Have you ever forgotten a USB flash drive that carried your most valuable information or a school project you needed to present before your tutors? If you have, then you are not alone because others have also done the same. For instance, Drew Houston used to forget his while studying at MIT. However, he turned that forgetfulness problem into an online storage solution every student and business person enjoys—Dropbox! He used his predicament plus the limitations inherent in other existing online storage services to start something new. Later, his startup grew to become a multibillion-dollar company serving millions across the world.
Well, that story sounds familiar, but it’s not exclusive since other innovative students have trodden that path. However, you don’t need to be or hear the story of a multibillion-dollar and internationally renowned innovator. You, too, can draw inspiration from the story of Elizabeth Shirley, a former student who studied at college and experienced all the challenges students face.
During his college days, Elizabeth and her colleagues encountered challenges submitting their assignments on time. Most times, they would submit their papers late and couldn’t attract satisfactory grades. Instead of whining and cursing, he started where she was and with what she had. He dedicated himself to helping his fellow students write their assignments on time. During his spare time, he could compose papers that fell within her strengths and expertise. Gradually, his classmates and other students started entrusting her with their papers.
Later, a problem cropped in her solution! She noticed that she was receiving more tasks than he could handle alone. Moreover, some of them fell outside her specialty and capabilities. So, she decided to take the same path Drew took—turn to the Net. Shirley created a web portal where students could upload their assignments without flocking to her little hostel room. Again, she didn’t have the technical skills to set up the portal.
Fortunately, she tapped into the power of strategic partnerships. She contacted her childhood friend, Jennifer Lockman. That idea excited her, and she volunteered to set up the portal using the technical skills she acquired in college. Now, the site was up and running, but still, very few people knew about it. Jennifer sorted Elizabeth’s technical challenges. However, she still needed a partner who was skilled in marketing the idea to students in and outside the college. So, Shirley remembered another friend he met on campus, Hannah Taylor. She was excellent in all matters regarding customer relations, marketing, and finances. With her help, she publicized the idea and boom; orders started increasing inside and outside Shirley’s college.
Now, the idea was complete with the necessary skills to advance it. Fortunately, Shirley didn’t shortchange or use and dump his friends. Instead, he enlisted them as founding co-owners of what has now grown into an international company – essaywriterservice.com. The “essay trinity” worked harmoniously with each partner running in their path. Today, thousands of students who depended on traditional and crude ways of getting assignment assistance can get it within a few minutes.
So, what does this story teach you as a student, especially regarding the college challenges you are facing? Here are lessons that can inspire you to maximize your enterprising potential in college.
- There are no problems in life. Instead, what people call problems and complain about are just unexploited solutions. They are simply growth and discovery opportunities in disguise to separate winners from failures.
- What you share with others grows, but what you keep to yourself alone, dies! Elizabeth understood this maxim too well and hence, asked for the help of his two friends. She was not selfish enough to become the “sole owner” of his disruptive idea. Moreover, he swallowed his male ego and asked for help from women, something many men who forget what their mothers did for them, wouldn’t like to embrace. Remember, the ancients said that, a joy shared is a joy multiplied.
- It is never too early to start innovating. Your parents took you to college to become a part of the solutions that will benefit your generation. You can find edu websites like test-done.com with similar history. So, dropping out of college temporarily to pursue college campus business ideas that benefit others should be considered normal. Education is not an end, but a means to an end, which is innovative solutions.
We hope this story has inspired you and fired your innovative spirit. If you are in college and have any burning ideas within you, don’t hesitate to explore it. Remember, Elizabeth and his partners are not your ceiling but rather, a ladder to inspiration and greatness. We would also love to hear your story. Don’t hesitate to talk to us about your dreams because we aren’t just here to help you pass your exams or do your assignments on time. Instead, we are also here to help you prepare for life outside books.
