BYOBiz Newsletter - Spring 2008
Champlain's Speaking from Experience Entrepreneurship Series brought to campus businessmen and women whose diversity of experiences, styles and variety of enterprises gave our students an overview of the many possibilities open to them as entrepreneurs.
The culmination of the academic year was the Elevator Pitch Contest, an evening of verbal finesse during which student entrepreneurs had 90 seconds to pitch their ideas for a business, a job or internship, or a non-profit or social cause, while competing for distinction and prizes.
Just click the links and take a visual trip through the events that stoked the energy and entrepreneurial spirit at the core of Champlain College.
- Speaking from Experience - Win Smith
- Speaking from Experience - Harrison Liebowitz
- Speaking from Experience - Wendell Farrell
- Young Entrepreneurs Panel
- Elevator Pitch Contest
Win Smith/Sugarbush - January 22
We began the season with Win Smith, one of Vermont's most dynamic entrepreneurs, who took us inside the challenges he and his team faced in restoring Sugarbush to one of Vermont's finest ski resorts and previewed where he's taking it from here.
Smith reviewed some of the problems he faced in bringing a resort in demise back to life. He highlighted the principles that have made him successful: putting guest's interests first; respect for the individual; valuing integrity; being fiscally responsible; and getting involved in the community. He stressed to attendees in Alumni Auditorium that what ultimately had made him successful was that he loves what he's doing.
Harrison Leibowitz/Snow Farm Vineyards - February 7
Harrison and Molly Liebowitz started Snow Farm Vineyard, Vermont's first commercial vineyard and grape winery, in 1996, as a way to keep farmland in Vermont open and working. Their story is the essence of entrepreneurship. They did what people said couldn't be done and made a sustainable business out of it. Harrison regaled the audience with tales of his travels from the cold climates of Michigan and Minnesota to sunny California in search of knowledge and the right varieties of grapes to grow. He related the role a French winemaker named Patrick Barrelet played in helping him and his wife grow a successful business. Champlain College Professor of Marketing Jay McKee hosted the event.
Wendell Farrell/Wendell's Furniture - February 19
Prof. McKee also welcomed serial entrepreneur and Champlain College graduate Wendell Farrell '70, who explained how his willingness to take risks and do things differently from his competition led to an extraordinarily diverse career (farming, construction, commercial cleaning, furniture sales and many others).
Wendell regaled students with how he writes all of his own print, radio, and television advertising, creates print ads in-house and co-produces his television spots. Wendell's well-targeted marketing campaigns, including using a parrot as his sales manager, have resulted in Wendell's Furniture becoming the sales leader in the local marketplace.
Young Entrepreneur's Forum - March 11
Champlain welcomed to campus four young Vermonters who, with ingenuity and skill, are building businesses whose products and services are different from anyone else's. The lively forum was moderated by BYOBiz Director Robert Bloch.
The BYOBiz season finale was the Elevator Pitch Contest.*
Elevator Pitch Competition - March 25
"How well can you sell in 90 seconds?" was the clarion call that inspired over 55 students to cast their lot in a contest to find the best elevator pitches among "entrepreneurs," "job or internship seekers" and "social advocates" categories in the Champlain College student community. The 16 finalists appeared before a full house in Alumni Auditorium to pitch their ideas while competing for distinction and prizes.
A collaborative effort by the BYOBiz Program, Career Services Office and the Oral Communications Lab, the Elevator Pitch Competition featured "celebrity suits" who received the pitches, which were rated by a panel of judges comprised of prominent local business people. TV talk show host and Champlain alumnus Tim Kavanagh ('86) emceed.
The three top scorers in each category won prizes: first, $500; 2nd, iPod Touch and 3rd, iPod Nano.
*An "Elevator Pitch" is a concise, compelling, and conversational personal introduction that an entrepreneur can use to pitch an idea for a product, service or project to a potential investor he or she might meet in an elevator. Our maximum pitch time was 90 seconds. The contest also served as a potential tool for students to develop confidence in pitching themselves to prospective employers or internship hosts, or for advocates to pitch their favorite non-profit organization to supporters in the community.
A reflection on Tent City 2008