Top 10 Things We Learned At The Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit
The Forbes 30 Under 30 list is arguably one of the most coveted lists featuring top talent.
On October 16-19th, over 5,000 of the world’s brightest young entrepreneurs and game changers gathered in person to experience TED-style presentations, panels, live demos and Shark Tank simulated competitions at the Forbes 30 Under 30 Summit.
Between Faneuil Hall and the campuses of Harvard Business School, Northeastern University and Emerson College, were thousands of eager professionals proudly wearing their alabaster ‘Forbes’ credentials as they mingled and decided which panel to attend next.
“Welcome to Boston, the city where revolutions start!” screamed Jim Koch from the top of the main stage. Koch, the CoFounder and Chairman of the Boston Beer Company, an official sponsor of the Under 30 Summit, officially kicked off the summit events. And judging by the cheers, the audience couldn’t be more thrilled.
Each one of these interconnected stages hosted some of the top industry professionals that targeted the specific interest of attendees. From those interested in enterprise technology and energy to education, law and politics, the Forbes Under 30 Summit had something to peak everyone’s curiosity.
The Summit also featured the Under 30 Village in City Hall Plaza, a meeting hub where all summit participants were encouraged to relax, unwind and enjoy the company and entertainment around them (while having a drink or two if you’re over 21).
From the Music Festival Kick Off with Jason Derulo and Halsey to the virtual reality session with Hamilton and candid panel conversations with world’s best minds, Her Agenda was able to step behind the curtain and capture some of the best highlights from this year’s unforgettable Summit.
In case you missed it, here are the top 10 things we learned.
1. Risks
“You’re not much of an entrepreneur if you’re not willing to take risks.” – Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Atlantic Airways & Virgin Atlantic Group
This billionaire attributes much of his success to his dyslexia. After struggling in school and on subjects he wasn’t interested in, Richard took one of the biggest risks of his life by starting his own business.
2. Entrepreneurs are made
“Entrepreneurs aren’t born they can be made.” – All Summit Attendees at Faneuil Hall,Business is An Adventure Panel
Panels aimed to debunk the popular myths about entrepreneurship and bring to light that anything is possible with a great idea. Moral of the story: don’t limit your potential. There’s always room to learn.
3. Social purpose
“Social purpose is huge when working for a company and/or starting your own business – Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Atlantic Airways & Virgin Atlantic Group
Wherever your company or business is located, a big focus of it should be on giving back and contributing to your community.
4. Owning your power
“It’s all about owning your power.” – Jessica Alba, Actress, Founder & Chief Creative Officer of The Honest Company
Jessica faced tons of criticism from The Honest Company. Instead of letting this deter her vision she used the bad press as an opportunity to get closer with her customers and address concerns.
5. Be Relentless
“Walk in and always have your end goal in mind and make sure you’re relentless.” – Jessica Alba, Actress, Founder & Chief Creative Officer of The Honest Company
How people view Jessica Alba doesn’t matter as much anymore. Simply because, she doesn’t allow it to.
6. Generate your own luck
“Create and generate luck.” – Brian Wong, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Kiip
Brian Wong attests to the fact that there are so many resources out there to take advantage of. He exemplifies the belief of working hard to generate your own fortune.
7. Show up
“A lot of it is about caring enough to show up.” – Ashton Kutcher, Actor & Co-founder, Sound Ventures
According to Ashton, people forget how important it is to actually show up and be there for big moments. It matters.
8. Believe in yourself
“If you have a couple of people that support you and you believe in yourself, that’s all you need.” – Aly Raisman, Capitan, 2016 U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team & Gold Medalist
Aly stresses the importance of perseverance, especially when having bad days. Because let’s face it, there will be bad days. And when you have those days, you just need someone to love and support you.
9. Prioritize
“It all comes down to priority.” – Maria Sharapova, Tennis Star & Founder of Sugarpova
If balancing a successful tennis career wasn’t hard enough, Sharapova just added a booming candy business. Though she faces the challenges of many founders, she attributes her success to prioritization and fitting in time for everything she loves.
10. Embrace change
“Always have change in your life and always be down for the experience.” – Chrissy Teigen, Supermodel & Author, Craving
Teigen is just like everyone else trying to get somewhere. She was never into modeling and didn’t want it to be her career. However, she used this experience to realize what she enjoyed and shaped her career accordingly.
