Stevenson University hosted an Entrepreneurship Panel which comprised of six entrepreneurs with differing experiences building their career. The six panelists were John Dinkel of Dinkel Business Development, Chris Daley, founder and principal of Whirlaway, Andrew Murphy, owner of Flying Frog Publishing, Elizabeth Trimm, branch manager of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Andy Brown, founder and CEO of Eat Pizza, and lastly Garrett Pfeifer of Maryland Brand Management. Each of the panelists answered questions that offered insight on being an entrepreneur and taking control of your own career and the decisions necessary to achieve their goals. While they each come from various career backgrounds, they all shared striking similarities when it came to the advice they gave that led to their success. The most important aspects of creating a name for themselves was creating networks. They highlighted that joining committees and becoming members of boards is a great way to put yourself out there and to connect with other people whom in the future could be useful to your success. While building networks are important, it is also important to foster those relationships because they can provide more than just a connection, but also other career opportunities. All of the panelists agreed that individuals must work hard for their cause and to know the “Why” in what they’re doing. They were faced with difficult decisions and sacrificed a lot of their time to ensure the success of their business. The most important advice I remembered was to aim high and hustle. Despite who an individual is, they need to aim high, focus on growth, and hustle if they want to see themselves succeed in their career.
The Entrepreneurship Panel connects to our class in that the panelists discussed the importance of branding. Creating websites allows a business to build its brand in their own image. In digital publications, we are developing skills in website design and the importance of making sure that the intended audience is able to access that company. Our class allows students to publish blog posts that can be used as a way to build our portfolios which can also be seen by future employers. As for the career path I have chosen to pursue, the panelists’ advice about building networks and working hard is important in nursing, especially since I am thinking about opening up a private practice office after I go back to school to become a nurse practitioner and possibly a doctor. Once I achieve my long term goals, I can use the skills I learned in our publications class to create a website and advertise my private practice and hopefully gather clients to serve.