Disclaimer, the intent of this post is not to criticize Marina Mogilko. My intention is to do written commentary on some of her YouTube videos. I am a huge fan of Marina, and her YouTube channel Silicon Valley Girl offers enriching content on goal-setting, entrepreneurship and problem solving.
For my readers who have never heard of Marina Mogilko before, Marina is a cofounder of several online language education businesses - the language study abroad online booking platform linguatrip and English text proof reading website fluent express. She is an expert on English teaching and language proficiency exams.
In one of her videos she talked about how she started linguatrip at 21 years old. She commented on the common belief that people think one needs to get a corporate job before starting a business. Marina said that a corporate job experience is not really a pre-requisite for any startup venture. She then went on to encourage her viewers that they should not wait to start a business, and that the perfect time to start is right now.
On the bright side, Marina demonstrated the essentiality of having a "Carpe Diem" mindset. But what worked for Marina might not work for others. Marina had been exposed to the language study abroad business when she was at school- she visited the United Kingdom to study English during the summer since she was 14 years old. Marina is privileged to have these immersive learning experiences. But in reality, such opportunities are not affordable for everyone.
In addition, Marina was able to live with her parents for a couple years after college graduation to save money when she started her business. Again, this lifestyle is not feasible for everyone. Perhaps, your family has financial constraints and you have no choice but to start working immediately post college graduation. Or your family lives very far away and moving back home is just not possible, so you have to rent your own room or couch surf at a friend's place.
What happened to Marina is an exception, not the rule. On average, most people are late-bloomers in life. Not everyone goes to college knowing that one day they will start a company. Not everyone knows they will achieve great things in the future. Most people are there to learn a trade or two with the aim of securing a full-time job after graduation. Though Marina's advice is positive and motivating, it is not perfect for everyone.
The problem with these kinds of entrepreneur success stories is that they advertise the idea that there is a fail proof cookie-cutter success formula. I understand that entrepreneurs structure their stories a certain way to persuade and influence their audience - who doesn't appreciate a straightforward story on how to reach success by hitting points A, B and C! But it would be even better if fellow readers and listeners are aware that the success formula has its variations (perhaps we should call it the success formulae for plural); this is largely due to differences in factors such as industry background, resources, funding and timing etc.
Again, I am not here to criticize Marina's videos. Actually, I think her videos are very high-quality. But I just want to shed some light on this video and others that talk about the same topic, so anyone who follows or is curious about her can take some of that advice with a grain of salt. Truthfully, success is not really replicable. What might work for someone, might not work for you. Hence it is incredibly important to pick, choose and experiment, in order to discover the formula that actually works for you and increases your chances of success.
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I completely agree! It is not always sunshine and roses on the pursuit for success. Dreams are beautiful but they also come with a price tag. But with hard work, grit and a solid game plan, dreams can be fulfilled even at a later time!
A great article! I certainly agree that people would have diverse opinions on whether to enter the corporate world before the startup world. People who are privileged enough to have financial backup out of college can more easily invest in their own ideas, or also have the familial support to get it off the ground. Whereas many others may find challenges in doing so, and need a stable job for a little bit to either pad their banking accounts or establish credibility in a field.