We sat down with three young
entrepreneurs--Blake Miller, Hunter Browning and Jeff Rohr--to find out why
they chose entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurship
is not for everyone. But according to a
recent Mashable article, almost half of Americans wish it was.
Despite recent
economic troubles, 48% of Americans dream of opening a business of their very
own. At the same time, 71% of small business owners say they would open their
business all over again if they had the chance. So what is it about entrepreneurship that awakens the dreamer in us?
To answer this
question, Think Big reached out to some of our favorite local entrepreneurs and coworking members to
see why they took the plunge and started their own business. Here’s what we found out.
The Realization of Wanting to Become an
Entrepreneur
Hunter
Browning, President and CEO of Fannect,
never thought he would become an entrepreneur, but he “was never great at playing
by other people’s rules”.
Fannect, a
new app that determines which sports teams have the best fans, stems from
Browning’s love of soccer. After he decided to stop playing, he wanted to stay
connected to sports another way.
“I
guess I was experiencing withdrawal from the competition. I had the idea and
the next week I found a partner. We pulled the trigger pretty fast,” Browning
said.
Think
Big’s own Blake Miller, however, always saw himself as an entrepreneur.
“I
grew up in an entrepreneurial household. I knew I wanted to become an
entrepreneur when I started my own business at 6 years old,” Miller said.
“Corporate life was never in the cards for me.”
Miller
is now a partner at Think Big Partners and also acts as co-founder for PitchCastr,
BodeeFit
and WeeJay.fm
among other things (it’s safe to say that Blake is a serial entrepreneur).
Much
like Miller, CEO and founder of SquareOffs,
Jeff Rohr, was also destined to become an entrepreneur.
“My parents
instilled in my brother and I at a very young age that we were meant for big
things and gave us the courage to go after our dreams,” Rohr said. “You only
live once as well, so you might as well do something big. I was never meant to
follow the well-trodden path.”
How Entrepreneurs Think Big
At
first, Browning and his team were working on their entrepreneurial venture on
their own – but then they started to Think Big.
“I
was leery about moving to a coworking space,” Browning said. “I thought it
would be very distracting, but everyone at Think Big is very focused. It’s been
great for finding connections and gaining insight. Moving to Think Big has
jumpstarted us again.”
Rohr
also finds himself appreciative of not only the many connections he has forged
at Think Big, but of the many other resources he has been able to utilize for
his business.
“The connections that I've
made there have been priceless,” Rohr said. “Beyond that, [Think Big] has given
me great advice, helped us attract talent, challenged me where I needed
improvement, and lastly made me smile. They are great people making a
difference in people's lives every day and having fun while doing it. Oh,
and coffee. They give me a lot of coffee.”
As
a partner with Think Big, Miller loves “being able to help other entrepreneurs
build companies.”
“It’s
a no-brainer to me. We can build our own companies and ideas and help other
people achieve that,” Miller said.
Can’t Get Enough Entrepreneurship
While
the state of the economy may deter others from pursuing entrepreneurship, that
was never a problem for Miller.
“I’ve
always known that entrepreneurs help move the economy along,” Miller said.
“Small businesses employ more people. I know I can create a difference by
creating new jobs.”
According
to a recent study, 59% of business owners said running a business is harder
today than in previous years. Despite this, Kansas City’s entrepreneurs are
reveling in the day-to-day challenges of running a startup.
“[Entrepreneurial
ventures] are all tougher than you think they’re going to be,” Miller said. “But
being that hard, that challenging, keeps me going. If it were easy, I probably
wouldn’t do it.”
“It can be death by a
thousand cuts if you let it,” Rohr said. “There are so many different hats
to wear when starting the business before you can get in any sort of groove.
For me, it's been all about maintaining the right balance focus and feedback.”
Despite
challenges, Browning enjoys the freedom that entrepreneurship gives him. He
lives by his own rules at his own pace.
“It
has been a really interesting and really unique experience,” Browning said.
“We’re having a blast every day. Even when it’s hard, it’s our choices we are
making.”
If I Could Do It All Over Again...
When
asked if he would start this whole entrepreneurial ride over again, Browning
was quick to say, “In a heartbeat.”
Miller
is also just as passionate about entrepreneurship as the day he opened his
first lemonade stand.
“I
like the freedom and always having to be creative. I will likely be involved in
hundreds of ventures,” Miller said.
Ready
to pursue your dreams of entrepreneurship? Contact Think Big Partners.
We know exactly how to get you
started.
