ability to afford a house (you know, the one you might not ever be able to buy at this rate). Here’s the deal: The government is borrowing money at a pace that makes a shopaholic’s credit card bill look responsible....

7 days ago • 2 min read

Listen—too many of you are out here posting about your projects, hoping people will care. But they don’t. You know why? But FIRST If you are new, welcome to OCE’s weekly newsletter curated for the ambitious youth…here are some articles you missed from previous weeks: 📈 Forget Goal-Setting, Here’s What Actually Works Read More → 🎨 Best tools for building your passion project Read More → 📘 Ready for some real talk? Read More → Because your content is too safe. Too plain. Too forgettable. People...

14 days ago • 1 min read