Heather R. Huhman

To read part 1 in this series about Donna Fenn’s Upstarts! How GenY Entrepreneurs are Rocking the World of Business and 8 Ways You Can Profit from Their Success, click here.

As an Upstart myself (yes, I was born between 1977 and 1997, according to Donna’s definition of Generation Y), I find myself learning from fellow young entrepreneurs on every page. In Chapter 1, Donna very accurately describes us as “extreme collaborators” and provides 6 tips for “getting into the collaborative spirit”:

1. Manage partnerships wisely. When I was in college, I co-founded a strategic communications firm with a fellow student who had strengths in areas I did not. Even though I’m no longer part of the agency, my co-founder still runs it today! It was an excellent relationship, and I wouldn’t have changed a thing. Today, I am flying solo (for now) at Come Recommended.
2. Expand your definition of “team.” Again, I have to completely agree with Donna’s advice. Not only does Come Recommended have an extensive official team, but also I have many advisors whom I can reach out to for guidance. I definitely consider them members of my extended team.
3. Find a mentor. As I always say, you can never have too many mentors! When starting and running a business, just like with climbing up your career ladder, this couldn’t be more true. And mentors needn’t be older carbon copies of you. In fact, it’s best that they aren’t! You want to surround yourself with mentors both in your industry and outside of it. After all, you can only benefit from being exposed to individuals who’ve had a wide variety of experiences.
4. Join or start a peer group. I’m big on starting groups to both get the feedback I’m seeking and contribute knowledge other members might not have. Donna’s book actually left me wondering if there already is a group for social recruiting Web site entrepreneurs. If not, I definitely plan to start one!
5. Forge smart strategic partnerships. “Don’t fix it if it ain’t broke.” You want to offer a service or feature, but you know someone else out there has already done it–better and cheaper than you probably ever could. Why not form a mutually beneficial partnership? Come Recommended has done this several times already, the most recent being with TokBox.
6. Create deep community ties. Start a corporate blog. Jump on Twitter. Engage your community in any way you can to entice a dialog. You cannot adequately serve your community unless you truly know what it wants–and needs next.

What would you add to this list?