Last week, I was able to attend the final lecture in Entrepreneur Visionary Speaker Series hosted here at Grove City. This particular lecture was given by Samantha Weber – a Grove City alum! I’m always excited to hear about the stories of past Grovers and their adventures in the world.
Sam addressed two things that really stood out to me. First, she mentioned that while she was a student at Grove City, her time here prepared her well for the challenges she’s faced while launching a startup. Sam was an English major and a Varsity Soccer athlete. Having to balance school, training, and life in general was no easy task. At times, it was even extremely difficult. She learned, however, that by figuring out how to balance all these things, she prepared for future success in wonderful ways. It was good to hear that the work you put into college truly can and in fact does help you once you graduate.
The second thing Sam addressed was the fear of launching a startup while in college. It can be so easy to become overwhelmed with classes, sports, etc., that launching a startup in college can seem daunting to me. But as Sam said, there is no better time to launch a startup than in college. The people who will be willing to help you and the timing in your life are two huge factors that may not be the same shortly down the road. Either you’ll launch a great company and take on all of its exciting challenges or, your company won’t launch and you will have a fantastic experience to discuss during your next job interview.
It was so incredibly encouraging to hear this from someone who has achieved wonderful success. But it was even better to hear Sam say that it’s alright, and in fact, normal to struggle through these learning experiences. Perseverance. determination, and passion make a massive difference when launching a startup. These sound things I’ve heard before, but hearing them from someone who not very long ago was a student here made them stand out. Her story was real and inspiring and has given me new refreshing new insight into launching a startup.