Hub101 asked Richard Poutier, owner and operator of an app developing company, and John Ikudaisi & Alexis Schomer, founders of 360 Corporate Wellness, for advice on how to start creating your own business.

Here are five tips on how to launch your own business while still in school.

1. PLAN

It’s very important to plan out entirely what your goals are and the steps you’re going to take to achieve them. Start with flushing out all of your ideas and find the ones that make sense to start making a business plan you can refer to and stick to.

“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” - John Wooden

2. THINK LONG TERM

It’s easy to take the first job you are offered straight out of school, but if you have a big dream of establishing your own business, sometimes the big job offer doesn’t work out with that plan. You could be stuck at a company for years without making any progress on your personal business plan. If it means freelancing your skills and working with a small set of clients for a few years while you get your bearings, so be it. That being said, nothing happens overnight, so take your time on creating your masterpiece.

3. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE SIMILAR GOALS

If you’re working toward a certain goal, it would only make sense that you work in a productive, progressive environment. Surround yourself with positive and supportive people who have similar goals to you, whether it’s entrepreneurial goals or academic ones. It makes it so much easier to continue to progress and grow as an individual, or as a business, when everyone around you is doing the same.

4. LEARN HOW TO SAY NO

Whether it’s a party on Saturday night, or just simply hanging out with friends, saying no can result in more time for you to work on your plan. Social lives aren’t the only distractions you may come across. More often than not, you’ll have to learn how to say no to some business opportunities or say no to new clients. Don’t spread yourself too thin, take it slow.

5. JUST START

If you’re on the fence on how to begin, the best advice from our young entrepreneurs at Hub101 is that the best and only way to start, is to just start. Start planning anything and everything even though it might be messy at first, but getting down the foundation is the most important part. The more you work at it, the more progress you will make.

Hub101

Operated by California Lutheran University in Westlake Village, CA, Hub101 offers coworking, community and mentorship for entrepreneurs and small business owners to start, grow and scale their startups with the help of mentors, coaches and service providers. #StartSomething