Entrepreneurial Students Welcome ... Entrepreneurs

Cache Valley entrepreneur Robert Harris told a crowd of more than 150 Utah State University business students recently that successful entrepreneurs aren’t “lucky” people. In fact, they aren’t the people who work the hardest either.

“Success is not about enthusiasm or drive or even about being willing to jump into the fire - it’s about jumping into the fire and not getting burned,” Harris told students during the university’s first Entrepreneur Day, organized by College of Business students in the CEO Club.

 

Harris joined a team of other successful entrepreneurs who volunteered their time to meet with students in a series of breakout sessions throughout the day and into the evening. A highlight of the day was the “Elevator Pitch Competition,” an event where teams of students “pitched” their entrepreneurial idea to a panel of judges comprised of the successful entrepreneurs. Teams had two minutes to make their case, then the judges awarded $7,000 in prize money to the six ideas they considered the most meritorious.

 

In addition to Harris, volunteer entrepreneurs included main sponsor Gary Anderson (Stephens Cocoa), co-sponsors Dave Anderson and Jeron Paul (vSpring Capital), and Bob Murray (Alpine Confections), Blake Kirby (Inovar) and Paul Woodland (Hooked on Phonics).

 

Harris, perhaps best known for starting the Chem-Dry network, told students during the keynote speech that they are responsible for their own destinies and their own successes. Entrepreneurs know how to make money by seizing opportunities when they arise. He precipitated a first-hand example when he asked the crowd if anyone would be willing to jump on stage and spell “entrepreneur.” When one student leaped forward, instead of making him spell the word, he handed the student a $100 bill instead as a prize for his boldness. “Entrepreneurs make things happen,” he told the students.

 

Entrepreneur Day seemed to spark ideas in many of the students who attended, said Charise Carlson, president of the CEO Club.

 

“The best parts of the conference were the exchange of ideas and the feedback from successful entrepreneurs,” she said. “Many students don’t even know what ‘entrepreneur’ means, and this conference was a great way to educate them and give them an idea of the opportunities available.”

 

Another one of the students who helped organize the conference, Brett Reeder, said he and the other club officers learned, first, how much work it takes to organize and coordinate a large-scale conference.

 

“It was a lot of work and there were many details to consider, but the rewards in the end surpassed all of our expectations,” Reeder said. “The CEO club worked hard to show these generous donors, speakers and other alumni that Utah State University has a growing, enthusiastic and highly successful entrepreneurial program. We will continue to work hard so new students have the opportunity to compete in an even larger business competition.”

 

E-day also provided a networking opportunity for students. Students had the chance to meet with the successful entrepreneurs, of course. But the day also allowed them to network on a different level with faculty and staff in the College of Business.

 

Beau Lewis, a member of the CEO club and winner of the elevator-pitch competition, said he felt that E-day had many advantages.

 

 “I greatly benefited from simply spending time with the entrepreneurs and learning from them,” Lewis said. “Just by talking with them during dinner I learned a lot about how I can personally mold myself into an entrepreneur. I left the conference excited to open up my mind and start developing my ideas and my character as an entrepreneur would.”

 

The six teams that placed in the Elevator Pitch Competition are:

 

1 – Lewis Cabinets (Beau, Brady, Bobby Lewis): expand their family cabinet business

2 – Effortless Spa (Ruth Thompson): supply a machine designed to bathe the elderly and

      people with disabilities

3 – Cell Phone Dock (Don Wortley): technology to dock any cell phone at home and use

      cordless phones using cell phone minutes

4 – Little Amigos (Bret Olsen, Aubrey Olsen, Rocio Sagastume, Lori Olsen): starting a

      bilingual dual-immersion language development preschool in Logan in the fall

5 – Unlimited Cinema Inc. (Gary Hoffman): offer unlimited monthly viewing

      passes as well as the traditional pay-per-movie method

6 – Innovonics (Shane Hogan): start a 3rd party utility billing and management company

      that would focus on large apartment management companies