Becoming An Entrepreneur

Who among you is considering becoming an entrepreneur?

Why Become An Entrepreneur?  Freedom to pursue your dreams  Be your own boss  Control your destiny  Opportunity to achieve financial success

Roads To Financial Success  Inherit  Marry  Win the lottery  Build a business

How To Become An Entrepreneur?  Buy an existing business  Traditional Engineering –Buy in to an existing business  Non-traditional Engineering – Create a new business –Solve previously unsolved problems –Urban Science Story

From Dots To $ - An Entrepreneur’s Story  Drawing dot maps on a computer

Urban Science Success Strategy “Doing what others said couldn’t be done.” –Dot maps –Large scale optimal location analysis –Large matrix data analysis –Laser printing before laser printers

30 Years, 30 Records

Key Characteristics Of An Entrepreneurial Engineer  Engineering degree  Business training and management skills  Risk tolerant  Vision for a better world  Can do attitude  Commitment

Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: That the moment one definitely commits oneself then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now. Goethe ’s

Becoming An Entrepreneur Who among you is considering becoming an entrepreneur?

What Is CEO? An organization whose mission is “to inform, support and inspire college students to be entrepreneurial and seek opportunity through enterprise creation.”

What Is The Engineering Ventures Program? A program to identify, train and mentor engineering students interested in considering an engineering career in an entrepreneurial setting The Engineering Ventures Program will include: –Traditional engineering education –Non-technical and interpersonal skills training –Leadership training –Career plan mentoring and participant motivation –Real world entrepreneurial experience

Engineering Ventures Program  Endowed Chair committed in 2004  WSU chapter of CEO opened in 2005 –Help identify entrepreneurs –Host training and motivation seminars –Build a network of entrepreneurs  Formalize non-technical education path  Establish mentoring and motivating program  Establish real world entrepreneurial experience program  Establish venture capital connections

EV Performance Measurements 2009 – Number of students through program 2014 – Number of graduates running their own business 2019 – Number of E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Awards 2024 – Number of endowed chairs in College of Engineering 2029 – WSU EV program widely viewed as best in world