A week or so ago I spoke to a group of 22 Post-Doc EPSCoR students who were selected on a competitive basis to take part in a week-long workshop that aimed to prepare them for their next step as career academicians. Or not. The discussion I led was intended to be something of an invitation to these STEM researchers to consider entrepreneurship as a viable – maybe even enticing – career option. The challenge before me was to connect the skills entrepreneurs have with the skills and behaviors researchers have.
Before meeting the group I assigned reading a couple of excerpts 
from my friend, Kevin Johnson’s, new bestselling book “The Entrepreneur Mind“. Kevin shares 100 characteristics and behaviors of successful entrepreneurs in one of the most readable formats I’ve come across.
My homework included reading the postdocs’ bios and research interests. I learned there are entire fields of study like, “molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis” and “electronic and geometric structures of complexes”. I said these words out loud, trying to feel what they meant as I heard myself say them.
I got nowhere. I gave up. I decided there was no way I could understand their world enough to draw meaningful connections between their research areas and the path of the creative entrepreneur. I was stumped. I needed to figure out a way to connect with these folks so I could construct a vision with them, a picture of themselves being entrepreneurs, being determined, visionary, and resourceful people pursuing an opportunity despite few resources.
Ah-ha! I knew what I would do.
I started the discussion with a bit of banter to lighted the mood. I often tell a group that my PhD gets me no respect or credibility where it really matters: with my teenage daughter. The center of my universe thinks I am two stops short of full-blown idiocy – and tells me this A LOT. (Someone please invent a field of research like Designing Molecular Structures of More Reasonable Adolescent Behavior and Less Self-Destructive Behaviors).
Then I asked everyone to write down one thing they have done that was tough. really tough. Like, you probably are going to fail tough. I put this picture on the screen.
And then I asked them how they overcame the challenges, how they achieved their goal. Who helped? What did you do? What behaviors or resources did you use?
Here’s what they said:
Persistence
Social support
Intellect
Mentors
Hard work
Passion for my work
Scholarships
Expertise in my field
Ignoring the naysayers
Beer
More beer (Lots of laughter)
My network
Skills
Being efficient
Good lab facilities
Visionary
Then I asked, “If you were going to start a biotech firm, what could you erase from this list? What would be different?”
“Nothing.”
“What would you need more of?”
“Money! Capital!” (Indeed. Point taken.)
The conversation had become obvious: the same skills and behaviors these researchers had employed to get to where they were, were the exact same as those an entrepreneur needs to be successful in venture creation. The conversation at that point turned toward the realities of markets and the need to move from idea to opportunity through thoughtful analysis. Fortunately, researchers are exceptionally adept at creative data collection and analysis.
The Take Away? Researchers and entrepreneurs are not so far apart from one another. In fact, resourceful and creative people – unlimited by their current resources – are found in all fields. I’m not saying that anyone can be Steve Jobs. Or Albert Einstein. There is an undeniable and very big gulf between those of us who are “successful” and those of us who are giants, true giants of creativity.
But being a successful entrepreneur is not out of reach, or out of character for researchers considering life outside the lab.
