What does the word “entrepreneur” mean to you? Whether you’re like me and shy away from the word, or the opposite and can’t wait to start your own business, this article is a great launching place. This post follows Kevin’s journey, from starting as an intrapreneur in college to becoming a multi-passionate entrepreneur.
“Entrepreneur” has always been somewhat of a scary word to me. I mean, you want to create your own business–where do you even start? I was able to gain a greater understanding of an entrepreneur’s journey after talking with The Niche Movement’s founder, Kevin O’Connell, to discuss his personal experience.
I started my interview with Kevin by discussing what exactly ignited his decision to leave his job and pursue his future as a solopreneur.
Q: Was creating your own business something you always wanted to do? Or was there an “aha” moment that led to a career shift?
A: “It was when I was in college. I thought wow, I’d love to be an entrepreneur some day and I always thought that in the back of my mind, but, to be honest, never said it outloud. I was very intrapreneurial on my college campus. I was one of the founding members of our marketing club and built it from the ground up, starting from scratch. I got into that. I later started a Habitat for Humanity campus chapter — from scratch.”
I noticed a theme in Kevin’s undergraduate experiences. He enjoyed working his way from the ground up; building an organization from nothing; and putting in the work in order to achieve success.
He mentioned that the skills that he was working on weren’t simply resume builders–they ran parallel to what real business owners do. Starting a business requires raising money, securing sponsorship, recruiting and training employees, marketing efforts, and building a network. Kevin completed all the same actions by starting his marketing club and Habitat for Humanity chapter.
Today, many students take on similar responsibilities such as leadership positions or by joining a club committee, without necessarily considering themselves intrapreneurial. Instead, they’re just adding another line to their resume. I’ve learned to look back at these experiences and consider what they’re actually worth. Even if you aren’t looking to start your own business, you should acknowledge your skill-sets, as they can be a great way to market yourself in the future.
Kevin also mentioned that during one of his undergraduate business courses, which was taught by an entrepreneur, he really enjoyed learning the course material, but still never saw himself turning it into a career. But, why not? Because he didn’t have the influence nor the mentorship. It was intimidating.
Q: So what changed? When did you see the potential to become an entrepreneur yourself?
A: “Two years into my job at Rutgers, I started to get that feeling: that I could be intrapreneurial here–that I can start something that doesn’t exist. The marketing was not where it should have been, we weren’t innovative there. I saw a need, I had a skillset, I knew how to bootstrap stuff together, and I knew how to create content on basically a zero-dollar budget. Essentially, I started a part-time marketing role in my current position–that wound up with me being promoted as the Assistant Director of Marketing and Social Media. With my new department I was given a digital playground where we started with no money, no equipment, and very few employees. When I left there was a six figure budget, unlimited tech/AV/video equipment, and a team of ten students. I was running a ‘company’ per se of ten people with a 100K plus budget. That was really cool and it was practical, I was still getting a paycheck–but I started something from scratch.”
It was during Kevin’s time at Rutgers that he started his side-hustle, The Niche Movement, but didn’t have the tools to turn it into his full-time job. It took time. He needed to do the research and prove that the business’ potential and profitability were in reach. Two years later, Kevin decided–not necessarily as a strategic choice, but rather because he found himself at a crossroads–to go full steam ahead with The Niche Movement.
“I didn’t have a traditional business plan, I had some trajectory in my head, my finances were on an Excel sheet, but it wasn’t the traditional business plan that you learn in a college course. It took praying, duct tape, hustle, and serendipity.”
Q: Knowing that you didn’t have a traditional business plan, what would you recommend to young professionals who know that they want to start their own business one day?
A: “If I had tried to start right out the gate from college, I wouldn’t have had the experience. I had the drive, the hustle, and the risk–I could have pushed through. The biggest thing was that I didn’t have the network then. When it was time to leave [Rutgers], I had ten years of experience, a body of work, and a network to back it up. My recommendation would be to build your network before you need it and double or triple your timeline before starting in order to save up finances.”
Besides building your network and saving as much money as possible, I was curious about the skills necessary to become an entrepreneur.
Q: “So, what does it take to be an entrepreneur? What skills are needed?”
A: “It depends on what type of entrepreneurship playground you are looking for, but a big part of it is getting someone to say yes and give you money. I never saw myself as a salesperson–I hated sales, I was shy, I never thought I could do it. Now it’s 50% of my job. I took the Gallup Strengths Test for Entrepreneurship two years after working for myself, and selling was one of my strengths, or at least I had developed it.”
The Gallup Strengths Assessment, once completed, allows users to assess their talents and skills in order to maximize their potential. Similarly, Gallup offers an Entrepreneurial Strengths Assessment for business starters who want insight on their top entrepreneurial talents.
We discussed Kevin’s Gallup results a bit further and how his top strength, “relationships,” correlated to his ability to be a relational leader and an entrepreneur who cultivates and maintains rapport with clients. Furthermore, his ability to communicate clearly helped him develop another key strength in the realm of entrepreneurship: selling.
Although I may have some of the skills necessary to become an entrepreneur, I don’t plan on starting my own business anytime soon and I wanted to learn more about what being an intrapreneur means to him.
Q: What advice do you have for the readers that may not be interested in becoming an entrepreneur but want to harness their intrapreneurial skills?
A: “Try to get yourself into a company or work with a boss who gives you that creative freedom to start something from scratch. Whether it's an event, a program, or a service, start something that didn’t exist before, then figure out how to get it self-funded or bring in money. Especially now, it's important to be an intrapreneurial or entrepreneurial leader because with budgets being slashed and coworkers being laid off, you need to do more with less and create new services to potentially bring in new revenue streams regardless of the industry.” 41.40ish
Starting something from scratch–no, it doesn’t have to be the first ever flying skateboard–and putting yourself out there to receive funding are the two best things you can do to test your entrepreneurial skills.
Q: “What is the checklist, if there is one, that should be on someone's mind if they’re considering becoming an entrepreneur?”
A: “The checklist includes asking themselves: do they have the gut to embrace the no-tolerance, the rejection, and accepting the possibility of being the last-one paid.”
Being entrepreneurial is not a one-size-fits-all career. There are many ways to go about starting your own business and what works for one person may not work for another. If you are interested in a more concrete foundation for launching your own business, here is a list of books that may be helpful. You can also learn more about The Niche Movement’s take on entrepreneurship through our other blog posts.
Even if you aren’t convinced that the entrepreneurial route is for you, it’s an area worth exploring because in the end great ideas can come from anywhere.
Watch the full Q&A here:
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