Spring 2017

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Northwestern is the quarterly alumni magazine for Northwestern University.
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From the Ground Up

Team Players

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Startup Luna Lights Headed to Cupid's Cup Finals

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In the Family

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Founders' Wisdom

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We asked a few of The Garage founders to offer a bit of advice to up-and-coming entrepreneurs. Here's what they had to say:

Always try to maximize your resources because there will be people out there who can help you. It’s up to you to reach out to them.” Vishaal Mali, PedalCell

“Don't be scared of failure. Being in entrepreneurship is the steepest learning curve that I have ever been on. I've learned a lot about myself, about teams and how businesses thrive … and where they struggle.  Ultimately, all of it makes your conviction stronger, your teams better and the results sweeter.” Rebecca Sholiton, EatPakd

"Be unreasonably committed to your dream, while at the same time keeping every step firmly rooted in reality —  what is your market willing and able to pay for?" Blair Mlnarik Pircon, The Graide Network

“Talk to as many people as possible. Talking to anyone who would listen about my idea helped me validate the concept, gave me new ideas to advance the product and helped connect me to co-founders, advisers and resources.” Ben Weiss, Zcruit

“Start something you are truly passionate about. It’ll give you the extra motivation you need when you’re working alone at 3 a.m.” Jared Scharen, eRetirements

“Find mentors who can share their experiences with you. Ask them about everything and especially their mistakes. Also, make sure you fully understand the most mundane and simple details. If you ever catch yourself thinking, ‘I think this is right because everyone else is doing it,’ stop right there. Never ever accept anything just because someone tells you ‘That's how it is.’” Marc Gyongyosi, IFM

“Surround yourself by influential people who want you to succeed.” Stephen Lane, FlyHomes