-: It's always hard to prepare entirely
for being a founder of a company.
But I think the best way you can start
is by getting involved
with other early-stage startup companies.
Whether it's through shadowing, whether it's
through just getting a cup of coffee,
to get that experience.
And I've always said, even to some
of the interns that we have at Stratos,
how exciting it is for them, at a young age
in their undergraduate career, be able
to get exposed to what happens in a startup company.
In a lot of ways, it's the same
as other types of careers.
You know, marketing is marketing.
But when you're marketing a product
that nobody knows about, and a brand
that nobody knows about, and trying
to start from scratch, it presents very different problems
without all of the same resources.
So I think that step one is to get involved,
either through internships or externships,
cups of coffee.
Just getting exposure is the key.
You know an MBA, for me, it changed my career path.
I was in accounting and finance before,
and for me it was very challenging
to try and switch out of those types of career paths.
So, getting an MBA allowed me to do
that, first and foremost, and it actually,
at Temple University, specifically, gave me a lot
of exposure into the entrepreneurship program,
which helped, sort of, incubate my idea,
incubated the company, gave us a lot
of the framework and foundation to build my first company.
I, really, have always appreciated a candid message,
whether it's on LinkedIn or one of our posts.
So not just submitting a resume,
but really taking a step back and saying,
what is this company doing, why is this exciting to me
and how is it that I can add value to these folks
and what they're doing.
And then talking about that in a short message
is always good.
Or just trying to learn more, just asking
for a cup of coffee to understand what we do.
And showing that passion because, I think,
especially, in most startup companies,
you have to get people who are excited
and passionate about startup world,
and not just looking for, you know, a paycheck,
and, sort of, a role in a company
where it's all structured.
You have to be able to take the good with the bad.