Decided I wanted to vent in here. I'm a 21-year-old college senior. For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I have multiple ideas for startups, and have created websites for all of them. But for some reason, whenever I make the MVP, I fall into self-doubt that my idea isn't good enough or I am not smart enough to compete with competitors. How do you guys deal with this? I feel like I am running out of time to be an entrepreneur as I get older, especially graduating college and feeling like I need to "get a real job". I also feel if once I graduate and I want to pursue a startup, I will be judged, and ridiculed for "not being good enough to get a job".
Posted by BoldTrooper
3 Comments
If yiu have self-doubt, that’s normal. The way I treat businesses and side hustles is as experiments. I don’t think about competitors. I just wonder if this idea of mine will work. Then I try it. It either works or it doesn’t. If it doesn’t, so what? I just move in and try another idea.
It’s almost unheard of for someone to have one idea, execute it perfectly and become a success.
Forget about competitors. Focus in your own business. If you make $10 million and a competitor makes $100 million, why does it matter to you?
Many entrepreneurs may not start until their 40s, 50s, or 60s. You’re 21. Chill. If you live to be 85, you have 64 years left.
If you leave college and decide to try entrepreneurship, it doesn’t matter what others think. If people ridicule you for not getting a job, cut them out of your life. If friends or family ridicule you for anything, run away fast. People lkke that are highly toxic.
But… don’t dismiss getting a job. Many entrepreneurs succeed because of the skills and experience they got working a job. Unless you have a solid idea that yiu can excute and earn money from, you shoukd probably get a job. You can build stuff on the side. Don’t become a broke wantrepreneur like many young people. If you need a job, get one. Preferably a career not just a job.
Being an entrepreneur can be very tough. If you can’t even launch a website, maybe you’re not cut out for it. That’s also fine. From what yiu said, it’s not clear why you want to be an entrepreneur. It sounds it bit like you like the idea but not the work that goes with it.
Now, dig out those old projects and launch them. Just see what happens. You’ll gain some experience.
Hey…. KFC founder became successful when he was 50yo…
You have a whole life in front of you. C’mon..
McDonald’s was 40+ if I recall.
Amazon… 25+ years in debt…
Younger generations just see what they are now, but with all these all time news, posts, clicks.. etc
You all forgot the past…
Seek your truly dreams, believe in yourself even if anybody does. This is what will make you continue pursuing your dreams.
But… without a good plan… dreams are just dreams.
Well the most successful entrepreneurs are the ones who have worked elsewhere and have life experience.
At 21, you’re way too young to feel like you’re old. Most serious entrepreneurs are 30+.