3 Ted Talks Every Entrepreneur Should Watch
The Internet has made the entrepreneurs of today some of the luckiest of all time. Not only is it now easier to run a business and promote products and services because of the web, but entrepreneurs also have a wealth of information from the world’s greatest minds right at their fingertips. What once would have required clearing out a spot on your calendar to attend a conference or speaking engagement, buying a ticket, and paying for travel costs such as gas, food and possibly a hotel, now only takes a click of a button. Arkansas entrepreneurs should be taking full advantage of this incredible learning opportunity, and TED Talks are a great way to get started. We have rounded up a few of our favorites below. How to pitch a VC: David S. Rose A self-proclaimed “serial entrepreneur turned serial investor,” David S. Rose has been on both the giving and receiving side of VC pitches, giving him a well-rounded perspective on the process. Known as “The Pitch Coach,” he has personally raised tens of millions of dollars for his ventures, and then has also supervised the investment of tens of millions of dollars. In a fast and furious 14 minutes and 35 seconds, Rose breaks down the key points every entrepreneur should know going into a VC pitch, from the main qualities investors look for in an entrepreneur to presentation tips.
“You’ve got to convey passion. If you’re not passionate about your own company, why should anybody else be?
Success, Failure, and the Drive to Keep Creating: Elizabeth Gilbert The life of an entrepreneur is full of a range of failures and successes, creating an emotional roller coaster that can make pressing on in a venture difficult in both success and failure. Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert discusses how she found failure and success oddly similar to her, and how she kept both from derailing her career.
“The only trick is that you’ve got to identify the best, worthiest thing you love most and then build your house right on top of it and don’t budge from it.”
The Single Biggest Reason Startups Succeed: Bill Gross Idea Lab founder Bill Gross has spent his entire life starting businesses. Many have succeeded, and many have failed. As Gross began to explore the key factors that contribute to the success of a venture, he found one old adage to be true: timing is everything.
“I believe the startup is one of the greatest forms to make the world a better place. If you take a group of people, with the right equity and incentives, and organize them in a startup, you can unlock human potential in a way never before possible. You get them to achieve unbelievable things.”