MUST WATCH: Top World-Changing Collegiate Entrepreneurs

At The Rise To The Top, we strive to bring you the most interesting stories we can drum up (or make up…just kidding) and one of my favorite kairos-society-the-rise-to-the-top moments this year was attending the Kairos Society Summit aboard the USS Intrepid in the New York City. These entrepreneurs are hustling, bustling, fundraising, making prototypes, marketing and…maybe a little studying as well.

The ideas were vast and we featured many of these students last season in this segment on The Rise To The Top, but we had such an abundance of fantastic footage that I wanted to make sure and give each of these hard-working entrepreneurs their due.
You will find a little bit of everything in the videos of these unique companies. From the funded to the looking-for-dollars. From the well-marketed to the idea-stage. From the dynamic to the analytic.

The themes throughout all of these companies? Social improvement through entrepreneurship, utilizing technology, and a general eagerness to be on camera (*wink*).

Enjoy the videos and I hope you will become inspired like I was meeting all of these youngsters.

Which company do you like the most? Which one is going to be the biggest success?

Look for much more coming from The Rise To The Top as we look to revolutionize entrepreneurial journalism and entertain, empower and energize entrepreneurs like you.

Wellness Space:

Build Our Village:

Cirtex:

Crelligence:

Emergent Energy:

Exist Local:

Ivy-Gate:

Night Burst:

Skinny Mints:

Trail Obama:

Peace Oil:

Comments

What Is Hustle And Why Successful Entrepreneurs Have It Mastered

Rise Underground: The Rise To The Top Entrepreneur Blog
The Rise To The Top: Entertaining, Energizing and Empowering Entrepreneurs

When you say the word hustle out loud, what comes to mind? Go ahead, try it…

Do you have a NEGATIVE viewpoint on hustle?

A rigged carnival game, illegal copies of DVD’s being sold on the street, drug dealers, or a pimp in a big purple hat.

Or do you have a POSITIVE viewpoint on hustle?

A favorite baseball player who was undersized but always hustled, giving it your all, getting out there selling, promoting, and working your head off. The underdog, the over-achiever, the one who outworks the rest.

This past weekend I competed in my own version of “The Amazing Race” in New York City….that combined actual hustle (running down the street), figurative hustle (landing the interviews) and lessons in hustle (how these entrepreneurs have the hustle down to a science).

I had less than 48 hours to conduct a massive amount of interviews including Scott Mednick (serial entrepreneur, founder of Legendary Pictures, executive producer on films such as 300, Superman Returns, We Are Marshall), Gary Vaynerchuk (Brand building rock star and celebrity…and personal hero of mine), Ankur Jain (Student-preneur and founder of The Kairos Society) and Ashley Cook and Danielle Dankner (Ash&Dans Clothing Line).

From NYC to the dirty jersey, we have captured some incredible interviews that will be aired on The Rise To The Top and The Rise at Nite both this season and into next season.

Here are a few hustles that I’ve encountered and have been repeatedly brought up in conversations with top entrepreneurs, rising entrepreneurs, and budding entrepreneurs. Whether you are extroverted, introverted or mute you can master the art of the hustle and your business will grow. Some are born hustlers and for others it is a learned technique similar to some people are born with a natural ability to do math (not me) while others study hard to become math whizzes.

1. Your horn was built for tooting. It is one thing to be humble and another thing to be a jerk, but if you are afraid to promote you and your business, you are not hustling. This does not mean turning your Twitter into an RSS feed for your blog or telling everyone how awesome you are, but it does mean making a conscious effort to promote, tell people what you are up to, and also have confidence in your accomplishments. Successful entrepreneurs are great self-promoters and believe in both their business and themselves. Just don’t blow out the horn.

2. Screw Rejection. I remember trying to ask out a girl in 6th grade. I had no idea what I was doing and asked her out in the middle of a class…DURING the class with lots of people watching. Horrible idea. It didn’t work and I was super embarrassed. It is not that dissimilar from starting a business. You are taking a risk and putting yourself out there. Negabots will attack with their haterade. Hustlers don’t get embarrassed or upset, they answer all emails (even the negative ones), respond to critics, make sales pitches, and make it happen no matter what. If someone told me I shouldn’t start a TV show without going to broadcasting school and having twenty years experience, I just look them in the face and say, “Thank you for your opinion. I respect that and I’m doing things a bit differently.”

3. Don’t be afraid of saying “No”. If you are hustling, opportunities will come your way. In Gary Vaynerchuk’s case, he gets hundreds of opportunities a week: Business deals, book deals, TV deals, interview requests (Plug: Gary is the MAN for accepting mine because he went with a his gut feeling…thanks Gary). If the opportunity isn’t right for you, say no. Don’t chase all the shiny red balls, just find the ones that work for you and your brand.

4. Knocking Down Doors. Often times the only way to knock down the door in the entrepreneurial hustling world is to blast it down. Cold-calling, asking friends for help, going to your family. Yes, it takes time but building a business takes hard, sweaty time. Ashley Cook and Danielle Dankner have an incredible story about their clothing line Ash&Dans where they went on a spree of cold calls and even showed up at shops with scarves in hand. And guess what? It worked. Now they are in four plus stores…and I’ll cut the story right there as to not spoil all the great stuff from these ladies coming on a future episode of The Rise To The Top.

5. Fuel With Small Victories. Building businesses takes patience and hustle. But, I know I have patience problems (Do you?). We all want results NOW which is the selling points of get-rich schemes, MLM’s, and other sketchy stuff. Fuel yourself with small victories: You were complimented on your business, a happy customer sends an email, you made one website sale. It is easy to bask in the light of BIG victories (million dollar deals, new clients, a gazzilion web hits, whatever), but a series of small victories will give you the attitude burst to keep rolling.

In a nutshell, get out there, ignore the haters, build your business, and adjust your hustling thinking and your success will be limitless (aww warm fuzzy moment right there).

Upgrades are on the way! Keep an eye out on therisetothetop.com for upcoming special features, announcement of the releases of the big interviews including Gary Vaynerchuk, some new designs to increase usability, and more about our experts. More entrepreneurship, more tips and more fun.

There will also be some exciting announcements soon about the final “Dinner and Discussions” speed networking event for Season #1, our “Summer Business Break” Series and our new online programming (good news online fans: shows will be released on ABC and online at the same time).

Live Passionately! – David Siteman Garland – The Creative Opportunities Specialist – http://www.therisetothetop.com

Comments

Entrepreneurship Everywhere: World Leaders, Gary Vaynerchuk, Top College Entrepreneurs and More In NYC This Weekend

As you are reading this, I’m on my way to New York for an entrepreneurial extravaganza this weekend and I’m certainly pumped about this one. For 48 hours I’m going to be interviewing, hanging out and covering some amazing events and people from the Kairos Society Summit/Gala to the YES Movie Premier mixed in with a little Gary Vaynerchuk.

The message is clear. Even in this down economy there is success and amazing entrepreneurs around every corner. From the young to the young-at-heart, it is going to be an amazing expedition and I can’t wait to share stories, lessons, and interviews with all of you on The Rise To The Top.

Here are three you should know about who I will be interviewing this weekend.

1. Gary Vaynerchuk: The social-media, wine-library, out-spoken, Internet-celeb. He just signed a SEVEN (yes, that would be over $1,000,000) book deal, has been rocking Twitter with close to 150,000 followers, and his Wine Library TV draws 80,000+ viewers a day to watch the wild man talk wine. Gary is a living example of passion, how to monetize passions and building brands.

You can find out more about Gary at Wine Library TV and GaryVaynerchuk.com

2. Louis Lautman: Visionary, filmmaker, awesome human being: I like to call Louis my bizarro (made up word, go with it) long-lost brother. Louis started the Young Entrepreneur Society and then went on a quest to interview young entrepreneurs making millions at a young age. The result is “The YES Movie” which will be making its east coast premier this weekend. Guaranteed to fire you up.

You can find out more at Young Entrepreneur Society and The YES Movie

3. Ankur Jain: Entrepreneurial advocate, student, leader: Ankur started the Kairos Society designed to be an exclusive entrepreneurial tribe of top college students. He has an incredible advisory board and his hosting the first ever “Kairos Society Summit” aboard the USS Intrepid in NYC this weekend with 500 of the top college entrepreneurs attending as well as the “Top 100 Student Companies In America” being honored.

You can find out more by checking out the Kairos Society

Here is a bit more about the weekend festivities:
Kairos Summit Brings Together the Top Collegiate Entrepreneurs with World Leaders & Industry Icons to Help Reinvent the American Dream in These Tough Economic Times
Invite-only event to be held on April 3-4 at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York

New York, NY– Kairos Society, a non-profit organization, was founded in 2007 to foster an entrepreneurial culture among college students. Kairos is providing the opportunity for the students to bring their innovations from dorm rooms to the center stage under the guidance and mentorship of today’s business leaders. In an age of economic and employment uncertainty, these young entrepreneurs are taking control of their own futures by building ventures that are likely to become the leading businesses of tomorrow. These entrepreneurs are building socially responsible ventures that are not only focused on doing well, but doing good.

The event’s welcome addresses will be given by the 42nd President of United States of America, William J. Clinton, and William Gates Sr., co-chairman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, via video. Other successful leaders who will be addressing these young college entrepreneurs include Admiral Bill Owens, CEO and Chairman of AEA Holdings ASIA & former Vice Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff; Bill White, President Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum and Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund; Scott Mednick, co- founder of Legendary Pictures and Mandalay Branded Entertainment; Ellen Kullman, CEO of DuPont; Bill Condit, former CEO of The Boeing Company; Joe Plumeri, CEO of Willis Group Holdings Limited; and Naveen Jain, CEO of Intelius Inc.

Ankur Jain, founder and President of Kairos Society, a sophomore at the Wharton School of Business, credits his father with giving him the tools to develop the mindset of an entrepreneur.

“My father instilled in me the idea that everyone can shape their own destiny; they can’t wait for things to happen, they have to make them happen,” said Jain. “There has never been a better time to be an entrepreneur. Many of the successful enterprises were started during tough economic times. The passion of these young entrepreneurs with their innovative ideas can reinvent the American dream of building a better tomorrow.”

The Summit’s gala event will include a dinner on the USS Intrepid aircraft carrier. There over 1300 years of professional experience will converge with 500 of the country’s most innovative students. The gala will feature several panels and an awards ceremony, which will honor top student innovative ventures for their achievements.

“We are extremely fortunate to live in a country where we have the freedom to be innovative and entrepreneurial,” said Ankur. “We owe this freedom to our forefathers and the men and women who have given their lives in service to our country. For this reason, we are honored to host this event on the USS Intrepid, a symbol of this freedom.”

The Kairos Society’s advisory board is a who’s who of global leadership and includes Scott Mednick; Chris Kitze, founder of Xoom.com; Bill White, President of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum and Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund; Rajat K. Gupta, Managing Director Worldwide at McKinsey & Co.; and Bill Owens, former U.S. Vice Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff. Along with Mednick, Kitze and White will be speaking at the Summit.

All of the board members say they got involved with the organization because they believe in what the Society can do to foster tomorrow’s top entrepreneurs. In the words of Bill Owens: “In this world, in which ‘everything is changing’, I believe the spirit of entrepreneurship, open-minded capitalism and glowing global relations will be of the utmost value. I think that this Society believes in that spirit, and that it will do much to enhance these most promising students’ futures. I’m proud to be a small part of that!”

“I have been speaking to business and entrepreneur programs at colleges and universities for many years,” said Mednick. “In my interaction with these future business leaders their thirst for knowledge and information from those who have been on the front lines has been insatiable. In putting together the opportunity to bring a breadth of business leaders together with these bright minds is not only a great idea but one that will help create a vibrant community of business leaders for years to come.”

“We’re proud to support an organization that has the potential to inspire and cultivate the next generation of business owners, innovators and entrepreneurs,” said Naveen Jain, CEO and founder of Intelius. “The students being recognized at this event demonstrate inspiring out-of-the-box thinking and bring new methodologies to the table. In today’s economy we can’t rely on what’s already been done, the only way to move forward is through innovation.”

Intelius and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum are the title sponsors for the Summit.

ABOUT THE KAIROS SOCIETY

The Kairos Society is a non-profit organization founded by a group of students designed to foster an entrepreneurial culture among college students based on three guiding principles: Inspiration, Experience, and Innovation. It is the organization’s goal to inspire students to become more entrepreneurial by bringing together the best undergraduates from across the country, the greatest entrepreneurial firms, and the most passionate mentors. Currently Kairos has brought together many of the top entrepreneurial students from the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, Stanford, Tufts, Duke, MIT, Emory, Furman, USC, Columbia, NYU, Babson, Claremont McKenna, Pomona, Scripps, Harvey Mudd, Northeastern, University of Michigan, and Penn State.

Live Passionately! – David Siteman Garland – The Creative Opportunities Specialist and Entrepreneurial Chameleon – http://www.therisetothetop.com

View comments

Comments