5 Must-Haves of an Entrepreneurial Career

I am absolutely loving iTunes U lately.  iTunes U let's you easily find and listen to full lectures from the best Universities in the nation.  In addition to full 12 week courses, you can also listen to the weekly seminars given by guest lectures to graduate students.  I prefer these guest lectures because they are stand-alone concepts that can be ingested in 60 minutes rather than listening to a full 12 week course.

My favorite lecture series right now comes out of Stanford and is called Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders. Each week the business school brings in one of the best entrepreneurs in the country to speak to its business school students.  They record the lecture, then almost immediately publish the lecture to their podcast and iTunes U.

So next time you are driving to work and listening to the cheap antics of your local morning show, just remember you could be listening to the most provoking and interesting thought leaders in the country ;)

This week I have been listening to Gregory Waldorf, the CEO of eHarmony.  In case you have been under a rock, eHarmony is the largest dating site on the web, and works by using deep personality compatibility matching.  100 people get married who met on eHarmony every day!  Gregory gave 5 great "must haves" of an entrepreneurial career and I wanted to share them with you.  Remember, an entrepreneurial career doesn't mean you start a company with 2 people in a garage, it means controlling your destiny and being fulfilled in your career which you can do in a company that has 2 or 2000 people:

1. Always work with great people.  This is the most important concept by far.  It doesn't matter if you lose everything or make a million dollars, what you remember the most about your career will be the people you worked with.  Surround yourself with great people and the company part will work itself out over the course of your career.
2. Take risks.  Don't always take the safe path.  Don't take the easy "prestigious" job to impress your friends or parents.  Don't pass up something you are excited or passionate about because you are worried about keeping up.  
3. Be willing to adapt.  School and low-level jobs have a known set of requirements that will lead to success.  Contrast that to an entrepreneurial career where nothing will play out as you expected.  How well you adapt is directly related to how successful you are.  
4. Do something you are passionate about.  Can you describe your work as "addictive"?  Never work on something you are not passionate about, life's too short!  
5. Put your plan into action now.  It's so easy to wake up every day and do the easy job.  The best jobs will never come to you, you have to go out and get them.  
6. Bonus: No matter the job, get customer facing ASAP.  Customer facing means you are dealing with the end person who uses your products and/or writes you checks.  Learn first hand what makes customers happy, how people buy products, and what really makes a business go.  Get customer facing as soon as you can.  

Finally, imagine yourself at your next high-school reunion.  Will you be able to say:

• "I work with great people".
• "I don't take the easy path."
• "I am constantly adapting"
• "I am extremely passionate about what I am doing."
• "I am putting my plan into place now.

Check out the Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders podcasts, and make your drive to work your favorite part of the day!