5 mars 2017 · 2 min läsning · på engelska
Four months in Founder Institute
What a semester in the Founder Institute taught me about research, discipline, hard work and the people you meet when everyone is working.
In the Founder Institute we were pushed, every session, to complete our assignments. I believe this was very helpful for the progress of our startups. Before the sessions began I had an idea in my mind that needed to be developed in a substantial way, and this was what I expected from the Founder Institute.
After the whole semester, I want to sort what I have learned into five parts: research culture, business school, discipline, hard work and friends.
Research culture. There has always been a problem when it comes to reading and research. At least this obstacle applies in my society, where doing research is rare; you can hardly find a research centre in the city. In a situation like this, FI pushed me to read and to research, and I enjoyed it. There were times I started researching for an assignment and ended at midnight.
Business school. I have many things to say about the education system, yet to be written. But for me the programme was like a master’s in business. Intense assignments, a well-planned curriculum, continuous follow-up on the assignments and working-group activities were all included in this four-month package. None of that is common in the other educational institutions here.
Discipline. This is something almost all of us lack. I do not claim FI has made me a well-disciplined person, but it is true that when completing assignments I allocated my time to specific tasks. There was more to do now, with FI, so giving your time to the more important tasks is really what discipline is.
Hard work. Believe me, it is very different from the fancy quotes about hard work and dedication you read in books or on social media. You need to actually do it to feel the hard work, and of course the outcome, which is a success whether you win or fail. I prefer not to say more about hard work here; come and spend your four months, and then you will know what I am talking about.
Friends. You can make friends anywhere: in school, at university, in your neighbourhood or at your workplace. But the friends you make in FI are the business people of the future, friends who are committed to what they do, and that is very valuable.
At the end, I want to thank all the founders, mentors and directors for their heartfelt efforts.