Durkin's Top Ten List

Durkin’s Top Ten List of things to do in college to prepareyourself for a life of entrepreneurship.

1. Read These Five BooksQuestion: What does every long lasting house or skyscraper need? Answer: A foundation. What’s yours?

2. Craft a Leadership ResumeTOP DOWN VISION1. Convey LEADERSHIP, LEADERSHIP, AND LEADERSHIPDETAILS2. Double major. Because you can.3. GPA. There is no “minimum” number. It’s all pride.4. Scholarships. Include them. It shows someone believes in you.5. Athletics. Include them. It shows you are competitive.6. High school jobs. Include them. It shows work ethic.7. INTERESTS *** *** What I believe is one of the most IMPORTANT and most OVERLOOKED parts of the entire resume.

3. Take Independent StudiesWhenever possible… do an independent studyover “class.” Get a faculty sponsor, read booksthat interest you, and apply those books to real life.My senior year in college I did two of these.It replaced two classes and earned me six credits.I only wish I had done it sooner.

4. Don’t join clubs to join clubs Do one of two things instead:1. START a new club that you’re passionate about. OR 2. LEAD a club that already exists. Get better at LEADING. Not following. Leadership takes practice.

5. Pay for School on THEM WIN SCHOLARHIPS It’s a numbers game. It’s. All. About. The. Numbers.Most schools offer hundreds. If you dont have to pay for school, why would you?

6. Shadow. Don’t “Intern.”My suggestion: SHADOW. DON’T INTERN.Pick 10 people to shadow each summer, not one.Your goal at internships should be to learn whatyou want to do post graduation.How can you do that unless you experience aton of different things?

7. Follow the LeaderFollow advice from leaders you admire.Then lead yourself. God damnit!1. Donald Trump (for his ability to think BIG)2. Gary Player (for his strong moral fiber and competitive spirit)3. Keith Ferrazzi (for his ability to make friends)4. Denzel Washington (because he is just so god damn smooth)Whom do you admire? And how can you follow their lead whileat the same time mold your own leadership style?

8. Pick a FocusIf you want to work at a startup, you need to hone a skillset.There are six job types at our startup:1. Web Development (writing code)2. Web Design (Photoshop / Illustrator)3. Sales (selling)4. Marketing Analytics (acquiring users)5. * Product (analyzing users and improving experience)6. * Finance & Ops & HR (running the books)* These jobs are rarely available for recent graduates. If you are most interested in this, you should speak to me about the best plan of attack.

9. Assemble Cofounders Assemble your cofounding team of three: One developer One designer One businessAnd surround yourself with people you like.

10. Understand “Co-Flow”Build a company / product / feature / service foryou and your employees first. Something YOUwill use. Once that’s done, then you can thinkabout everyone else.Read about Bill Warner and this method ofbuilding a business from the heart.http://www.ryandurkin.com/blog/2011/10/one-of-my-favorite-bill-warner-talks/

BonusBecome a Renaissance Man / WomanConvey to people you areEXTREMELY well rounded. 1. Academics 2. Athletics 3. Entrepreneurship 4. Music

The End Thank Youfor having me in today!

Durkin's Top Ten List

by Ryan Durkin on Oct 29, 2011

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Durkin’s Top Ten List — Presentation Transcript

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