By Evan Brandt Cal Lutheran University, 2018
I’m proud to say that the early steps towards launching myself and my startup began here, at Hub101: at home. As I enter the last semester of my undergraduate career, I can name 4 aspects that make Hub101 feel like a second home.
1. GUIDANCE “MOM, I’M IN COLLEGE. I DON’T NEED ADVICE ANYMORE.”
We’re in college, so we don’t need any guidance, anymore right? Wrong. College is a time of uncertainty. New place, strangers, away from everything you are familiar with. IT’S OKAY! College is meant to be a time of figuring things out. Not sure what you should work on? No idea where to begin? I was the same, and Hub101 helped. I stumbled upon the space when my good friend dragged me to one of the speaker series events. I had no idea why I’d come there or how to introduce what I was working on. Nonetheless, I was warmly greeted by Greg Monterrosa and many other welcoming faces. He challenged me to hang out and find out what other people were working on. The plethora of awesome ideas and passions I heard about back then still stick with me today. No one seemed to have THE answer for me, but everyone had A answer, and it usually started with “Try this…”. It’s okay to not know; what’s important is to just START. Take that first step, and the experienced mentors at Hub101 will help guide the way.
2. FREEDOM “IS THERE A WAZE FOR THAT?”
Yeah, a little guidance is cool, but this is college, why are you telling me what to do? You’re finally in a place to make some major decisions all on your own, so take advantage of it. Again, this is the stage of figuring things out. That requires a bit of exploring. Well-defined instructions don’t fit here. What’s cool about a coworking space is you could be sitting next to two people: one of which is working on a new education platform for elementary schools and the other is creating a complex robotic system. You’re free to wander! Nothing gives you permission quite like being surrounded by free thinkers from drastically different walks of life. So go ahead, try something new, ask for opinions, and come grab a seat next to the robotics guy.
3. SUPPORT “BEEN THERE, DONE THAT”
But how do I do it? Exploring can be scary, that’s why we’d watch documentaries on it, right? There’s a first time for everything, but there’s also a second. The cool thing about the second go-around is avoiding those pitfalls you fell in on the first. Luckily, Hub101 is full of “seconders.” Having done something and failed makes saying “It’s okay, I understand” so much sweeter. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and try mapping out those pesky pot holes.
4. FOOD “NOT RAMEN AGAIN…”
When you think of being crazy hungry you might think of “Munchies” or “Drunchies,” but I usually look in the fridge and see leftover StoneHaus with a floating halo above it when I’m pulling an all-nighter at Hub101. Home wouldn’t be home without some grub. Grab a plate, pull up a seat, and let’s talk about that next big move.
Evan Brandt is the founder of FamWe, an app that helps families with goals and tasks. He is also the President of the Cal Lutheran University, Entrepreneurship Club and is a Doer at Hub101.
Operated by California Lutheran University in Westlake Village, CA, Hub101 offers coworking, community and mentorship for entrepreneurs and small business owners to start, grow and scale their startups with the help of mentors, coaches and service providers. #StartSomething
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