Unleashing Inner Superpowers: The Mentors Behind Our Young Entrepreneurs
In the entrepreneurial journey, guidance can make all the difference. At BizWorld, our mission to “equip future generations with entrepreneurial life skills to unlock their potential and create economic opportunity” comes to life through the dedication of our volunteer mentors. These professionals don’t just share knowledge—they help unleash the innovative genius inside each young entrepreneur. The Power of Mentorship: Paying It Forward For many of our volunteers, their commitment to mentorship stems from their own experiences of being guided—or sometimes, navigating without that crucial support. “Having a mentor is super important,” emphasizes Larry Jacobson, Author, Speaker, Coach and BizWorld Volunteer. I remember at one stage in my career I couldn’t find a mentor when I really needed it and it was really frightening to have to build alone…” Today, Larry donates his time to ensuring young entrepreneurs don’t face the same challenge. “Through my coaching and mentorship, I give people the motivation, strength, and permission to take action and make change happen.” Marc Hankin, an International Patent, Tradework and Copywriting Attorney who leads IP workshops for our young entrepreneurs, shares similar sentiments. “Everyone has benefited from mentors in their careers, and unfortunately there often are not enough mentors to go around, but they are so needed and important!” Having spent 37 years in the intellectual property law industry, Marc finds additional fulfillment in guiding the next generation through the complexities of protecting their innovative ideas. Translating Expertise into Accessible Wisdom Our mentors excel at making complex professional concepts accessible to young minds. Whether it’s intellectual property law, public speaking, or effective communication, they’ve mastered the art of simplification without sacrificing substance. Lital Cohen, a Public Speaking and Communication Coach who helps our young entrepreneurs tell their stories effectively, emphasizes: “KEEP IT AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE! Simplicity does not mean that it’s not sophisticated.” With clients ranging from Stanford University to Google, Lital brings high-level expertise to her workshops but delivers it in ways young entrepreneurs can immediately apply. When we asked Marc Hankin how he breaks down complex IP concepts into practical advice he had this to say, “One simple tip that I always share is to before you create a product, do a little bit of searching to see what’s already out there! A little bit of Google searching can go a long way.” By focusing on actionable steps rather than overwhelming theory, he empowers young entrepreneurs to protect their innovations from the start. The BizWorld Difference What draws these accomplished professionals to volunteer with BizWorld specifically? For many, it’s the quality and motivation of the young entrepreneurs themselves. “I’ve been very surprised by the quality of the YES! Participants! They’re really smart and have really good ideas, and they’re open to listening to how to improve,” shares Larry Jacobson. “I used to worry about younger generations, but there are clearly a lot of really smart younger kids who will hopefully help to fix the world.” For Marc Hankin, it’s about the unique opportunity to work with highly motivated students. “It’s very rewarding to work with highly motivated students! These young professionals want to be here!” he explains. “BizWorld has created a really great and unique program and being able to contribute to these young entrepreneurs future success is a really great way to give back.” Lital Cohen, who has been volunteering with BizWorld for over eight years, is drawn by the organization’s authentic commitment to its mission. “It’s rare that you get a chance to impact an organization filled with employees that really work from the heart; that makes it so easy to want to support BizWorld!“ The Transformation: Witnessing Growth and Impact Perhaps the most rewarding aspect for our mentors is witnessing the transformation of our young entrepreneurs throughout the program. “In the beginning of the YES! program I see confusion and a lot of shy faces, but at the end at Demo Day when they’re ready to pitch their businesses, WOW! It’s amazing to see the transformation from shy, to them pitching and answering live public questions with confidence, all while still being their authentic selves.” In our exclusive interview with Marc Hankin he told us, “I love watching these young entrepreneurs learn new concepts… Seeing the lights come on for the students as they really understand how they fit into their industry and how they might protect their specific businesses and inventions really makes this all worth it.” A True Community of Mentors As we continue to grow our impact—reaching over 890,000 young people since our founding—we’re always seeking new mentors to join our community. You don’t need to fully understand entrepreneurship or the BizWorld programming to get started. As Lital Cohen advises: “If you simply have a gut feeling of curiosity, I recommend you come as a visitor or guest to an event and get a sneak peek! Even if you’re unsure about it, I suggest that you volunteer your time anyway; you don’t have a long or big commitment! I started with 1 workshop and now I’ve happily given 8 years of volunteering because of the impact that I saw was happening.” The benefits flow both ways. “Mentorship is good for the mentor as well!” Lital points out. “The highest level of happiness comes through giving and then seeing the impact!” In Marc Hankin’s words: “Everyone has benefited from mentors in our careers… for the system to keep circling and working, you have to be willing to give back to it! It can’t just all be take, take, take because end of day it won’t be self-sustaining, you have to give back.” Are you ready to help unleash the innovative genius inside the next generation of entrepreneurs? Learn more about becoming a BizWorld mentor and making a lasting impact on young innovators. Watch our full feature video interviews with each of our mentors on our Youtube Channel linked below. Larry Jacobson, Author, Speaker, Coach – Business Website | BizWorld Interview on Youtube Marc Hankin, International Patent, Trademark and Copywriting Attorney – Business
