The High Value of the Entrepreneurial Skill Set ASME Early Career Engineers Mini-Talk November 11, 2012

Three Doors to Your Future BIG INDUSTRY GOVERNMENTSTART-UPS Growth Potential Great Benefits Sponsorship Easy Big Brother Great Hours Lots of Holidays Job Reliability Innovation Free tuition (for academics ) Typically None of Previous Ulcers Significant Risks Challenges

Lesson 1: Get Ready for the Circus

Start-Ups allow you to be an excellent juggler Take advantage of volunteering to do many different tasks, even if they are not engineering related Spend time with all of the companies executives, no matter their roles/responsibilities Learn to cope with unusual schedules, long hours, and traveling often

Lesson 2: Get Up On the Pitcher’s Mound

Take as many opportunities to speak publicly for the company Attend company investment pitches Volunteer to present your work to all employees Volunteer to present to Board members Learn your company’s elevator pitch Watch TED Videos, Shark Tank, etc.

Lesson 3: Be Mean Like Chef Ramsay

Learn to be tough as a manager Ask to manage interns at least Hire someone, Fire someone Grow a thick skin Get over disappointments fast

Lesson 4: The Godfather Without Family

Be resourceful and never give up There is always a “fix” Attend networking opportunities EVERYWHERE Be cheap: become a master negotiator Find the path of least resistance

Lesson 5: Be a Hunger Games Volunteer

Volunteer to do tasks/projects out of your skill set Attend internal meetings with Sales, Marketing, and Manufacturing – outside of R&D Volunteer to do cross-company event planning/help out Go with your company’s or other company’s volunteer charity/group opportunities Volunteer with ASME locally/nationally!

Lesson 6: Become a Sponge

Avoid being myopic Learn about Fortune 500 companies’ technology and/or corporate culture Learn more about the US and other country’s efforts in your industry sector Observe funding traits of both federal and institutional investors Follow awesome resources like TechCrunch, Seeking Alpha blog, MIT Tech Review, Harvard Bus Review, etc.

Three Doors to Your Future BIG INDUSTRY GOVERNMENTSTART-UPS

Resources Are Available Near You! Check out your local Small Business Development Center (esp groups like SCORE) Check out local university Centers for Entrepreneurship Look into programs like X-Prize, Start-Up America, Tech Plug and Play Centers, etc. Look into local Technology Incubators or Accelerators Check out for federal funding opportunities on R&D

ASME Affinity Group and Contact ASME has a group for entrepreneurs – the Entrepreneur Network Affinity Group (ENAG) Our affinity group is for ASME members who own start- ups or would like to learn more about start-ups We have several features including a LinkedIn group, quarterly webinar workshop series, networking opportunities at conferences, advocacy, and eventually, access to free resources If interested, please contact Andrea Wesser at or