I have transposed Derick David’s The Ultimate Startup Beginner Guide  into a careers context. I have never seen careers guidance use the strategies of Uber, Tesla and Airbnb to achieve success. It is worth thinking about.  

1. Imagine your future while staying in the moment

Business guru, Tom Peters created the concept Brand You. Now every person has phenomenal power to create their own Brand by going online. 

Your current moment is reflected in your Brand. The seeds of your future are embedded in your Brand.

If you are not conscious of a vision for your future, find someone who does have a vision for their future and try working with them as your personal awareness grows.

Do what you like.

You can start to unearth your where you are now and what you like try by following the steps recommended HERE. 

2. Find What’s Missing in the World

Look around you. What do you think the world needs?

Is it better educators? Become a teacher.

Is it beautiful gardens? Study horticulture.

Is it better alternative energy? Become an electronics engineer.

3. Play with different ideas

Imagine and write down ideas about your future.

When an idea pops up in your mind, write it down.

Compare your ideas. Check to see which ones you care about.

4. Think the guiding questions

Would this be a valuable way to spend your life? Are you going to be satisfied being a …hairdresser….builder…. accountant? Are you making a difference?

Having the answers to these questions puts you ahead of the game.

5. Create a Prototype

When you have an idea check it out. Do work experience. Volunteer. Check videos of people doing the job. Meet people who do that work.

Don’t jump directly into a career. You can waste time and money going down the wrong path.

6. Show it to 100 people

Talk to everyone about your idea. Explain it in detail. It doesn’t have to be EXACTLY 100 people but the more people you talk to about it the more you will learn about your subject. They may even offer to help you.

Collect Feedback

Be prepared to accept suggestions

Keep talking and discussing and work on keeping an open mind as you do your research.

7. Iterate Fast. 

Chunk the ideas into groups:

• Those that will help you to have a remarkable future/Those that will not.
• Those that make sense/Those that do not.
• Those in the bin/Those to follow up

If you get stuck, ask from help, either from a friend or from an expert.

You will probably change your path a million times through your life. Your values will anchor you to your best path. 

8. Find Co-founders

When you decide on a career path, find 3-4 people going in the same direction. If you are lucky, you can work as a team to inspire, support and motivate each other.

If you are SUPER lucky you will find a mentor to guide you.

9. Seek Funding

You can work as you study or you can get a scholarship or a grant or government support.

The earlier you explore funding options the better.

Many scholarships don’t go to the brightest student on the block. Some industries, like agriculture, give significant industry support to those who choose to go into it.

Exploring funding opportunities needs to be part of your research.

10. Launch the product (You)

You have been launching your product your whole life. Sometimes Brand You goes into a new phase. Have a great launch.

Get the best possible referees through volunteering or work experience or even by doing assignments that solve a problem for a company. They will help you with your launch.

Go for scholarships and grants as you study. Mention them on your CV.

Go for awards. Even ones that don’t relate to your Brand.

If you get the opportunity to study overseas, take it. There are scholarships that will help you to study overseas.

Find out about cadetships in your industry.

All this will help you to create a great launch into your next phase.

11. Be Patient

Love the process. Love what you are doing as you create your ideal future.

Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.

12. Check if your “customers” come back

You are your #1 customer. Spoil yourself. Spend time to reflect how happy you are with your product.

Are things turning out as expected? Are you still following what you value?

You will probably adjust your course often. Your Ideal Future may change as you learn more and discover new opportunities.

Keep growing. Your next move will bring you even closer to what you value.

Conclusion

From Bev…

Doing this transposition from business startup to career development has been fun. I have written a million business plans in my life and followed various business development systems but I have never thought of applying any of those systems to careers.

Now that I have done it I don’t know why I didn’t see how we can learn from Uber, Airbnb and Tesla as we design careers.

What we usually lack is a mental framework like this that helps us to stay on track. Most career failures come from the inside. This framework will help you to build your amazing life.

I wish to acknowledge the source of the original document again:

On the 5 June Medium published a great article called The Ultimate Startup Beginner Guide by Derick David (@zealous) which he draws from 5 years researching Tesla, Uber, Airbnb and distilling a 12 step process that can be replicated.

Contact me to engage the insanely great online career counselling services of In Focus Careers:

 

We would like to subscribe to your insanely great newsletter designed for young West Australians.