1. Durkin’s
Top Ten List
of things to do in college to prepare
yourself for a life of entrepreneurship.
2. 1. Read These Five Books
Question: What does every long lasting house or skyscraper need?
Answer: A foundation.
What’s yours?
3. 2. Craft a Leadership Resume
TOP DOWN VISION
1. Convey LEADERSHIP, LEADERSHIP, AND LEADERSHIP
DETAILS
2. Double major. Because you can.
3. GPA. There is no “minimum” number. It’s all pride.
4. Scholarships. Include them. It shows someone believes in you.
5. Athletics. Include them. It shows you are competitive.
6. High school jobs. Include them. It shows work ethic.
7. INTERESTS *** *** What I believe is one of the
most IMPORTANT and
most OVERLOOKED parts
of the entire resume.
4. 3. Take Independent Studies
Whenever possible… do an independent study
over “class.” Get a faculty sponsor, read books
that interest you, and apply those books to real life.
My senior year in college I did two of these.
It replaced two classes and earned me six credits.
I only wish I had done it sooner.
5. 4. Don’t join clubs to join clubs
Do one of two things instead:
1. START a new club that you’re passionate about.
OR
2. LEAD a club that already exists.
Get better at LEADING. Not following.
Leadership takes practice.
6. 5. Pay for School on THEM
WIN SCHOLARHIPS
It’s a numbers game.
It’s. All. About. The. Numbers.
Most schools offer hundreds. If you don't have to
pay for school, why would you?
7. 6. Shadow. Don’t “Intern.”
My suggestion: SHADOW. DON’T INTERN.
Pick 10 people to shadow each summer, not one.
Your goal at internships should be to learn what
you want to do post graduation.
How can you do that unless you experience a
ton of different things?
8. 7. Follow the Leader
Follow advice from leaders you admire.
Then lead yourself. God damnit!
1. Donald Trump (for his ability to think BIG)
2. Gary Player (for his strong moral fiber and competitive spirit)
3. Keith Ferrazzi (for his ability to make friends)
4. Denzel Washington (because he is just so god damn smooth)
Whom do you admire? And how can you follow their lead while
at the same time mold your own leadership style?
9. 8. Pick a Focus
If you want to work at a startup, you need to hone a skillset.
There are six job types at our startup:
1. Web Development (writing code)
2. Web Design (Photoshop / Illustrator)
3. Sales (selling)
4. Marketing Analytics (acquiring users)
5. * Product (analyzing users and improving experience)
6. * Finance & Ops & HR (running the books)
* These jobs are rarely available for recent graduates. If you are most interested in this, you
should speak to me about the best plan of attack.
10. 9. Assemble Cofounders
Assemble your cofounding team of three:
One developer
One designer
One business
And surround yourself with people you like.
11. 10. Understand “Co-Flow”
Build a company / product / feature / service for
you and your employees first. Something YOU
will use. Once that’s done, then you can think
about everyone else.
Read about Bill Warner and this method of
building a business from the heart.
http://www.ryandurkin.com/blog/2011/10/one-of-my-favorite-bill-warner-talks/
12. Bonus
Become a Renaissance Man / Woman
Convey to people you are
EXTREMELY well rounded.
1. Academics
2. Athletics
3. Entrepreneurship
4. Music
