Yesterday someone asked me how I got started on my path — which lead me to found three companies, work for some terrific brands and generally do what I love doing most pretty much all the time.
The answer is simple: I had (and continue to have) terrific cheerleaders and mentors all along the way. Starting with my dad who is an entrepreneur himself and who made me work during the summers and thus taught me the value of hard, honest work. Later when I entered college I worked in a computer store selling Macs; there the CEO saw something in me (no idea what to be honest) which made him give me more and more responsibilities which included trips to Taiwan to source products (as a part-time employed student). Or the CEO of a US-based software company who had a booth next to ours at a German computer trade-show and who later invited me to join him in the US to help bring his company to Germany — whilst I was still studying.
Put yourself out there. Surround yourself with amazing people. Seek out people whom you admire for who they are and what they’ve done. Treat them like the messiah.