Volume II: Creation is Currency.

🚀 Key Takeaway

Your accomplishments are your currency. No one hires you for potential, they hire you for proof. The best way to stand out? Start building things that matter.

❓ Why does this matter?

Most college students are waiting for a company to give them a chance instead of creating their own luck, experience, and skillsets.

But a company does not define your capabilities - your accomplishments do.

Landing a position is often just an excuse to finally start doing instead of just thinking.

A side project, a business, a student organization, a nonprofit, a website, a blog, anything that allows you to have something tangible that speaks for itself.

You don't need permission to create.

We talked to people who chose to create instead of waiting for an excuse. We identified the key insights behind how they did it and turned them into a system to inspire meaningful creation.

🔑 The System

1️⃣ What field are you interested in or passionate about?

Start by picking a field or problem space that excites you.

This does not have to be your forever passion, just something you are genuinely curious about.

Example: "I am interested in startups and venture capital."

2️⃣ What are all pain points in this field?

Every industry has problems - things that are inefficient, frustrating, or missing entirely.

Researching what people struggle with in your space via articles, social media, and especially conversations with people in the field.

Example: "Early stage founders struggle to connect with the right investors."

3️⃣ Which pain point resonates with you / do you relate to the most?

Not every problem is yours to solve. The person to solve a given problem is the person who understands that problem best. The best project for you will come from a problem you personally understand or relate to.

Choosing a pain point that you feel connected to or are excited about solving gives you a foundation to focus on with your creation.

Example: "I've seen founders struggle with fundraising because they do not know how to pitch effectively."

4️⃣ What are all the mediums that could address that pain point?

There are always multiple ways that you can tackle a challenge.

Brainstorm the different methods that you could use to solve the problem, and experiment with the one that you feel would resonate best with your target audience.

Example:

• A blog that breaks down successful pitch decks
• A Youtube channel analyzing startup fundraising stories
• A database of investors categorized by interest area
• A community that helps founders refine their pitch
  

🔹 Fives Exercise

1. Create a list of the 5 fields that you are interested in or passionate about
2. Identify which industry excites you most.
3. Create a list of 5 pain points in this field that you can identify
4. Identify which pain point resonates with you most.
5. Create a list of 5 mediums that you could address the pain point with.
6. Identify which medium would resonate with your target audience best.

Keep in Mind While Building ...

1. Start Small - Find a small niche where you can begin to create. You don't have to solve the problem for everyone
2. Experiment - You won't know what you are doing when you begin. You have to learn by doing.
3. Focus on Impact - Stay focused on creating something meaningful, but be open to opportunities that will arise as you begin to create.

Summary

To start creating something meaningful:

• Pick a field that interests you.
• Identify a pain point that needs solving.
• Choose a medium to build a solution.
• Start small, focus on real impact, and learn as you go.

No one is going to give you permission. The sooner you start building, the faster you will create opportunities for yourself.

Next Up...

In the next post, we will focus on step two of our system for doing what you want to do, faster...

Connecting

Thanks for reading! And a special thank you to everyone who shared insights for this post. 🙌