Originally posted on LinkedIn
Stop making theory the first step. Apply learning through practice.
This weekend I was at Vassar (thanks Andrés Méndez for bringing Ignia 🔥 along).
We talked to hundreds of entrepreneurs, and one thing was clear: to compete you have to innovate. And to innovate you have to experiment in the real world, with real experience.
Example: We saw Juan Sebastián Benítez Bustamante with Paguro — turning construction waste into decor, furniture, and art (here’s a pic of my planter 💙). To get to the final product, theory wasn’t enough: he had to experiment with hundreds of “recipes,” techniques, and material combinations.
Another: Sara Peña Marulanda with Un Poco Loco — fun stickers based on popular culture ⭐. A sensation — people were buying them in handfuls. Sara started her business at 16, before even starting college. In her words… “I learn more here at one market than in a whole semester of school.”
What if learning experiences took us through processes like Juan Sebastián’s or Sara’s? Too crazy?
