Mentor Mondays: The Soul of an Entrepreneur

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Welcome to our new series, Mentor Mondays, where we will feature expert advice and guidance for startups from Techstars mentors. Today we welcome Chicago mentor, Gregg Latterman. Gregg is a music and entertainment industry entrepreneur. Upon graduating from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Business, Gregg negotiated a joint venture with Columbia Records and signed Train, Five for Fighting, John Mayer, and Mat Kearney to his independent record label, Aware. In addition, Gregg built A-Squared Management that directed the careers of artists such as The Fray, Michelle Branch, Liz Phair, Brandi Carlile, Jack’s Mannequin, Mat Kearney, and Five for Fighting. Gregg now teaches Positive Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneurship for the Arts at Northwestern University.

How many times have you heard that? Yet how much time do you spend thinking about who you are, what you stand for, and how you are perceived versus the time you spend on your start-up? Who you are is more than the companies you have started and the college you attended. Real time and effort needs to be spent on you up front prior to time and money being invested in your start-up. We incubate and accelerate your companies, but do we spend enough time and resources early on in your entrepreneurial life cycle to help you become the person and entrepreneur you are meant to become as a human being?

I believe the company that you start and build needs to embody your soul. Your company should be a true extension of yourself, what you believe in and what you value in life. If you truly want to be successful, you need to go as deep as possible now to figure out everything about yourself and what matters to you. Begin by defining your individual purpose, listing your values, and telling your personal story to help others believe in you and eventually your company.

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