Today, we had the opportunity to visit the Guinness Enterprise Center (GEC), a nonprofit organization focused on assisting startups and early-stage companies with building and expanding their brand, image and overall company. GEC recently just expanded their office two floors which cost them approximately 10 million dollars and has already filled their office occupancy up to 90%. The goal of GEC is to place entrepreneurs in a place where they can learn to be the best versions of themselves of whatever they need to help grow the business of their choosing. Eventually, the ultimate goal is for GEC to help push out each startup company to the public whether it be locally or internationally.
The key takeaway that I was able to grasp from the presentation was all the many factors in takes for an entrepreneur to be successful in their endeavors. When starting a company, there are many components you need in order for it to grow and gain traction such as the technology, competitive advantage, market, value proposition, and the team. Not all companies will have strong characteristics in all of these components and that is when GEC comes into play. It is amazing how GEC has so much to offer, ranging from access to funding, workshops, mentorship support, etc. All of these things would be very beneficial for any entrepreneur looking to begin their company.
To have an entrepreneurial mindset, you have to be very well-rounded. Creativity, innovation, adaptability, passion, motivation, etc, are all things that can contribute to a entrepreneurial mindset. Most importantly your passion and drive and the ability to recover and move on from failure will determine how strong your mindset really is.
For me personally, my parents were immigrants and they were successful entrepreneurs themselves. They were able to open a successful Chinese restaurant in the South/Center Philadelphia area for 20+ years and even expanded and opened locations in New York and Ohio. They inspired me to become an entrepreneur myself and I believe that I hold some of the traits that both my parents have such as resilience and perseverance. This led me to start my own personal business in reselling hyped shoes and streetwear in high school as a side hustle. To this day, I still do this on the side and have a group of people including my brother and close friends who run this small business with me.
