Entrepreneurs, strangers, of various backgrounds will gather together at Startup Weekend UC Irvine tomorrow to spend an entire weekend with each other. Over the course of 54 hours, pitches will be given, teams will form, business models will be created, programs coded and designed, and markets validated. Magic will happen.
I love magic, but imagine going to a party where you only know the host (hardly). Now imagine spending the next 54 hours working on a potential business with those strangers.
Even with magic, that’s intimidating.
But that’s what I expect to happen. I expect to be surrounded by people I won’t know. I expect to be the odd man out.
I’ve had experience in coordinating projects like The UP Lab and the Before I Die wall, but this weekend is going to be put me in an entirely new environment. It’s scary and intimidating but exciting at the same time.
Although I have experience in developing projects, I have limited experience with business concepts and tech startups. My main concern is that I don’t have technical experience. This won’t necessarily render me useless–I’m sure I can hustle at other aspects of creating a business–but I expect to be one of the few people whose area of specialization is unrelated to business, engineering, or computer science.
Maybe I’m just creating a narrative for myself, though. Maybe I’m just making myself feel like an underdog. There might be someone there who will be less experienced than me. There might be someone who has no experience in anything outside of academia who I might be able to learn a few things from. Maybe someone will even learn something from me. Anything is possible.
Whatever the case may be, of all my expectations, there are a few certainties. By the end of this weekend I will:
- Be more knowledgeable about entrepreneurship
- Have new skills
- Hopefully have new friends
And that’s just what I can think of. I’m sure a lot of good is going to happen this weekend.
When you find an opportunity to do something that will help you develop and make progress toward your goals, you may find yourself alone. Alone until you realize that there are other people trying to achieve the same thing who are willing to help you.
It’s always a surprise to find a stranger who you work well with that eventually becomes a good friend. It’s a surprise you know could happen, but probably don’t expect because you’re focused on how uncomfortable you feel. You’re busy feeling scared.
Fear is good, though. It tells you that you’re pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. That’s where you’re going to grow. That’s where you’re going to make progress toward my goals. That’s where you’re going to make a difference.
Fear can paralyze. It’s powerful. But if you can take it and use it to your advantage, you can make fear into your greatest motivation.
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Check out the Startup Weekend UC Irvine website to learn more about the event.
