As someone who has started a number of businesses including the Sydney Writers’ Centre, and my latest venture, Social Callout, I am well aware of how demanding a startup business can be.
Unless you are extremely well connected at the start, it can be tough finding out everything you need to know to make your new business a success. Enter General Assembly Australia and its regional director Riley Batchelor who aim to educate would-be entrepreneurs on how to give their venture every chance of success.
This innovative undertaking inspired this week’s Enterprise post.
It’s sexy. It’s seductive. And it could make you a billion dollars. I’m talking about the world of tech start-ups. Let’s face it. Ever since Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg proved that you can become a billionaire (and be the subject of an Oscar-winning movie) by wearing sandals and a hoodie, the tech start-up world has evolved from being the domain of geeks to a space where every entrepreneur wants a piece of the action.
OK, I’ll admit, there were several sweeping generalisations in that last paragraph. But the reality is that the start-up space is hot. While the start-up space may seem sexy to some, the reality is that it’s also full of long hours, high stress, and a lot of money at stake. Kind of like high-stakes poker. Except you’re not just playing on your own, you often have a whole team behind you who rise and fall depending on your start-up’s success.
Thinking of taking the plunge?
Whether you’re a recent university student or a midlife corporate type who is being seduced by the lure of start-up life, the key to remember is that life isn’t like the movies. You don’t just feed a bunch of people beer and pizza to write some code then screw your business partner out of the deal, then brace yourself for a lawsuit and end up the world’s youngest billionaire.So how DOES it work?
Riley Batchelor, 33, is a serial start-up entrepreneur who has recognised the need for “start-up education” in Australia. As regional director for Australia of General Assembly, he’s passionate about demystifying the world of start-ups through courses. Batchelor describes General Assembly as “an education company committed to teaching students different skills that are relevant to technology businesses in three different areas: tech, design and entrepreneurship.”
You can read the rest of the post here.
