Group shows creative side of business

Whether your dream is to become a leading fashion designer or the next Michael Jackson, the Rutgers Entrepreneurial Society provided an outlet last night to expand this dream and potentially have it come true.

The event, "The Sexy Side of Entrepreneurship," was held in the Multipurpose Room of the Rutgers Student Center on the College Avenue campus, providing both student and outside entrepreneurs the chance to show off their business ideas and passion.

President of RES Marc Cortez said the event showed what University students can do outside of their daily academic work, which is what his organization attempts to do.

"Our mission is to bring out the creative drive within our students in the Rutgers community and make a statement that they pretty much can do it when comes to entertainment, music and the arts," said Cortez, a School of Arts and Sciences senior. "We also want to show, even though it is a tough industry, our Rutgers students can breakthrough as well."

Co-founder of RES Benjamin Lapidus said the turnout was excellent and the diversity of the crowd made the event a huge success.

"I think the important thing is that there is a really good mix between venture capitalists, distinguished guests, as well as [entrepreneurial] students, giving an opportunity for students to grow their knowledge and enticement for entrepreneurship," said Lapidus, a School of Arts and Sciences senior.

Co-founder Melissa Lee echoed Lapidus' words, saying it was the mix of people at the event that made it a success.

"Instead of bringing in 9-to-5 people from the city working typical jobs, we wanted to bring a completely different side out of entrepreneurship — the sexy side," said Lee, a School of Arts and Sciences senior. "We have a mix of all different age groups, with all the different industries of fashion, arts and entertainment."

The highlight of the event was the panel of speakers RES invited to bring motivation and education to aspiring entrepreneurs, which included Terry Stewart and Matt Myklusch.

Stewart, president of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and 1969 Rutgers alumnus, said the main point he wanted to deliver was to always chase your dreams, do what you love, and the time to start doing it is now.

"You are bulletproof now. You don't have any debts theoretically — you don't have babies, you don't have houses and you don't have cars," he said. "This is when you have to do it."

Myklusch, director of Ancillary Business of MTV Networks, agreed with Stewart, saying he wants to make sure students know whatever they want to do with their lives, they can do it.

"There is going to be a million opportunities life is going to give you. No one is going to force you to do whatever it is you're trying to do and there is going to be a lot of excuses for you to give up along the way," said Myklusch, a 1999 Rutgers alumnus. "But these are just excuses and not reasons."

Myklusch said, as he grew up, his dream was to become a writer. But he was afraid to take the risk of becoming a starting artist. Even though he focused on bringing in a steady paycheck with a regular job, he never took that dream out of his back pocket.

"The message is, whatever it is, don't give up. Just keep going and if takes 10 years [or] even 15 years, as long as you don't quit at it, you haven't failed," he said. "The only fail is when you stop trying and if you don't do that, you really can't fail."

The panel not only provided University alumni but also current student Phillip T. Annand.

Annand, a School of Arts and Sciences junior, started a T-shirt fashion line in high school, which he said gained both domestic and international recognition and grew into a successful business.

Many students are daunted by the thought that they need a financial or business plan, Annand said.

"I have something pretty wildly successful with no business plan or investors. At the end of the day, with the kind of opportunities that we all have at our fingertips with the Internet and how connected we all are today, a little idea can be the biggest thing," he said. "Don't let the business bog you down."

Although the star-studded speaker list was the main feature, many student entrepreneurs preceded the panel and allowed visitors to see what they have done or plan to do.

School of Arts and Sciences junior Alexandra Hausner is a professional singer and songwriter, releasing her first album at the age of 16 under her company, Alexandra Kelly.

"I just recently released a second full studio album, and I am here to promote my brand new album, my website and my youtube.com video and hopefully get a bunch of new fans," she said.

Hausner said the event provided an outlet to shed light on her business and show what many young students are trying to do with their careers.

"It's so hard for us because we have to find our own financial funding and our own promotion teams," she said. "So I just think this is a great way to spread the word across campus that these are things your classmates are doing and you can do it too."

The event was not restricted to potential or current entrepreneurs, many interested University students attended to learn about the opportunities of entrepreneurship.

Rutgers Business School first-year student Vivian Chiu said she attended the event to hear what advice or inspiration the speakers had to offer.

"They all seem like they have a lot of experience and have a lot of insight that could help," she said. "These people have a lot of experience in their professional field and just to hear them speak, I feel like I will learn a lot."

Chiu also said the event did not only provide information from experts for entrepreneurship, but displayed what students at the University are capable of.

"I thought it was really inspiring to know that other students, in addition to their college majors, have other passions and that also reminds me to stick to my passions as well," she said.

Ridah Mannan, part of public relations for RES, hopes University students will become involved in RES after the event, noting the student does not need to be an economic or business major to be successful.

"I am a communications and English major, which has nothing to do with business," said Mannan, a School of Arts and Sciences senior. "I found my calling here and I think it's a great organization to get started with and finish out with too."