What Should I Do? Asian-American's Journey to Start Own Company

[royzizzle]

I am an asian american enrolled in a biomedical instrumentation undergrad program (top 5 in the country).

What I am passionate about is developing devices that help people diagnosed with ADHD/learning disorders live a easier life. Specifically I'm interested in Neurofeedback devices as of now.

I want to start my own company and sell my own products in the future. I don't want to just work for some company to pick up a paycheck. I'm looking to make a positive impact on those with learning disorders/think differently.

I'm so passionate because I know I have some kind of learning disorder and it's played a large role in making my life such a hellhole.

right now I have an average GPA (3.16), I have research experience but I can't get a recommendation letter because I pissed off the professor. I'm going to work for a different professor next semester.

For graduate school I want to do a engineering management program offered at our university. The problem is that it requires 3 recommendation letters. Thats the biggest problem right now because I'm terrible at not making my bosses angry.

I'm also currently working on a EEG neurofeedback device. I've got the design down and everything but I've no idea about marketing and all that other stuff. I know if I start advertising and selling my device I will fail.

What do I do?

I feel so different from other people and I feel like a failure



I have such a hard time following instructions in school and research. I'll probably be a failure in the corporate world too. I feel my only chance in life is to start my own organization.

 

[Choppy]

If you believe you have a learning disorder that's affecting your ability to perform well in school, seek assistance to overcome it. It won't go away and if you don't do anything about it, you'll likely be using it as an excuse for the things you don't accomplish for the rest of your life.

I'm curious about the comment "I'm terrrible at not making my bosses angry." What do you mean by this? The things that I can think of that will actually make bosses "angry" are generally grounds for disciplinary action - things like abuse of IT privileges, working unsafely, harassment or bullying, etc. On the other hand, if you mean that you're not performing to a standard set by either yourself or your boss, it's likely time to sit down and discuss this to identify your strengths and weaknesses.

Next, with respect to this device idea that you have there are a few things that you should do. You might want to start reading about how other people have done this. If you're interested in becoming an entrepreneur, read biographies of other entrepreneurs and company histories. Next you might want to look into programs at your school that bridge the gap between research and commercial development. Also see if you can find a mentor who you can job shadow or ask questions of. With any medical device, you are likely going to need FDA approval to market it (otherwise no one will really be interested), so you may want to research what's involved with that. A good place to start with things like this are converences and trade shows - simply by talking with people who are in the market place can give you all sorts of current and valuable information.

Finally - check your attitude. In a single post you've stated:

... I will fail.

I feel like a failure

I'll probably be a failure...

With an attitude like this, you're defining your destiny before you even give yourself a chance.

 

[chiro]

I am an asian american enrolled in a biomedical instrumentation undergrad program (top 5 in the country).

What I am passionate about is developing devices that help people diagnosed with ADHD/learning disorders live a easier life. Specifically I'm interested in Neurofeedback devices as of now.

I want to start my own company and sell my own products in the future. I don't want to just work for some company to pick up a paycheck. I'm looking to make a positive impact on those with learning disorders/think differently.

I'm so passionate because I know I have some kind of learning disorder and it's played a large role in making my life such a hellhole.

right now I have an average GPA (3.16), I have research experience but I can't get a recommendation letter because I pissed off the professor. I'm going to work for a different professor next semester.

For graduate school I want to do a engineering management program offered at our university. The problem is that it requires 3 recommendation letters. Thats the biggest problem right now because I'm terrible at not making my bosses angry.

I'm also currently working on a EEG neurofeedback device. I've got the design down and everything but I've no idea about marketing and all that other stuff. I know if I start advertising and selling my device I will fail.

What do I do?

I feel so different from other people and I feel like a failure



I have such a hard time following instructions in school and research. I'll probably be a failure in the corporate world too. I feel my only chance in life is to start my own organization.

Hey there royzizzle.

I would like to firstly say that for what you want to achieve, you really need to have an "optimism above the odds" especially if you want to be an entrepreneur. One thing about entrepreneurs is that for a lot of entrepreneurial avenues, lots of people, even those with a lot of practical experience in their particular field will warn you NOT to go down the path that you have planned. If you think of yourself as a failure even before starting, you won't have much of a chance to make it in the long haul. I think if you want to go down this path, Choppy's advice is probably one of the best bits of advice you can get.

Another thing is to get a business mind. I notice that your type of business will be something requiring a fair amount of intellectual capital and hence I suggest you take a crash course on intellectual property. Some universities have courses on IP for engineers and I would recommend you taking one.

Also on the topic of IP, assuming your invention is patentable (and more importantly worth patenting) you will at some point need to tell someone of your invention prototype. Also as Choppy has mentioned, you will need to jump through regulatory hoops for getting your device approved for general use.

Another thing is to learn to hone your social skills. As a businessman you have your reputation and if you destroy that it can destroy yourself and your business. You said that you make people angry. My advice is find out how you do that and stop doing it immediately. When you talk with anyone whether it be a supplier, a customer, a distributor, your lawyer, whoever, you are going to make impressions and you better hope they are good. If you sour your representation with one person, things can get around and it can destroy you.

One thing that is definitely in your favor is that you say you are passionate about what you are doing and you have mentioned the personal side of this due to what you have. That is definitely the sort of thing that an entrepreneur should have. You'd be surprised about how many people do things for the wrong reasons. If what you've said is true, then because you are able to relate to people that have a problem and want to fix it, with that kind of attitude and perspective you will go far.

Apart from what you've said about personally having learning disabilities and wanting to help people is there any other reason why you would want to start a business from scratch rather than take your ideas to an established business and utilize their resources?

 

[royzizzle]

I'm going to spend the summer taking a business, a finance, and a speech class.

I've also talked to the school technology office and they can help me with my venture because they may have some interest in my device.

I actually feel great right now. I feel like I can be successful if I create something special that is affordable and drastically improves symptoms.

Yes, my attitude can be very inconsistant. I feel like a whole different person from yesterday :/

Thanks for the responses. Attitude is important

I'm young. I'm sure I can get back up and learn even if I fail