Out of the thirty organizers he contacted, only one responded. But one was all he needed. Shreyas was the only kid to give a talk that evening, but his became one of the most watched of the bunch. Shreyas is now five Tedx talks in.
By now, Shreyas had established a pattern: He didn’t wait to be qualified enough to pursue his ambitions. He just did, and figured it out from there. And just the way he liked the idea of giving a Tedx talk, though he had no real credentials to do so, he pursued the idea of entrepreneurship before he had an idea for a business or any experience to start one. Shreyas joined the Young Entrepreneurs Academy where he found mentors and resources, and eventually uncovered his business idea after his mom suggested he wear something interesting that would help him start a conversation as the new kid in his high school.
When I asked Shreyas what he wants to be when he grows up, he shrugged off the question and said he didn’t understand why grownups always seem to ask him this question.
“The question I'd like to answer is, ‘Who do I want to be when I grow up?’” says Shreyas. “I don't know what I'll be doing, but I know who I want to be. I know I want to be a person who is willing to go off the beaten path, who's willing to take a chance, who's willing to fail, and willing to learn from it.”
Deborah Song
