We rounded up a gang of ambitious twentysomething movers and shakers in the WeWork community—all of them profiled in our Young Innovators series—to ask them what words of wisdom they had for the next generation of entrepreneurs.
What’s your best advice for other young innovators?
“There’s going to be people that wish you were older, or more experienced, or both. And there’s not much you can do for them. What you can do is work hard, stay driven, and get creative. Sometimes it takes someone who hasn’t spent a lifetime folding themselves to fit a box to be able to think outside of it.”
—Cate Matthews
A Plus
“The real magic happens when you start innovating how you deal with people. There are a lot of cool new products and services out there, but you’re not actually a business until people are buying from you. And to make that happen, you need to innovate the way you speak, the way you sell, and the way you listen.”
—Daniel Steinberg
Buyback Corps
“When it comes to creating or innovating, the rest of the world has a very short attention span for your project. So keep your head down, create your art, and ignore all the questions about when it will be done. And when it’s done, own it like a boss.”
—Sarah Gerber
Twenty Twenty Studios
“If you’re not working 24/7, then go work for someone else.”
—Artur Fruman
Welzoo
“There’s so much conventional wisdom out there about ‘the right way’ to start a company. You’ll hear that you need to have a co-founder, a seed investment, or join an accelerator program. Some of these resources might be helpful to certain people, but the best entrepreneurs will always find a way to succeed, regardless of their obstacles or lack of resources.”
—Miriam Brafman
Packlane
“The only one thing worse than not following up with someone who could possibly help you is not contacting them in the first place.”
—Chris Turney
Disco
“Starting a company is an endurance test to see how quickly you can get up from getting knocked down a million times. Always remember: you can get back up.”
—Lynn Le
Society Nine
“Always give yourself plenty of buffer room when it comes to time and money. Most things cost more and take longer than you’d expect them to, so budget accordingly. You always want to come out with more money and time than you expected than less.”
—Gabriela de Araujo
Stealth Socks
“Have hobbies and interests other than your job. Everything feeds back into your work—sometimes in unexpected ways!”
—Grace Choi
CLO Virtual Fashion