Entrepreneurs with Inspiration: CSB Business Symposium
By Haripriya Rathod–At the Cameron School of Business’ First Annual Business Symposium, I attended the Entrepreneurship Panel where two very talented and inspiring speakers were invited to share their peals of wisdom.
Never Give Up
Our first speaker was, Mr. Sachin Chowdhry, a former businessman, entrepreneur, and an industry consultant. He inspired the audience with his real life experiences. He, as a businessman had seen many ups and downs in his life. From working with multinational companies as an executive to owning his business and loosing it all and starting again from scratch. He shared his manta of life to be, “Don’t say why me, say try me.” His lecture was encouraging to future entrepreneurs as he talked about the mistakes he made and advised us on how it is very necessary for business owners to know the pulse of their business, to examine and see if leadership is working with your staff. He redefined opportunity cost as opportunity lost.
He also shared the importance of knowing when to walk away and when to say no. He once owned 9 Quiznos stores in Houston and lost them all. He explained that he learned many lessons the hard way, but his spirit of getting back on his feet wasn’t shaken. In the end, he suggested we have a timeline(Chart) of our goals, have a very clear mindset of what we want, make smart choices and never give up.
Age is Just a Number
Our second speaker was Ms. Mabel C. Bryant. She is 70 years old but is living proof that “Age is just a number.” She was more enthusiastic than anyone in the room. She is a lady full of energy and radiance.
She too shared her personal journey as an entrepreneur-from being a science major to a restaurant owner and finally becoming an insurance agent. Her journey was a roller coaster ride.
She emphasized the importance of being passionate about one’s work. Decide on what you want to do, she said, then work hard and take responsibilities for your actions. She encouraged the audience to always see the glass half full and make the most of any situation. She shared how it is very important to love your work and not always just look at dollars. She assured the audience from her experience that good networking is essential to success.
She believes her key to success is that she is active, hard working, very organized, never one to procrastinate and confident in what she does. She ended her speech by saying, “When people say you can’t do it, prove them wrong.”
Conclusion
I thoroughly enjoyed learning from these two entrepreneurs, and I appreciate CSB for holding the business symposium where opportunities like this are available. It was indeed an inspirational session.
MBA (MIS), candidate – University of St. Thomas