Stevenson University had the honor of hosting an entrepreneurship panel. The panel consisted of six different entrepreneurs from different business paths. From each panelist, I gained useful advice and learned new things. From Chris Daley, founder, and principal of Whirlaway, LLC I learned that it is never too late to start a business. If there is something you want to do go for it. Daley had a role model teacher that inspired him to start his own business. Andrew Murphy, partner, and owner of Flying Frog Publishing taught me to figure out what I want, ask myself how am I going to get it, and what I am willing to sacrifice for it. This resonated with me because sometimes I put too much on my plate and forget I need to have a balance between what I can do, what I want to do, and how I am going to do it. Elizabeth Trimm, Branch manager of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, taught me to set goals for myself and not let others get in the way. Andy Brown, Founder, and CEO of Eat Pizza taught me to network with others. Networking will help me build relationships which can lead to more relations and aid in the future or at unexpected times. Garrett Pfeifer of Maryland Brand Management taught me to be confident. I took this advice as, if I’m not confident in myself why should others be?
This event related to our class when it came to how the entrepreneurs got their start. A lot of the panelist talked about starting up their business. A key point in their startup was identifying their personal why. In our recent works on rhetorical analysis, we look at purpose; the purpose and understanding someones why helps us figure out what something is supposed to do, mean, and represent. I also think this event relates to our class because of publishing. The panelist talked about branding themselves, mentioning press releases, creating a website, and networking. In our class, we focus on digital publishing, design, and context. When the panelists talked about colors, style guides, and staying on top of what is new I could relate it to our class. We are currently working with WordPress and learning information that can help us become better publishers and designers. This event helped me for my future because I plan to in some way be involved with technology. The event also made me realize all of the opportunities available to me and what I can do to get my feet wet in the business world. Although I do not plan on being an entrepreneur, this information has helped tremendously.