Author Archives: E. Buratovic

In May this year, I got assigned to be part of the project-leader group for EA Meets Singapore 2019. EA Meets is organized by Entrepreneurs Academy to inspire entrepreneurship for students, which this year means we are taking 20 entrepreneur-interested students across the globe all the way to Singapore!  Even though it is still a month left until all 20 of us will meet at Arlanda to start this crazy adventure, the journey up until this point has been amazingly developing for me.

Even though I have been involved in several projects before, this has so far been the most challenging project out of them all. But also incredibly rewarding. When I accepted the position, I did not completely understand the responsibility that was acquired, and what impact I would have on my surroundings. However, when looking back at how my perspective has grown and what we as a group have accomplished so far, it really puts a smile on my face. Even though we have not actually left the country yet! From funding & sponsorship, to contacting start-ups and companies and convincing them that they should be part of this project, to marketing and campus-tours to find the right candidates, to suddenly be working with recruiting and interviewing. Right now, the initial idea is actually starting to take shape, and I realize I love every part of it. 

There is still one month left until take-off, and the excitement just keeps on expanding. Let’s see what the journey will bring us. 
Bon voyage!

Everyone from the School of Entrepreneurship was invited to participate in an interview yesterday with the founder and former CEO och Skype, Niklas Zennström. During this interview I took some notes from parts I found to be extra interesting, where the exact notes said: 

• Comfort in failure
• Perseverance
• Fail fast, learn, do not fail at it twice. Be humble
• Passion, pursue it

As a student with a background in the field of chemical engineer, most of the time there will always be a right and a wrong answer, and getting a wrong answer is bad. This way of thinking is however not exclusive for chemistry. The same mindset is presented in the surroundings all the time. Never fail, always succeed. That is the dream. 

I started at the School of Entrepreneurship exactly one month ago, and failure is the topic that has evolved and changed my opinion the most. Suddenly, I hear that failure is good and important. It can even be necessary sometimes. Failure is just a part of the process and it will take you forward. Hearing Niklas bringing up this topic, and hearing that failure is not something to be afraid of but rather should be something to be comfortable with, really shows that this mindset permeates the entrepreneurial world. 

It is quite hard to unlearn something you have been told your whole life, but it is definitely not impossible. I have started to incorporate this new attitude towards failure in my everyday life, and slowly I have already seen small changes. I try not to disparage myself anymore and aim to view failure as a learning experience instead of a defeat. What part should I do differently and how can I improve until next time? Perseverance in this will hopefully eventually become a habit, and I encourage you to try this as well.