Sneha Dave, a senior at IU Bloomington, is the founder of Health Advocacy Summit. The organization connects and empowers young adults with invisible chronic and rare illnesses through advocacy events and yearlong programs. It currently operates in six states and internationally. Its work is supported by the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Trust and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Crimson Catalyst: If a person has an idea for a business, what are the first three actions they should take to make it a reality?
Sneha Dave: 1) Don’t feel like you have to have all the details planned out; you can literally start today. 2) Know what you are trying to accomplish. 3) Build a website.
CC: What has surprised you during the course of your day-to-day entrepreneurial journey?
SD: How much you learn about yourself! Also, the number of calls and amount of time you might spend daily talking on the phone to partners, funders, team members, etc.
CC: How do you define success?
SD: Being well-rounded and compassionate.
CC: What is dangerous or scary about being an entrepreneur?
SD: I think the dangerous aspect of entrepreneurship is taking it too seriously. Entrepreneurship comes with this idea of little sleep, lots of caffeine, no leisure time and often feeling the need to express to others how busy your lifestyle is. While there will be times when you will have all of the above, you can be an entrepreneur and still make time for other things. It might be just a little time, but still!
CC: What is the best advice you’ve received?
SD: I am not great at taking advice, but I recently have begun realizing how fast time goes by, so the best advice is to make the most of it!
CC: What is the best advice you can offer?
SD: As cliché as it sounds, taking care of yourself is really important. Starting something from scratch is a process and can be really difficult, so make sure you don’t compromise your well-being.
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