TED Community » Brant Scheifler

More About Me

I'm passionate about

Equipping aspiring entrepreneurs so they can exit their job & start their dream. I am passionate about creative and alternative approaches to life & business, assisting others, and making a difference

An idea worth spreading

If you haven't found the perfect job, create it.

Talk to me about

Your ideas, how to launch a start-up, how to exit your job, how to pursue your passion and dreams.

People don't know that I'm good at

I can beat match on turntables and used to organize music events as a teenager. (The highlight being a joint venture with warner bros.)

My TED Story

I love TED. The first TED talk that I encountered was about Stuxnet. That blew my mind. My personal TED story would be centered on entrepreneurship. What would our world be like without entrepreneurs? There is a need for entrepreneurs to be recognized and esteemed in our society and to view their activity as a solution to numerous problems. They produce many (positive) unintended consequences for society. They re-purpose otherwise value-less resources to create value for others. They create jobs, drive the underbelly of the economy, and take considerable risk based on a commitment to their ideas. If you know an entrepreneur, you should hug him or her today.

Comments

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• A reply on Conversation: Does formal education play a significant role in the success of entrepreneurs and the outcomes of their business activities?

  Mar 20 2012: I see your point in that a leader/entrepreneur finds success within his given realm/niche, which may not crossover well. However, you also said that education has the intended purpose of creating an entrepreneur. From my perspective/experience this is not the case. There are some programs designed and catered to this mission but by large most are not, in my opinion. Do you find this to be true in a different country than the USA? If so, what country is that?

• A reply on Conversation: Does formal education play a significant role in the success of entrepreneurs and the outcomes of their business activities?

  Mar 20 2012: Michael, good for you. Welcome to this thread and I commend you for your zeal and determination. I would assume that by your comment you would count yourself among those leaders? If so, do you feel your education is benefiting you in your efforts or hindering? Perhaps you have the most real time perspective of any of us who have commented thus far. Let us know!

• A reply on Conversation: Does formal education play a significant role in the success of entrepreneurs and the outcomes of their business activities?

  Mar 20 2012: Robert, this conversation as a whole has suggested that formal education doesn't play a large role in the development of the entrepreneur. While I honestly agree for the most part, I must say I was concerned we had fallen in to a sort of group-think in this thread. That said, you make a valid point that formal education can provide an important framework for the entrepreneur. Personally, while I found that I benefited very little in terms of most of the content of my formal education, I did gain some context. At the very least, even being aware of what "I don't know" has been helpful. (I then seek out/hire experts on those areas.) To your point, perhaps I would not be aware of those blind spots had it not been for college. If that justifies the time/expense of it, I'm not sure. But for some, that may be the only option to gain that perspective or framework and thus it can be used for good. Thanks for commenting.
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  A reply on Conversation: Does formal education play a significant role in the success of entrepreneurs and the outcomes of their business activities?

  Mar 19 2012: Veronica, I agree. I have worked with youth in the past and my goal was to help them see themselves as leaders as well. Perhaps that's an interesting way to approach this conversation on entrepreneurship/education, that is, calling it leadership preparation. At the heart, entrepreneurs are really leaders. Conversely, the educational system produces followers in many respects. If we wish to encourage the entrepreneurial qualities in our youth (and adults if they remain open), we probably need to encourage leadership. The TED community encourages thought leadership, which is a powerful start. Beyond that, action leadership is more powerful still. I think if we can see education begin to produce more leaders, those with either for profit or non profit entrepreneurial aspirations, youth will receive empowerment to nurture and pursue their goals. gracias a ti!

• A reply on Conversation: Does formal education play a significant role in the success of entrepreneurs and the outcomes of their business activities?

  Mar 19 2012: I understand. Yes, education reform is a different battle altogether reserved for those who wish to enlist. :) Like you, I understand the need for it, but have not moved onto that front either. Thanks for sharing your experiential perspective!

• A reply on Conversation: Does formal education play a significant role in the success of entrepreneurs and the outcomes of their business activities?

  Mar 18 2012: I can tell this is a subject you are passionate about! It seems you have put some thought into it as well. You might be interested in Seth Godin's new manifesto on education if reform is something you feel drawn into. Regarding entrepreneurship, I definitely agree that the current system is not built to develop those interests. However, it's kind of challenging because entrepreneur's likely make up a small % of the population. These educational questions are personally relevant to me as we are considering them in light of our children.
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  A reply on Conversation: Does formal education play a significant role in the success of entrepreneurs and the outcomes of their business activities?

  Mar 18 2012: Yes, it's possible to pursue both, but it has its challenges. One thing I did to use my school time efficiently was this. Whenever possible, I would select research papers that allowed me to research the market or customer demographics I was also doing business in. That way my time spent studying (sometimes) crossed over into my business activities. The other thing available today is outsourcing. I do a ton of that now. There are lots of sites on the net these days that allow you to delegate some of your business tasks to workers, and it can be quite cost effective. All the best, would love to hear about the ideas you want to pursue.

• A reply on Conversation: Does formal education play a significant role in the success of entrepreneurs and the outcomes of their business activities?

  Mar 17 2012: Adolfo, you have a unique perspective on this. I have to ask, what do you then think the educational system could do to better equip entrepreneurs within the system? I'd love to know! (So would many others.)

• A reply on Conversation: Does formal education play a significant role in the success of entrepreneurs and the outcomes of their business activities?

  Mar 17 2012: Ufuk, where are you studying if I may ask? I know what you mean, in fact, I can relate. I went to college and was simultaneously launching a business at the time. To be honest, I was learning much more from my real world activities. At the same time, some (very few) of my classes offered an interesting perspective on some of my entrepreneurial activities but most classes (for me) were geared toward making me a corporate employee. I found some value, but most of the content, in my experience, wasn't applicable. Yet, many of us feel we must have a degree to obtain real world credibility. Strange. Do you plan on pursuing your ideas while you are in school or does your coursework demand that you wait?

• A reply on Conversation: Does formal education play a significant role in the success of entrepreneurs and the outcomes of their business activities?

  Mar 13 2012: I believe there is something commonly shared by way of a personality trait in entrepreneurs, or at least it's a shared quality. I know there are plenty of studies out there on this, can anyone reference a link?