Young Entrepreneur Success Stories Panel,
April 22, 2008

 

The Young Entrepreneur Success Stories Panel was co-sponsored by the School of Business, the Small Business Development Center, and the E-Club.  To view the press release announcing this event, see: TCNJ hosts panel of Success Stories for Young Entrepreneurs.

 

 

Student Comments about the YESS Program:

Christine Cullen: I thought they all had fantastic advice- I loved when TCNJ students pitched ideas to them and they were able to critique those ideas. The keynote speaker, Mike, was really great!

 

Mark Shepherd: I thought the program went really well. We got to listen to entrepreneurs and take their advice on how to start our own businesses. It also allowed a few students like myself to share their ideas with people who have been there and done it already and get their feedback on possible changes that need to be made or alternate routes for success.

 

Francesca Slimane (exchange student from Great Britain): I really enjoyed the program ... it was cool, because there was a variety of entrepreneurs from different fields. The handout sheet was also useful, I went home and googled them all.

 

Valerie Bonczek: I really enjoyed the YESS program. All of the presenters/panel members had unique perspectives and each of their comments were valuable in a different way. I think once word gets out about this event, it can really grow... It was a very inspiring event. I also really liked the organization of the evening but think that there should be more time for the elevator pitches, Q&A, and one-on-one talking afterwards. Thanks! and great event!

 

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Featured speakers included:

• Mike Michalowicz, CEO of Obsidian Launch, has recently appeared on The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch. He was recognized as Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 1999 by the MCCC, New Jersey's Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the SBA in 2000, and is a 2004 graduate of MIT's “Birthing of Giants” Entrepreneurial Program. Obsidian Launch is a business growth accelerator that partners with young first time entrepreneurs, deploying a differentiating strategy, implementing systemization tools and by providing hands-on experts to launch a rapidly growing and healthy business.
  http://www.obsidianlaunch.com/

• Catherine Cook is a college freshman and co-founder of the fastest-growing social networking site on the Internet, myYearbook.com. She and her brother, Dave, brainstormed the idea—a digital yearbook for the modern age—then persuaded their older brother, Geoff, to jump on board as their first investor. In just over a year, Catherine helped grow the site to 1.7M US unique visitors and achieved low 7-figure annual revenue through partnerships with companies like P&G. She also helped raise $4.1 Million in venture capital and is currently an International Business and Marketing major at Georgetown University.  myYearbook currently gets 5M unique visitors per month and over a billion pageviews per month.
  http://www.myyearbook.com/

• Erica McGeachy Crenshaw, a former Wall Street equity research analyst at Goldman Sachs, purchased the New York City rights to AmeriSpec Home Inspection Service, the leading home inspection company in North America, in 2002. She has since acquired 4 additional territories and is ranked 20th among 400 AmeriSpec owners.  Ms. Crenshaw has been featured in newspapers, magazines, and radio programs in the New York City area. In addition, she has been recognized by the NYC Commission on Women’s Issues as an exceptional role model for would-be entrepreneurs. She sits on the board of Workshop in Business Opportunities (WIBO), a non-profit organization, which focuses on enabling small business owners and budding entrepreneurs from under-served communities to obtain financial success.
  http://www.executenow.com/

• Brad Downs, a four year varsity athlete with the nationally ranked Lions Baseball Program, graduated from TCNJ in 2005 with a B.A. in Communications. Following his successful athletic career, Brad worked as a real estate associate and with his partner Sean Devlin, developed Front Rush, a web-based application that enables athletic recruiters to manage recruits, roster, alumni, and contacts. As Co-founder, and Sales and Marketing rep, Brad brings to Front Rush an unrivaled ability to work directly with clients to help them exceed their goals and needs.
  http://www.frontrush.com/web/

• GardenStateApartments.com was founded in 2005 by Sunny Kancherla (MBA), a real estate professional and licensed NJ broker with nearly 10 years of experience in the industry. Formerly a Credit Manager for Wachovia Bank, Mr. Kancherla underwrote, closed, and managed transactions from $5 million to $250+ million in commercial real estate assets before leaving to found the NJ Apartment MLS.  Mr. Kancherla's experience as tenant, landlord, rental agent, property manager, and commercial real estate lender, allows him to see the apartment renting process from many different perspectives.
  http://www.gardenstateapartments.com/

• Michael Periu is the director and founder of the New Business Institute which provides training, information and insight to aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners. NBI offers programs in English and Spanish to ensure that everyone has access to sound advice before launching a business.  Mr. Periu reaches millions of people across the country through his syndicated newspaper column and weekly national television and radio appearances.  He has degrees in Finance and International Business from Georgetown University and is a distinguished recipient of several awards including the Phillips Award for Entrepreneurship.
  http://www.newbusinessinstitute.org/

 

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