How to Think Like an Entrepreneur and Create a Bold Vision for Your Life

Speak In Flow

This exciting episode of the Speak In Flow podcast will help you understand the power of vision, creativity, and embracing the unknown. Melinda sits down with Oguzhan Aygoren, Director of Business Innovation at UC Berkeley, to explore how entrepreneurial thinking can transform your leadership style and personal growth. Whether you’re in a leadership position or aspiring to be, learn from Oguzhan as he shares his insights on how to create a bold vision for your life, both inside and outside the corporate world.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

Vision vs. Goals

While goals are achievable and plan-oriented, a vision is abstract and filled with possibility. In leadership, understanding this distinction allows you to think like an entrepreneur and dream beyond your current goals, inspiring your team with a bold vision for the future.

Embracing the Unknown

Entrepreneurship and leadership often mean stepping into uncharted territory. Oguzhan talks about how embracing the unknown can unlock innovative thinking and push you to break free from traditional paths. Leaders who think like entrepreneurs aren’t afraid of the unknown—they thrive in it.

The Power of Creativity

Entrepreneurial thinking involves seeing beyond what’s directly in front of you. Creativity is a key part of leadership that lets you turn your vision into reality. Oguzhan shares how thinking creatively can help you uncover opportunities and grow both professionally and personally.

Becoming the Entrepreneur of Your Own Life

You don’t need to run a startup to think like an entrepreneur. Oguzhan emphasizes that every leader can apply entrepreneurial thinking to their own life. It’s about taking ownership of your vision and being bold enough to pursue what truly excites you, whether in business or your personal life.

Aligning Vision with Purpose

When your vision aligns with the values of your company, you can make more significant contributions. Oguzhan explains how this alignment creates passion, motivation, and the drive to lead your team toward success.

Memorable Quotes:

“A goal is just a beginning point of that vision. A vision is a collection of goals. But you just don't know yet which goals you need to accomplish in order to turn that vision into something you need to explore.”

“I think there is a lot we can learn from those entrepreneurs because entrepreneurs combine this passion of the artist, the creative side of the artist with the execution side of the business.”

“Anyone can become an entrepreneur just by thinking more entrepreneurially and just by embracing this mindset, and it starts with having a vision for yourself.”

Connect with OGUZHAN AYGOREN:

Personal Website: https://www.oguzhanaygoren.com/

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oguzhanaygoren/

X Profile: https://x.com/oguzhan

Instagram profile: https://www.instagram.com/oaygoren

YouTube Profile: https://www.youtube.com/oguzhanaygoren

About the Guest:

Oguzhan Aygoren is a passionate leader, mentor, and advisor who wears many hats, from director to investor. Currently, he's the Director of the Institute for Business Innovation at UC Berkeley’s Haas Business School, where he's helping shape the future of business and leadership. With a background in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, an MBA, and a PhD in Marketing, Oguzhan has gained extensive experience in the world of innovation, spanning corporate, startup, and academic spaces. Above all, he likes to think of himself as an "academic entrepreneur," on a mission to inspire people to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset.

Fun-facts:

• Tinkering with electronic circuits as a kid sparked Oguzhan’s decision to study electronics engineering early on.
• He started coding on a Commodore 64 at age 10 and dreamed of becoming the next Bill Gates.
• He and his family love traveling to new and exciting places, even with a toddler—and now they’re planning to continue their adventures with a new baby in tow.
• In another life, Oguzhan imagined being an F1 driver, that is until he actually rode in a car on an F1 circuit!
• Always up for a challenge, Oguzhan loves experimenting with new sports and diving into fresh projects.

About Melinda:

Melinda Lee is a Presentation Skills Expert, Speaking Coach, and nationally renowned Motivational Speaker. She holds an M.A. in Organizational Psychology, is an Insights Practitioner, and is a Certified Professional in Talent Development as well as Certified in Conflict Resolution. For over a decade, Melinda has researched and studied the state of “flow” and used it as a proven technique to help corporate leaders and business owners amplify their voices, access flow, and present their mission in a more powerful way to achieve results.

She has been the TEDx Berkeley Speaker Coach and has worked with hundreds of executives and teams from Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Caltrans, Bay Area Rapid Transit System, and more. Currently, she lives in San Francisco, California, and is breaking the ancestral lineage of silence.

Website: https://speakinflow.com/

Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/speakinflow

Instagram: https://instagram.com/speakinflow

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mpowerall

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