Zero Equals One: Creating A Business From Nothing | Riley Csernica | TEDxCharleston
Summary
TLDRThe video script narrates the inspiring journey of an aspiring bi-medical engineer, Riley, who, despite facing the reality of unemployment post-graduation, decides to take a bold step. After a disappointing job interview, she realizes the importance of pursuing a career she loves. With her classmate Chelsea, they decide to develop a shoulder brace they had started as a class project, turning their focus from job hunting to entrepreneurship. Facing numerous challenges, including lack of experience and resources, they persist, driven by their innovative idea and the support from their network. Their persistence pays off when their brace proves effective for a professional hockey player, validating their invention. The story emphasizes the power of a single good idea and the importance of support from others in turning that idea into a successful business.
Takeaways
- 💄 The protagonist chose to wear lipstick for a job interview, symbolizing stepping out of their comfort zone for a desired opportunity.
- 🎓 They were close to graduating college with a degree in biomedical engineering but faced the reality of potential unemployment.
- 🔍 The job interview revealed a mismatch between the protagonist's aspirations and the actual job requirements, emphasizing the importance of aligning career choices with personal interests.
- 🚫 A direct 'no' from an interviewer provided a pivotal moment of self-reflection and clarity about the protagonist's career path.
- 💡 The idea of becoming an inventor was a long-held dream, but practical job opportunities were scarce, leading to a shift in approach.
- 🤝 A collaborative effort with classmates to develop a shoulder brace marked the beginning of a new entrepreneurial journey.
- 🏡 The protagonist's mother provided critical support and a safe space to start the business, highlighting the role of a support system in pursuing dreams.
- 🚀 Despite having no experience, mentors, network, or money, the decision to pursue the shoulder brace project was driven by passion and a single good idea.
- 📚 The process involved learning from various sources, including hospitals and pharmacies, to gain expertise in the field.
- 🎨 The initial product development phase was filled with trial and error, likened to an 'Arts and Crafts Corner' by onlookers.
- 🏋️♂️ The first successful test of the shoulder brace on a professional hockey player marked a significant milestone, validating the invention and the entrepreneurial endeavor.
- 🤔 The story underscores the importance of a single good idea and support from others as key ingredients for success, rather than focusing on what one lacks.
Q & A
Why did the speaker decide to wear lipstick on March 15th, 2012?
-The speaker decided to wear lipstick on March 15th, 2012, because they were going to a job interview and felt that dressing up, even in a way that was not their usual style, was necessary to make a good impression and increase their chances of landing the job.
What was the speaker's educational background?
-The speaker had a degree in biomedical engineering, which they were about to complete two months prior to the interview mentioned in the script.
What was the main reason the speaker did not get the job they interviewed for?
-The speaker did not get the job because the position was for a quality control engineer, which involved routine and repetitive tasks that did not align with the speaker's passion and skills for innovation and product development.
What was the turning point for the speaker in terms of their career direction?
-The turning point was the realization that they needed to pursue a career they loved, which led them to go back to school and eventually team up with classmates to develop a shoulder brace, thus becoming medical brace entrepreneurs.
What was the speaker's mother's response when the speaker proposed the idea of starting their own business?
-The speaker's mother was supportive, stating that the speaker had nothing to lose and everything to gain from the experience, as long as they worked hard.
How did the speaker and their partner, Chelsea, initially approach building their business?
-They started by talking to anyone who would listen, visiting hospitals, pharmacies, and physical therapy offices to gather information and make valuable contacts, which helped them become experts in their field.
What was the first significant milestone for the speaker's company?
-The first significant milestone was when their shoulder brace worked for a professional hockey player, validating their invention and marking the transition from students to businesswomen.
What was the initial perception of the speaker and Chelsea by people in their office?
-People in their office initially thought they were engaged in a preschool art project, referring to their cubicle as the 'Arts and Crafts Corner,' not taking their work seriously.
What was the key takeaway from the speaker's journey that they want to convey to others?
-The key takeaway is that having a good idea is enough to start a business, and that support from others is crucial. The speaker encourages others not to let fear hold them back and to pursue their dreams despite the challenges.
What role did the interviewer's rejection play in the speaker's life?
-The rejection from the interviewer actually provided the speaker with a new outlook on life and the understanding that choosing a career they loved was important, which ultimately led them to pursue their own entrepreneurial path.
What was the speaker's strategy for overcoming the lack of experience, mentors, and resources when starting their business?
-The speaker's strategy was to talk to as many people as possible, gather information, and make contacts in the industry. They also utilized free office space and worked tirelessly to develop their product, eventually gaining recognition and validation for their invention.
How did the speaker's mother's advice influence the decision to start the business?
-The speaker's mother's advice was pivotal, as she encouraged the speaker to take the risk and pursue the entrepreneurial path, emphasizing the lack of commitments and the potential for gain, which gave the speaker the confidence to move forward with the business idea.
Outlines
💄 Lipstick and a Job Interview
The speaker reflects on an important decision to wear lipstick for a job interview on March 15, 2012, which was out of character for them. This was a pivotal moment as they were about to graduate with a degree in biomedical engineering and feared unemployment. Despite the effort, the interview for a quality control engineer position did not result in a job offer, but it provided a valuable insight. The interviewer acknowledged the speaker's enthusiasm and vision but explained that the position was not a good fit for their aspirations. This experience led the speaker to reevaluate their career path and ultimately, with a group of classmates, to develop a shoulder brace, sparking the entrepreneurial journey.
🚀 From Classroom to Entrepreneurship
After the realization that a traditional job as a quality control engineer was not the right fit, the speaker, along with a classmate named Chelsea, decided to pursue the development of a shoulder brace they had started as a class project. They sought advice from various professionals and gradually became recognized as experts in their field within South Carolina. Despite initial skepticism from others who viewed their efforts as an 'arts and crafts' project, they persisted. Their hard work culminated in a functional prototype that was successfully tested by a professional hockey player, validating their invention. The speaker emphasizes the importance of a single good idea and the support from others as key ingredients for success, encouraging others not to let fear or perceived lack of resources hold them back from pursuing their dreams.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Lipstick
💡Job Interview
💡Technical Expertise
💡Unemployment
💡Inventor
💡Product Development
💡Entrepreneur
💡Support
💡Ideas
💡Fear
💡Validation
💡Zero to One
Highlights
The speaker's decision to wear lipstick for a job interview symbolizes stepping out of her comfort zone.
Facing the reality of unemployment with a new degree in biomedical engineering.
Impressing interviewers with technical expertise, humor, and vision, but realizing the job was not the right fit.
The importance of choosing a career that aligns with personal passion and aspirations.
The realization that product development opportunities were scarce, leading to a shift in job search strategy.
The decision to become medical brace entrepreneurs with a classmate, Chelsea.
The unconventional interview process with the speaker's mom before starting the entrepreneurial journey.
The motivational support from the speaker's mom, encouraging her to take the entrepreneurial leap.
Starting a business with no experience, mentors, network, money, or finished product.
The strategy of talking to anyone who would listen to gain insights and contacts in the medical field.
Becoming known as the 'shoulder brace girls' in South Carolina through persistent networking.
The transformation from students to businesswomen with the successful creation of a functional shoulder brace.
Overcoming skepticism from others who viewed their work as an 'arts and crafts' project.
The pivotal moment of validation when their shoulder brace worked for a professional hockey player.
The realization that a single good idea can be enough to start a business, despite numerous obstacles.
The critical role of support from others in overcoming fear and taking the first steps towards entrepreneurship.
The message to aspiring entrepreneurs to not let the lack of resources deter them from pursuing their dreams.
The importance of making and creating despite the challenges, as one's dream job depends on it.
Transcripts
[Music]
I hate lipstick it is just not my style
so when I decided to put it on March
15th 2012 people knew I was up to
something job interview I was 2 months
away from graduating college two months
away from taking my new degree in bi
medical engineering and walking it
straight into unemployment I was going
to do whatever it took to make sure that
I landed the job I was interviewing for
that day even if it meant going so far
as to put on lipstick now I don't know
what happened when I walked into that
office something magical maybe I was
born with it maybe it was
Maybelline regardless I crushed that
interview at the end of it the primary
person I was speaking with said Riley
you really impressed us today not only
do you have the technical expertise you
are funny you are enthusiastic you have
ideas exploding out of your head you
have so much vision for our company and
we're not really looking to hire people
like
that she obviously could see the look on
my face so she felt the need to explain
herself she said Riley we are looking
for a quality control engineer we we
need someone to stand at the end of a
production line and check little boxes
to make sure that our products are
meeting FDA specification after talking
to you for 60 minutes I could tell you
would hate coming to work every day if
that was the job you had to do and she
was absolutely right no amount of
lipstick was going to cover up the fact
that I didn't want to be a quality
control engineer for the longest time I
had known I wanted to be an inventor I
wanted to take new products to Market
but when I started going out into the
real world searching for jobs very
quickly I realized product development
opportunities were few and far between
so I set my sights lower and lower and
lower and lower to the point that I
would have taken any job that would have
offered me a paycheck while I didn't
leave the interview with a new job I did
leave with a new outlook on life and an
understanding of how important it is to
choose a career that I loved I went back
to school with eyes wide open hoping I
would find an opportunity I originally
had missed and I did very quickly during
my senior year at Clemson a group of
classmates and I were developing a
shoulder brace and I thought to myself
what if instead of chasing jobs we
finished out this shoulder brace that we
had started I presented this proposition
to my classmates and immediately Chelsea
said I'm in let's do it and we decided
from that day forward we would become
medical brace entrepreneurs now most
people think when you start your own
company you just hire yourself as the
CEO and you're on your web way
absolutely not how it worked in my case
I had to interview for this position
with my
mom I distinctly remember going home
sitting my mom down in our kitchen and
saying I have a crazy idea instead of
going and getting a job getting a
paycheck would it be okay if Chelsea and
I pursued developing out this shoulder
brace and before you say no I just want
to remind you of something you have
always said you wanted me to get a job
close to
home and if I become an entrepreneur not
only will I live in your home I will
work out of your home and we'll be
together
forever and I was absolutely shocked by
her reaction to this she said Riley you
are at a point in your life where you
have
nothing you have no house you have no
husband no kids you have no car payments
you literally have nothing to
lose and only things to gain from this
experience so as long as I see you and
Chelsea working as hard as you can you
are more than welcome to stay live and
work in my house guys I got the job 21
years old I was a entrepreneur a medical
device inventor I got exactly what I
wanted and I was terrified because my
mom brought up a very excellent point I
did have nothing right forget about the
house and the car and the kids I didn't
have job experience we didn't have a
finished product I had no money no
network no mentors how in the world was
I supposed to start a business from
nothing how could zero ever equal one
the engineer in me told me that this
equation made absolutely no sense but
despite what my head said my heart said
go with it anyway so with no experience
no mentors no network no money no
product Chelsea and I set out to see
what we were made of the very first
thing we did was talk to anyone who
would listen I distinctly remember
packing up my 2003 Nissan Ultima with
shoulder braces and I would literally
drive around town and get out at any
hospital system any pharmacy any
physical therapy office and demand to
speak to someone in charge and a lot of
times they demanded I
left but every once in a while someone
gave me a clue a hint of what to do next
a piece of information a valuable
contact and slowly but surely Chelsea
and I became experts in our field before
you knew it we were known in the state
of South Carolina as the shoulder brace
girls and while that was extremely
flattering we had really exhausted
talking the talk and it was time to sit
down and walk the walk we needed to make
a shoulder brace so Chelsea and I found
free office space in town we loaded it
with elastic and velcro and plastic and
cardboard pretty much everything but
glitter
and we got to work day in and day out
week in and week out we worked on this
product people in our office thought we
were crazy they called our cubicle the
Arts and Crafts Corner they thought what
we were doing was a preschool art
project but we knew better than that we
knew we were on to something much bigger
and eventually we had a product it was
sitting on this mannequin we bought it
was red blue yellow black white and
Peach the oddest looking thing you've
ever seen however in our gut we thought
it might actually work but thinking it
works and knowing it works are two
different things so we set out to find
our first
victim and very quickly we found a
professional hockey player in town who
needed a brace to get back to play now
mind you this is no run- inth the-mill
hockey player this is a 6'4 215b
fighting machine they imported this guy
from
Canada he is the real deal Chelsea and I
put the brace on him and it worked and
this was a huge moment of validation for
our company because no longer did we
feel like students finishing a homework
assignment we were business women
starting a company our shoulder brace
wasn't an arts and crafts project it was
an
invention and in that moment I realized
something so important something I
didn't fully understand in the beginning
of this journey while we had no
experience and no mentors and no product
and no money and no network we had one
good idea and that was enough to get
started all too often I meet people with
ideas for businesses ideas for products
and they give me a laundry list of
reasons of things they don't have and
why they can't start a business I have
no time I have no money I have no
experience I have no business starting a
business what I'm here to say is forget
all the zeros because one idea is enough
to create one business and another
important ingredient to success is
support had my mom not told yes had that
interviewer not told me no I wouldn't be
standing here today because of all the
people who gave me their time their
money their resources their energy I
have been able to build a company around
this class project so when you meet
people with ideas if you yourself have
an idea don't let fear hold you back
don't be distracted by all the zeros go
make do create why bother because your
dream job depends on it
[Music]
Voir Plus de Vidéos Connexes
Cerita Sukses Pengusaha Wanita Naik Kelas, Rintis Usaha Dari SMA Hingga Mencapai Kesuksesan
Gaji 100 JUTA dari Koding
Top 3 Tips That Changed My Life Forever
Meu MARIDO pediu para seu tio ENFIAR TUDO | História de traição, contos de infidelidade
Make Money Teaching Paint Parties
The game that can give you 10 extra years of life | Jane McGonigal
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)