How to Maximize Your GEW Experience

By: Dustin Curzon, Executive Director of 36 Degrees North

Global Entrepreneurship Week starts on Monday, and it’s one of my favorite weeks of the year. It’s a celebration of Tulsa’s entrepreneurial community - the ideas, the companies, the people and the successes we’ve seen as a community over the past year. This year, we have an amazing, diverse set of events for experienced entrepreneurs and those just starting out. Here are 5 tips to get the most out of GEW:

1. Show Up
It’s easy to think that the best thing for your business is to stay home and work. While that’s sometimes true, it’s also crucial to the success of your business for you to learn from and network with people who can help propel you forward. You don’t have to go to every event - choose a few that are right for you and make them a priority in your schedule.

2. Come Up With 5 Questions to Ask
What hurdles are you facing? Who’s someone you’ve always wanted to meet in Tulsa? Most events will include Q&A time - this is a great opportunity for you to get answers from experts on your most pressing questions. Who knows, maybe someone else will have the same question.

3. Meet Someone New
Some people love networking. For others, it’s really hard. Guess what? Everyone else feels awkward too! So take a chance, find someone new at the event and find out who they are and what they’re passionate about. Remember those five questions from tip #2? Turns out, those are great conversation starters.

4. Bring your Partner, Investor or Customer
GEW is a great opportunity to spend time with your co-founder or investor and not just talk about how you’re going to survive another month. Use this time to talk about new opportunities and what’s next for your company. Plus, it gives you a boost for meeting new people.

5. Think About Next Year
One of the great things about GEW is that it provides an opportunity each year to reflect on the past and look towards the future. Where do you want to be by the next GEW? How are you going to get there? It’s time to set some goals.

It’s not too late to register for most GEW events. For times and locations, visit the Global Entrepreneurship Week Tulsa website.

See you there!