Ever dreamed of swapping your 9-to-5 for a “build-my-dream” life? Wondering, how do you become an entrepreneur without crashing and burning harder than a bad soufflé? Good news — you don’t have to figure it out alone. Thanks to the incredible guests on IE University’s Venture Ahead podcast, we’ve pieced together a real-deal, human-sounding blueprint for launching your entrepreneurial journey.
No fluff. No sugar-coating. Just solid advice from people who’ve actually done the thing. Let’s roll.
Step 1: Understand entrepreneurism meaning—and why it matters
Before we even map the route, let’s define the vehicle. Entrepreneurism meaning? It’s the bold, relentless act of creating something valuable from scratch. It’s seeing a problem, rolling up your sleeves and saying, “Fine, I’ll fix it myself.”
Uri Levine, double unicorn founder of Waze and Moovit, says it straight: entrepreneurism is “value creation.” And the simplest path to value? Solve a real, painful problem. Not a maybe-someday problem. A right-now, please-help-me problem.
If you’re not solving something that keeps people up at night, you’re just building a solution in search of a problem. (And no one’s losing sleep over that.)
Step 2: Fall madly in love—with the problem, not the solution
As Uri puts it, your problem needs to be your North Star. “If you focus on the problem,” he says, “you make fewer wrong turns and build something people genuinely care about.”
Quick test: If explaining your startup sounds more like a PhD thesis than a lifeline, you’re off course. Keep it simple. Solve traffic jams, not “AI-powered decentralized GPS optimization ecosystems.”
Pro tip from Uri? Talk to 100 strangers. If they yawn, pivot. If they rant, you’ve struck gold.
Step 3: Just. Start. Moving.
Waiting for a perfect moment is like waiting for a unicorn to ride to work. Videesha Boeckle, General Partner at Altitude VC, lays it down: “If you want that future, go out and do it.”
It might seem simple, but it’s great advice. Get scrappy. Share your ideas. Build your network. Find mentors. Write. Shout. Sing it if you have to. Entrepreneurism is a contact sport — the more you interact, the luckier you get.
Step 4: Embrace the mess (AKA: Fail fast, fail funny)
Newsflash: You’re going to fail. Not might. Will. And according to Uri, that’s not a bug — it’s a feature.
Michael Baum, the mind behind Splunk’s $25 billion success story, calls the entrepreneurial journey a river you swim with, not against. There’s no “I made it” moment—you’re always adapting, always learning.
Failure is just a plot twist, not the end of the story. So fail fast, learn faster and laugh at yourself along the way. (You’ll need that sense of humor, trust us.)
Step 5: Tell a story people can’t ignore
Need funding? Customers? A team? You better learn to spin a yarn.
Leanne Mair, founder of Benefactor Consulting, reminds us that context and storytelling are critical. Investors (and humans generally) don’t fall for cold facts — they crave emotional connection. They want to feel part of your story, not just read about it.
So whether you’re pitching investors or ordering your morning coffee — make people care.
Step 6: Build something that makes the world better
Today’s entrepreneurs aren’t just chasing unicorns; they’re chasing impact. Michael Baum talks about “conscious innovation”—the idea that you don’t just create shiny things for the sake of it. You build responsibly, thinking about how your work will shape society for generations.
Ida Tin, co-founder of Clue and the woman who coined the term femtech, lived this out. She saw gaps in women’s health and built something meaningful that changed lives. Her advice? If you can’t look your user in the eye and see that you’re helping them — you’re building the wrong thing.
What to study to become an entrepreneur
Alright, you’re pumped—now what? How do you become an entrepreneur academically? Do you need a degree in quantum physics, underwater basket weaving or interpretive dance?
Not exactly. But studying the right programs can supercharge your journey.
At IE Business School, students sharpen their skills with top-notch programs like the Bachelor in Behavior & Social Sciences or the Bachelor in Communication & Digital Media. You’ll learn how to spot problems worth solving, lead teams, raise capital — and maybe even make a dent in the universe.
Thinking about launching your journey? IE’s entrepreneurship-driven degrees are the ultimate “starter kit” for world-changers.
Check out IE Business School today and start building that future you’re itching for.