Michael Karnjanaprakorn

“I had one of the best jobs in the world,” said Chris Sacca, who left Google. “But there is a world of opportunity.”

Last week, when I was at the VCU Brandcenter, I gave a presentation called “Start Brands, Not Bands” on creative entrepreneurship and how that intersects with branding today.

Basic premise of the presentation: Do Not Work in Advertising!

Probably not that smartest thing to talk about at an “advertising” school when your audience consists of art directors and copywriters during the FIRST week of school.  But nevertheless, I saw a couple of head nods in the audience, so as long as I connected with those few, it’s all good in the hood.

I started off the presentation talking about my favorite brand in the world: Paypal.  Most people would have said Nike or Apple or Google or some other cool and typical brand.  I dropped Paypal.  Why?  First off, I don’t even like Paypal as a product or as a brand.  I don’t even care that they sold to Ebay for an estimated $1.5B or the fact that they had a genius marketing strategy.  I really like Paypal because of what everyone did AFTER they worked there.

I can pinpoint the exact moment that I decided to pull the trigger and get out of advertising.  I was flipping through the November issue of Forbes when I came across an article called the “Paypal Mafia” which talked about all the different projects the original team from Paypal were working on.  It was insane.  Everything from Youtube to LinkedIn to Kiva to launching rockets into space.  How insane is that?  And why?

“You never think it could happen to you,” says Hurley. “But seeing Peter and Max and the guys come up with ideas and seeing how to make things work gave me a lot of insight. You may not have a business degree, but you see how to put the process into effect. The experience helped me realize the payoff of being involved in a startup.”

I recently came across another article called the Google Mafia which is along the same premise: startup founders leaving to invest and help launch other companies.  Entrepreneurship is thriving and it’s even easier to start a company today.

“I had one of the best jobs in the world,” said Mr. Sacca, who as head of special initiatives at Google led a number of high-profile projects, including the creation of a free Wi-Fi network in the company’s hometown, Mountain View, Calif. “But there is a world of opportunity.”

So, if you’re thinking about going into advertising and working for an agency to write briefs on selling sugar water, or concepting ads for dog food, you should really think twice about it.  Why not take your skills and apply it to something better like making the world a better place?

In a world where we are combining business + creativity; it only makes sense to launch or work at your own startup.  Dan Pink states that we’re moving into a conceptual stage where creativity will be the leading competitive advantage.  It’s no longer to safe to be a Microsoft.  The next powerhouse companies will be the Apple’s of the world.  And there are already a ton of companies where the founders are under the age of 30:  GOOD Magazine, Tumblr, ETSY, Behance, All Day Buffet, Kluster, etc.  The list can go on forever.

Why help a client make a couple hundred million when you can make it yourself?

And to end, here’s the list of the 8 things I wish someone told me on my first day at VCU…

1. Become a creative entrepreneur/intrapreneur: Build a brand.  Launch your own company.  Fix a problem…  It’ll be the best piece in your book.
2. Find good partners: Work in teams of 3: strategist, technologist, creative.  Or any other combination.  Collaborate, cross-pollinate, and most importantly, DO something.
3. A great brand is a business, a great idea is not:  Learn the business side.  Read Fast Company, Inc. Magazine, Business Week, Harvard Business Review, etc.
4. Brand “me”: The most important brand in the world is your own.  Identify your strengths, network, and make yourself memorable.
5. Steer in the right direction:  Know where you’re going before you go there.  Even if you don’t know where you’re going, know your interests, and stay close to them.
6. Find mentors around you:  Stop looking above you and start looking around you.  Your classmates will be the greatest mentors you’ll ever get.
7. Don’t skip the Friday Speaker Series: Would you skip out on the TED Conference?  Each Friday speaker will teach you something new; don’t take it for granted.
8. Experience new things: If you’re a first year, try the Sticky Balls at Sticky Rice.  They are to die for.  If you’re a second year, drive an hour west to Charlottesville and grab a sandwich at Littlejohn’s.  Trust me, it’s worth the drive.