Junto, Learning, & Entrepreneurship

Junto has changed my view towards life. For those of you who don't know what Junto is, I will briefly explain.

Greg Warnock, Venture Partner at vSpring Capital, has joined Alan Hall, CEO of MarketStar and Partner in Grow Utah Ventures, to help fund young entrepreneurs. In the beginning, 80-100 applicants from across the state submit their resumes to Greg. From there, he narrows the number to 20 and invites them to participate in an 8-week "journey." This journey consists of the following: attending a 4-hour class once/week (taught by Greg), organizing a service project, raising $5k, putting on a networking activity, and participating in a selling competition. In the end, the top 5 participants are selected and given some seed capital to embark on any business idea that they chose.

While the funding is definitely helpful, it's the instant network that is most valuable. My partners (Ryan Coombs, Justin Bergener, Chad Blodgett, and Joe Grover) are amazingly talented -- I learn from their strengths each and every day. In addition, Greg has rallied together 30+ of the most successful businessmen/women to be "Junto Mentors"; and they are committed to helping us succeed.

Since the day I was selected as a Junto Partner, I have had the time of my life! While it is not easy to be an entrepreneur, I have enjoyed the learning experience that it has provided. Everyday there are new challenges to undertake. Everyday, I have learned a valuable lesson that will help me in the future.

So there you have it....Junto, Learning, & Entrepreneurship!

In the beginning.....

I love blogs! There is something very fascinating about peeking into the minds of others and learning from their experiences. I especially love Paul Allen's blog. I have been a faithful reader for the past 6 months and it has provided amazing insight to learning and entrepreneurship.

While I have been thinking about posting my own blog for quite some time, I am just now getting the guts to do it. Please understand that in creating this blog, I do not claim to be wise or experienced-- on the contrary! Because I am young and inexperienced, this blog will provide an opportunity to share my learning experiences (and mistakes) with others.

Benjamin Franklin has been quoted to say, "If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worthy reading, or do things worth the writing." That will be my goal. I will strive to thoughtfully articulate my posts so that they are interesting for you to read; and in the process, I hope that we will learn together.