GC: I'm not as heavily involved as I might like, but I've been involved from time to time as a volunteer. I've volunteered, for example, to help young entrepreneurs vet out their business plans in preparation for a national contest. I was absolutely blown away by the sophistication, poise, creativity, and enthusiasm of these youths. One of the things I love about the U.S. is that it has a culture and infrastructure that encourages entrepreneurship. The winners of these contests were given cash awards and advice to help grow their businesses further. Even the ones that did not "win" still walked away with a lot of advice, and with more experience on how to pitch their business, network with people, etc. And the advisors/volunteers walked away with more inspiration and energy, perhaps more. A win-win all around.
SA: And you also volunteer with KASE (Korean American Society of Entrepreneurs). Tell us how you get involved with that.
GC: I'm the president of the east coast chapter of KASE. It's a non-profit organization dedicated to helping and supporting entrepreneurs, ostensibly in the Korean-American community, but we're really open to all communities of entrepreneurs. I was introduced to it about three years ago, and I felt an instant affinity to the group, so I volunteered. My involvement grew over time and eventually I was asked to be the chapter president.
SA: And the benefits of this type of organization for members?
GC: Philosophical answer:
I think of groups like KASE, TiE, Net-IP, and NAAAP as families. They're affinity groups of people who support each other (as families do/should) so that you can grow and help others to do the same. But like families, these organizations should not become islands where its members do not associate with other groups. So the purpose is to help its members to grow and extend beyond the group.
Real practical answer:
(1) We help our members by holding social and professional events where we allow them to network with each other, learn from each other, and find answers to questions. For example, we've had VCs come and speak to our members on how to get funding, experienced entrepreneurs come and talk about how to start and grow a company, and various other professionals come and talk about what resources they provide to entrepreneurs.
(2) We provide an international network of resources. We have chapters in Silicon Valley, Southern California, and in the future, Seoul Korea. These are people with specific experiences and skills that are relevant and helpful to our members that our members would not have otherwise met.
(3) As an organization, we can attract other resources (people, companies) that an individual would not be able to. For example, we can ask renowned speakers and business leaders to come and speak to our members. We can co-host events with NAAAP (which we've done) or Net-IP (which we plan to do), and meet their members. We're exploring ways to work together with Ryze, to the mutual benefit of both organizations.
(4) The emotional and psychological value of a support network are not to be underestimated. Having peers with whom you can share your issues and questions, against whom you can bounce ideas and get advice, and from whom you can receive encouragement in the face of difficulties are unquantifiable, but very valuable benefits of being involved with KASE.
Keep reading at Part 5: Networking