Minoring in entrepreneurship was a no brainer
Written by Amit Nir, #WakeEntrepreneur, Class of 2020
I have always had an entrepreneurial itch, so it became quite apparent that minoring in entrepreneurship was a no brainer.
When I was in 4th grade, I was obsessed with having lemonade stands and I tried to have them every weekend in the summer until it got too cold to do them anymore. Every time I tried to innovate my lemonade stand, the intention was to sell more cups. I tried different flavors of lemonade, giving people the option between lemonade and ice tea, and selling chocolate chip cookies along with my lemonade. In the end, each iteration only made a few extra dollars, but I was experimenting and learning how to adapt to my customers.
Fast forward to high school and I continued to be entrepreneurial. I took several entrepreneurship electives and attended an innovation school, called NuVu Studio for a trimester, where every two weeks I was working on a different problem-based project. At NuVu, I got to really experience the messy creative process because my teammates and I had to make multiple iterations before we presented our “final” solution. My instructors wanted us to “fail” at the beginning by trying and building prototypes in order to see where we can improve and teach us the value of “failing” or messing up early.
Perhaps my entrepreneurial itch came from watching my dad be an entrepreneur or just by practicing it throughout my life in various ways. Regardless, it was a no brainer to pursue the Entrepreneurship Minor here at Wake Forest University.
Minoring in entrepreneurship was one of the best decisions I made at Wake Forest. Through all the interesting and thought-provoking entrepreneurship courses and co-curricular opportunities, I’ve been able to learn about business from a startup lens and gain an entrepreneurial mindset that has made me more empathetic, creative, and conducive to change. Having an entrepreneurial mindset and being entrepreneurial is invaluable to any business or organization of any size, startup, or not.
Additionally, I was able to participate in the Center for Entrepreneurship’s Summer Internship Program in 2018; however, my internship was a little out of the ordinary. I went to Tel Aviv, Israel and interned for three tech startups doing international marketing. This was a once in a lifetime internship opportunity that allowed me to experience the fast-paced startup world and live in my second home close to my extended family. Interning at international startups was an incredible hands-on experience where I was treated as a valuable team member with real responsibilities. I had the opportunity to work on different projects between the three startups which allowed me to learn so much about marketing and entrepreneurship.
The Center for Entrepreneurship has provided me with incredible opportunities, resources, and support throughout my time as a minor. I can’t wait to see where my next entrepreneurial adventure will take me knowing that I’m fully prepared to take it on. I’m so thankful that I found a place at Wake Forest that continues to encourage me to scratch my entrepreneurial itch.