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Famous Entrepreneurs Talk About their Dads Inspiration can be found everywhere - great experiences shared by successful people, a few lines read from a good book, little things that happen in our daily lives or a piece of advice from someone close. In conjunction with this Sunday's Father's Day, let's find out how some successful entrepreneurs were inspired by their fathers. Ivanka Trump, Founder of Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry The 26-year-old daughter of Donald and Ivana Trump has branched out from the family business, the Trump Organization, where she is vice-president of real estate development and acquisitions, to launch her own jewelry collection. The diamond creations of Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry, which range in price from $750 to $1 million, are sold online and at her flagship shop on Madison Avenue in Manhattan. "Independence is the greatest gift. My father allowed me to learn by doing while always watching and making himself available should I need advice or counsel. Growing up, my parents fostered an entrepreneurial spirit in me and my brothers. I was encouraged to think outside the box, take risks that were well calculated, and make my own decisions after listening to the best counsel available to me. This perspective has encouraged me not only to continually push myself in my role at the Trump Organization, but also to start my first independent venture." Earl Graves Sr., Founder and publisher, Black Enterprise Graves, 73, a former aide to Robert Kennedy and at one point the head of the largest minority-controlled Pepsi-Cola franchise in the U.S., launched Black Enterprise in 1970. In addition to the magazine, his holdings include an event planning business and a private equity group. "My father went to work every day with a suit on. Now, he didn't have six suits, but he wore a suit every day. ...If you look at my shoes that I have on right now, you can see your face in them.... There's only one standard and that's that we're going to look like business. Dressing down is not what I think is part of the business culture.... I have never met a corporate officer who didn't look like he was prepared for business." Anne Beiler, Founder of Auntie Anne's Beiler, 59, began baking pretzels to help her husband open a free family-counseling center. A year later, the couple purchased a stand at a farmer's market in Downingtown, Pa., where they sold Anne's hand-rolled soft pretzels. Today, there are more than 300 Auntie Anne's stores in 15 countries. "As a little girl growing up on a farm with Mom and Dad plus seven siblings, I learned that work, faith, and discipline was the norm of the day. I watched my dad with awe. He spent his life finding ways to provide for his family of eight children. The example he left was to work hard, be a risk-taker, and never be afraid to fail. His line was: 'Do it with will, do it with might, things done by halves are never done right.'" So appreciate what your dad has done for you, and learn something from him today. Who knows that it may bring you success in your entrepreneurial venture! Posted by Ashley @ 22:35 Tue, 31/08/2010 |
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Webinar with Colin Lee Colin Lee, founder of Shift International will be hosting a FREE webinar on the 1st of September at 8pm. He is an entrepreneur who is dedicated to empowering young people and helping them build on their dreams. In late 2004, he set up Shift International, which inspires young people to empower themselves through fun-shops, podium discussions and round table talks. He has appeared on several radio and TV programs and is respected for his insight on youth development. He is also an author of many magazine articles on youth related challenges. He has been featured in SBS, Triple J TV, The Sydney Business Review, My Business Magazine, Fairfax Community Newspapers, Sydney Weekly and Succeed Magazine. You can access the webinar here at 8pm this Wednesday. You will get the opportunity to hear Colin's story and also to ask any questions at the end, all in the comfort of your own home. If you have any questions about the webinar please direct them to Dianne Caldwell at dianne@livethepassion.com.au. |
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Picking a good name for your startup/business
Stumbled upon an interesting article on The Age recently about naming startups. Choosing a name for your startup will be one of your first decisions as an entrepreneur, but it can also be one of the trickiest.
Too often in the rush of trying to launch something new, entrepreneurs pay too little attention to coming up with a good name for their product or business. It might start off as a part-time project and they just want to get it up and running. So they pick the first name that comes to mind—often something awful—and then they are stuck with it.
When picking a good name for your business, here are several Do's and Don'ts outlined in the article:
And cue some funny business names:
Posted by Adrian @ 1.02am, 29/8/10 |
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How not to pitch your business idea With Idea Pitch just around the corner, take a look at this funny video of what not to do while pitching your idea at this year's competition. Enjoy! Don't forget to submit your idea before the deadline this Friday on the 27th of August. Idea Pitch will give you a chance to improve your pitching skills through workshops from professional speakers and a chance to win over $5000 worth of cash and other prizes - including $900 tickets to this year's Knowledge Cities World Summit and $750 consults with venture capitalists. All Victorian students welcome. Find out more at www.se.org.au/ideapitch. |
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E-week Wrap-up To some it was about passion, to others it was an initiation, and to remainder it was something they will never forget. This is especially true for the 100 contenders who took part in the Innovators Challenge who spent the week trying to add as much value as they could to the humble water bottle. Most, if not all, of these competitors hadn’t so much as thought twice about entrepreneurship before, but the allure of $4000 worth of prizes was too much to resist. Six of the 28 registered teams claimed prizes at the closing ceremony and special mention goes to Team Ad Smash whose novel idea of hidden advertisements behind the bottles’ label that float down with the water level was both very interesting and very commercially viable with tonnes of potential. Other entries can be found here. The winners of this year's Innovator's Challenge were:
The week was a resounding success any way you look at it. During events attendees’ mouths were often gasping from the anecdotes from speakers, stunned from the new found motivation they were inexplicably equipped with and at times overwhelmed with the possibilities that their newly forged horizons were now affording them. The week’s accomplishments were definitely down to the quality of speakers and sponsors that supported the week. From the Opening Ceremony with Mag Nation founder, Sahil Merchant and CEO of the City of Melbourne, Kathy Alexander, to high praise from the University of Melbourne provost, the stirring final speech from Villa and Hut CEO Franz Madlener and all the amazing speakers in between - Colin Lee, Andrew Conway, Charlie Day to name a few – safely ensured that this was the biggest, best and most successful Entrepreneurs Week ever.
Student Entrepreneurs now turn their attention towards Idea Pitch 2010 - a pitching competition where competitors face off against each other to put forth their best business ideas in hopes of winning their share of over $5000 worth of cash and prizes to further their entrepreneurial dreams.
Written by Andrew Buono |
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IdeaPitch 2010 Student Entrepreneurs | Agents of Change is proud to announce the return of most anticipated business challenge of 2010 – IdeaPitch. Packed full with fantastic workshops, special guest judges, loads of pitching and with over $5000 in prizes to be won, this event is definitely one to mark down on your calendars!
The objective is simple – in groups of two or less, pitch your IDEA or STARTUP through a series of rounds, in a bid to book a place in the finals and win some fantastic prizes. It’s that easy!
INFORMATION SESSION |
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Entrepreneurs Week has begun! On Friday evening, over 250 Melbourne University students joined members of the entrepreneurial community at the Opening Ceremony of the third annual Entrepreneurs Week 2010. Kicking off with a speech by the CEO of the City of Melbourne, Kathy Alexander, we were given an insight into the crucial role of the small business sector in the local economy. Melbourne is indeed a hub of entrepreneurial activity and the City of Melbourne are working to develop this sector through grants programs and other initiatives that serve to bolster the culture of innovation in our city.
We were treated to a keynote address by Sahil Merchant, a Melbourne University alumnus who followed up a successful career in management consulting by founding the magazine superstore Mag Nation at the age of 26. Sahil’s story was compelling not just because of his success, but also because of the challenges he overcame to create something that he was passionate about. He shared some fascinating first-hand lessons about competing for your customers’ marginal minute, changing the way you think about competitors, and the ridiculous amounts of perseverance and sheer hard work involved in starting your own business. He chose to enter into the highly competitive world of magazine retailing despite all the warnings about the demise of print publishing and industry saturation because he knew that he could do it better than anyone else. Given the success of their 6 outlets, their thriving online store and with ‘global magazine domination’ on the agenda, we’d have to agree!
Next up was the launch of the highly anticipated Innovator’s Challenge, where teams of up to 6 students are charged with the task of creating as much ‘value’ as possible from an assigned everyday object. Implementing their ideas over the course of the week and documenting them via video, teams are competing for prizes worth over $4000. The illustrious everyday object that has been chosen for the Innovators Challenge 2010 is the humble water bottle! At the same time, Monash University held their own Opening Ceremony for the second year running. David Clarke from Webjet shared his entrepreneurial story as a journey of transformation and advised students that the best time to start a business is NOW. Our focus this year is on growing the Monash team and adding new events to the program so if you’re a Monash University student and you’re passionate about entrepreneurship, please get in touch!
Entrepreneurs Week is an initiative of Student Entrepreneurs that aims to promote a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation at a university level. This initiative has been widely recognised by business, government and the academic community. Key individuals who have pledged their support include the Minister for Innovation, the Honourable Kim Carr, and the University of Melbourne Provost. This week’s program of events includes presentations by entrepreneurs and investors, panel discussions and workshops. We’ll be blogging about each day’s events, so if you miss anything, check back for updates!
Written by Zoe Nagara |
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What's coming this week! Thanks to all who attended the Opening Ceremony of Entrepreneurs Week on Friday. Here's what we have in store for you in the coming week: Monday 9th August Tuesday 10th August Wednesday 11th August TEDx, in collaboration with TEDxMelbourne Thursday 12th August Advice to Myself, in collaboration with the Churchill Club Friday 13th August Find out times and locations on eweek.org.au. We shall see you then! Posted by Adrian @9.01am: 8/8/10 |
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Student Entrepreneurs Yearly Review 2009 - 2010 Dear students, entrepreneurs, angel investors, professors, volunteers, sponsors and partners, On behalf of Student Entrepreneurs | Agents of Change I'd like to thank you all for your continued support for our club. We have achieved many milestones in the past year and delivered more events to more students than we ever had, and this would not have happened without you. Each year we write a review to summarise our achievements, learn our lessons and set the goals for the coming year. And we are eager to share this review with you - because you, are the people we are serving. Without you, our work is meaningless. I hope you have enjoyed the events, competitions and other activities we organised. We would highly appreciate two minutes of your time to tell us what you think, and how we can improve them in the future - please email us via hi@agentsofchange.org.au, your opinion really matters. In the years to come Student Entrepreneurs will continue to create and cultivate entrepreneurship communities in Australian universities. With our goal to become a national network by 2012, we are about to take our first step at Monash University later this year (more updates coming soon). We look forward to seeing you again in our future events. Yours Sincerely, Tian Yang SE|AoC Yearly Review 2009 - 2010 Posted by Tian @9.01am 24/5/10 |
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Social entrepreneur fights climate change through growing clouds We all know trees can convert CO2 to Oxygen and reduce greenhouse gas level in the atmosphere, but just planting more trees is not enough to fight climate change. This is because forests are holistic systems. They are the cornerstone of the biosphere: they seed clouds; tropical forest trees grow faster and absorb more CO2. Bill Liao, Australian entrepreneur and co-founder of B2B social network XING, has started a not-for-profit initiative called WeForest which promotes worldwide permaculture-based reforestation to combat climate change. Through increasing cloud cover (a.k.a. cloud nucleation and bio-precipitation), its ambitious objective is to grow 20 million km² of forest by 2020. A 2% increase in clouds could halt current Global Warming in its track long enough for the “low carbon energy miracle” to happen. For those new to Permaculture, it is "an approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems that mimic the relationships found in natural ecologies". (See: Wikipedia) Permaculture also has the added benefit of growing food for the locals - 1 acre of permaculture designed forest garden can power 10 people, whereas 1 acre of wheat feeds less than 5. Ending poverty and hunger will end one of the root causes of deforestation. Eventually, the goal is to restore balance to the biosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere while making precious fertile soils and boosting biodiversity. Have a look of the video below that summarises the works of WeForest: |
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IdeaPitch09 Winners from Monash University launch new business Crowdmass The group of Monash University students who won at last year's IdeaPitch competition are now launching a new business. The aim is to create win-win's for both consumers and local business owners. Their new business - Crowdmass, is due to launch next Monday, but already has over 4000 subscribers eagerly waiting for the first featured deal. The idea is simple: each week, Crowdmass will shine the spotlight on one local business, whether it’s a beauty salon, activity, spa or restaurant. Then it will offer its site’s visitors a deal worth up to 80% off standard prices - but only if enough people sign up for the deal. If the minimum quota is achieved, the deal goes ahead and everybody gains. If not, the deal is put off and nobody loses anything. "it’s a win-win situation for consumers and business owners because we are providing benefits for everyone involved in the Crowdmass process," explains co-founder David Wei. Seeing itself not just a deal broker but also an advertising agency, Crowdmass differentiates itself to traditional forms of advertising by guaranteeing businesses a measurable number of customers, and not having any upfront costs. Businesses that will feature on crowdmass.com.au are some of the best, including various restaurants located in the heart of Melbourne, who see Crowdmass as a fantastic opportunity in growing their customer base. The founders are aiming to grow Crowdmass to 50,000 subscribers by the end of the year and have plans to expand to all the capital cities in Australia. Congratulations David, Tim and Ying! Posted by Tian @ 10.47pm, 14/5/10 For further information and media enquiries about Crowdmass please contact: Ying Wang, ph: 0433 960 709 e: ying@crowdmass.com.au |
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Victoria Business Icon competition registration now open Business Icon® is a challenging contest which provides students and young professionals with an opportunity to showcase out of the box thinking and stand out from the crowd. Over a seven day period, contestants will complete real-life business challenges in teams and as individuals, developing life-long personal and professional skills. Imagine a competition that mixes the best elements of The Apprentice, Dragons Den and Australian Idol then combines it with the educational philosophy of Masterchef. As a competitor you are tested to the limit and profiled throughout your state as an entrepreneurial thought leader. Entries for the 2010 VIC Business Icon Competition are open until the 24th of May. Contestants must be fully available for the whole competition which runs from Wednesday 14th July until Tuesday 20th July. Follow the competition on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=372802139291&ref=ts OR apply now at www.businessicon.com.au. Posted by Adrian @ 9.03am, 13/5/10 |
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Our New Initiative: "Startup 101" Talk + Info Session "Startup 101" is a new initiative by SE|AoC to continue inspiring and educate university students about entrepreneurship. It is comprised of both a "Talk" component as well as an "Info Session" component.  The Talk Warning: Please forget about everything you have learned in class or textbook before attending this event! The Info Session More specifically, this means small teams, massive responsibility from day one, work like there's no tomorrow and learn a great deal by the end of your project! Come to the event to find out more. Cost? Your 60 minutes of attention! (FREE) Upcoming "Startup 101" Events:"Startup 101" (Monash Clayton) - What is entrepreneurship, and what it means for university students "Startup 101" (UniMelb) - Principles of Entrepreneurship: using SE|AoC as a case study Posted by Tian @ 9.03am, 29/4/10 |
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Submit your ideas for the Australian Innovation Festival! Good entrepreneurs are never short of ideas, and here's another opportunity to make them reality. Australian Innovation Festival is hosting an online business ideas competition, where your ideas will receive feedback from an open innovation audience and potentially win further awards. (you can perhaps recycle the ones you've already submitted for Napkin Competition, shhh...) The 2010 Australian Innovation Festival showcases the importance of innovation in Australia's economic, social and cultural environments and creates a culture of innovation for the benefit of all Australians. With the theme, “Building Sustainable Businesses” the festival is expected to host over 400,000 participants and over 500 events across the continent. As part of this year’s festival, Spigit and Optimice have partnered with festival organizers to provide this online portal to fuel entrepreneurism and capture the best ideas from citizens of Australia. Your ideas will participate in this on-line market place where registered participants can show their enthusiasm for your ideas by investing virtual currency and hence building the “market value” of your idea. Ideas can be submitted against four themes: "A Better Future for our Children" (ideas to help future generations); Ideas can be adapted and improved as feedback is received. Winning ideas providers will not only have their ideas showcased in the media but also be eligible for assistance in having their ideas commercialised through our innovation award sponsors; Griffith Hack, the Hargraves Institute and Business21C. More details see: http://ausinnovation.spigit.com/homepagelight Posted by Tian @ 9.03am, 27/4/10 |
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PolyU Innovation & Entrepreneurship Student Challenge 2011 - A Global Competition Registration now open, get your team together before 31 May! PolyU Innovation & Entrepreneurship Student Challenge is a one-of-a-kind global-scale business plan competition for secondary school and university students focusing on innovative entrepreneurship. The Challenge brings together students from different parts of the world across cultural diversity and backgrounds, enabling them to share their knowledge, skills, creativity and talents with each other. Two universities from Australia - RMIT and Queensland Univeristy of Technology (QUT) have participated in the 2010 competition, with QUT advanced to the semi-finals in June 2010. Student Entrepreneurs | Agents of Change is contacted by the Faculty of Business & Economics regarding this opportunity for our members - let us know if you are interested to participate! (email us hi_at_agentsofchange.org.au)
What does the Challenge entail?Participants in teams will take up the challenge of mapping out a potential business plan in English, based on an innovative product or service idea; implementation of the plan; as well as projection of the financial performance. The business plan may include one of the following sub-themes: Health & Wellness, Lifestyle, and Environment & Sustainability. Key Dates31 May 2010 Closing date for team registration University Division Cash PrizesGold US$5,000 How to ParticipateTo enter the challenge, you will need to: 1. Have a brilliant business idea about a product or service, which may include but not limited to one of the sub-themes: Health & Wellness, Lifestyle, Environment & Sustainability. 2. Form your team - Each team should consist of three students in the Secondary School Division and three to four students in the University Division. A mentor is compulsory for the Secondary School Division and optional for the University Division. You are welcome to form a ‘joint team’ with members from another secondary school or university. 3. Once your team is selected by your school/university, complete your registration online and submit your school/university’s authorization form. Click here to find out more: http://www.polyu.edu.hk/polyuchallenge/index2.php Posted by Tian @ 9.03pm, 23/4/10 |
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Now you got your ideas on the back of a Napkin, time to get it TRAVEL AROUND THE WORLD! So you've got X ideas written on the back of a Napkin, what next? LET YOUR IDEAS TRAVEL AROUND THE WORLD New ideas and innovations are constantly arising in our fast paced society. Just in the past decade we have witnessed ideas put into action such as Facebook, hybrid cars and what you probably have in your pocket right now, an iphone. While in the past if you had idea barriers such as funding, support and exposure often meant that these ideas would not come into fruition or the process would take so long that it would ultimately become redundant. Virgin PitchTV is your opportunity to be able to present your ideas videos to people who can help your ideas become reality. Every month the best pitches would be selected to be broadcasted on Virgin aeroplanes, which travel across the world, allowing exposure to the hundreds of business professionals who regularly fly Virgin Atlantic. Here's an intro by Sir Richard Branson: Find out more: http://www.virgin.com/entrepreneur/pitchtv/ Posted by Kevin Tong @8.31pm 23 April, 2010 |
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Napkin Competition 2010 Winners! Congratulation to the following people who have won in the Napkin Competition 2010: Their ideas range from "Student Venture Capital Fund for Entrepreneurs, by Entrepreneurs" to "Convertible heels - for the sensible and practical woman", which according to our independent judges have great potential to be developed into real businesses. We also have three additional winners from International House Sydney: On behalf of Student Entrepreneurs | Agents of Change I'd like to thank everyone who has submitted his/her ideas over the past month. Napkin Competition 2010 has received 230 entries from seven universities in Victoria and NSW, making it one of the largest entrepreneurship competitions in Australia. All the best, and we'll see you again in Entrepreneurs Week 2010. Posted by Tian @ 12.33pm, 19/4/10 |
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Startup Camp 2010: 6 Online Businesses Created Over a Single Weekend Startup Camp 2010 invited 30 university students to spend a weekend this month, locked in a room, to create six new web-based businesses in 48 hours.
Participants included a mixture of coders, business “geeks” and graphic designers from the University of Melbourne, RMIT, Monash University and Swinburn University. The event began with participants brainstorming ideas on Friday evening, coding non-stop overnight to have a beta version of the various websites launched to the public by Saturday noon and completing the camp on Sunday with a pitching presentation to a panel of successful entrepreneurs and IT experts.
 Here’s a list of what they had come up with in just 48 hours: Ansr.it (www.ansr.it): Crazy questions are posted daily. Users are invited to come up with even crazier answers. Blood Thank (www.bloodthank.com): A place for blood donation recipients to express their gratitude to the donors. Dream, Share, Discover (www.dreamsharediscover.com): A site where users share their dreams and aspirations and receive advice. ClassNotes (www.classnotes.com.au): A classnotes marketplace for university students. Night Mapr (http://night-mapr.appspot.com/): An easy way to find a night event close by. Gwisher (www.gwisher.com): To help hapless guys find “the perfect gift” for their girlfriends. For most student participant Startup Camp was their first dose of real entrepreneurship. They were amazed by how much they could achieve just by applying their minds to execution, rather than mere planning (or simply dreaming), an experience shared by those who participated in last year’s Startup Camp. One panellist at the Sunday pitch, Andrew Gerrand from Google, commented, “The quality of what these students produced was on par with that of the Sydney Startup Camp run by professional entrepreneurs.” (This article was originally posted on Australian Anthill, click here to see the full article.) Posted by Tian @ 4.41pm, 15/4/10 |
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CFLS: "Making Great People Decisions" - Dean Ireland Speaker: Dean Ireland, Consultant, Egon Zehnder International Seminar Summary About Creating Future Leaders Series The Creating Future Leaders Series is an initiative by the Graduate School of Business and Economics (University of Melbourne) to engage students with the experiences, thoughts and recommendations of successful key business men and women from Australia and overseas, through seminars and presentations. The Graduate School of Business and Economics encourages students to attend these guest lectures, given by corporate role models, to inspire your leadership initiatives and to develop insight into future career prospects and opportunities. Posted by Tian @ 4.33pm, 15/4/10 |
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Join us at World Entrepreneurship Day this Friday Friday 16 April 2010 is World Entrepreneurship Day (WED)! This is a 24 hour world-wide celebration of entrepreneurship and innovation. The mission of WED is to infuse entrepreneurial optimism into the world when it needs it the most! We will remind everyone that it is entrepreneurs who have consistently led sluggish economies back to prosperity and growth through innovation and job creation. Coincidentally SE|AoC will be announcing the winners of Napkin Competition 2010 at our upcoming Entrepreneurs Coffee Club this Friday, 2.15 - 3.15pm Bar Commercio (ground floor, The Spot building) There is also an "official" celebration in the CBD area featuring special guest Brenda Thompson from Networking World, speaking about "How to get the best out of your networking attendances", which is a good networking opportunity itself for entrepreneurs. Check out the WEDAustralia Facebook page for more details: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=112322745463729&index=1 Posted by Tian @ 10.33pm, 14/4/10 |
