3 pieces of advice for corporates wanting to jump into entrepreneurship
We chatted to CyRise mentor and Founder at ResponSight, Jeff Paine, about his key pieces of advice to potential founders. With years of experience in both the corporate and startup worlds, here are his 3 top tips for corporate employees wanting to make the jump into entrepreneurship.
1. Be passionate.
Passion is a buzzword, but it’s also a necessary ingredient for success. Understand whether your motivation for a startup comes from passion for the idea or simply a desire for something different to the corporate world. Startups aren’t easy. You’ve got to want it. You’ve got to believe in what you’re doing and be in it for the long haul. Ask yourself: do you really want to change the world or are you just trying to escape from a job or situation that you don’t like?
2. Seek validation.
Move beyond your support network and have your idea validated by industry leaders. A great idea is nothing without a market for it. This is where CyRise is invaluable. Objective and sometimes painfully honest feedback is how you grow and pivot as you need to. Save yourself money, energy, and unnecessary prototyping by vetting your idea at an early stage.
3. Keep focused.
You might change the world with your all-encompassing solution sometime down the track, but don’t be deluded into thinking you can do that from the get-go. Instead, keep sharp and focused. Do one small thing very well and grow from there. A program like CyRise gives you frameworks and support for prioritisation and focus. You’re more likely to have a viable product if you maintain your focus.
CyRise sets you up for the long haul. The support base, the education and the introductions we provide help you to advance in a focused and informed way. Vet your idea with Scott. Book your free, no-strings-attached 1 on 1 with him here.
Jeff’s the Founder and CEO of ResponSight, which is applying advanced data science to the problem of enterprise risk measurement through behavioural analytics. He’s raised over $3.1m to grow ResponSight into a global company. Jeff’s long history in multiple Founder and Advisor roles developed his passion for leadership and mentorship, leveraging his 20+ year career in cyber security consulting to large enterprises and government.
