The New American Dream: #Startup

What do think of when you think of the American dream? White Pickett fences or some antiquated take from the '50s? Well, throw that out the window because this is the new millennium. Everyone these days wants to be the next startup, that internet, social media, technology company that blows up and makes millions or billions over night. Now, not all of us can truly do that but with internet making millionaires everyday and small companies popping up seemingly over night technology has truly leveled the playing field. We here at Geeked Out have worked through and experienced this first hand, but let me tell you it's not all roses. Whether or not you buy into the notion of the American dream truly existing, the startup is that dream and it's here to stay...until, you know, we come up with something else.

In 2008 the housing market crash destroyed the lives of many. The economy itself has yet to fully recover but a slow, feeble recovery seems to be taking shape, even as 7.8% of Americans struggle to find work and many more have altogether dropped out of the work force. The optimism of America endures, however, and many of us look to the future. I myself started Geeked Out for one reason, I was tired of being an educated individual with a wealth of skills and working menial jobs because, well, that's who was hiring. One thing that makes this country great is even through adversity Americans have a resilient optimism and an entrepreneurial spirit.

So, what is a startup? And how do I jump on board? Well, you can do what I did. Geeked Out Electronics actually started as a Consumer Electronics company that half failed miserably and half never really got off the ground, but I kept at it and let it evolve to what it is now. We here are still evolving , still defining who we are and expanding what we offer. The ultimate goal in developing a startup into a successful business is offering a quality product or service which people truly find valuable and get paid for it. Here at Geeked Out we offer content. It's fun and we enjoy ourselves.

My recommendations if you want to launch your own startup is do some research and learn as much as you can. Udacity has a great course on How To Build A Startup. Your local Small Business Association can offer you all the information you need. Your city may even have a Startup Weekend and you could be in business in 54 hours. Business Incubators are another way to go allowing you to meet with other entrepreneurs. Eric Ries' book Lean Startup is also one of the greatest teaching tools you could utilize. All in all with the wealth of resources we have to achieve the next American dream I think America has a bright future.