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It's
possible to do two things at once -- like be a student and
an entrepreneur. Don't believe the hype? Read on...
Students
Balance Books With Bucks
By
Rochelle DelGaizo Billera
February 2002
The
CollegeBound Network NewsClick -- Running a business can be
a tremendous experience -- even if you're also a student.
Just because you're still in school, that shouldn't stop you
from going full-speed-ahead with your entrepreneurial endeavors.
Need more motivation to stick it out? Try incorporating entrepreneurial
studies courses with biz-whiz skills. At least that's what
a lot of students in the East Coast are doing -- and they're
doing it well!
In recognition of successfully handling dual roles, The East
Coast Collegiate Entrepreneur Awards honors students who mean
business -- literally. The Third Annual presentation saw entrepreneurial
students from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Delaware
receive congratulatory plaques and cash awards -- $1,000 for
first place and $500 for second place.
"Winning
the award was exciting, rewarding, and motivating," says
Robert Reicher, Jr., a senior at Quinnipiac University, Hamden,
CT, and Connecticut's second-place winner. Robert is the proud
owner of R & R Landscaping, a business venture that started
four years ago. Since then, it's grown immensely. The secret
to his success, says Robert: "Prioritizing everything
and figuring out a way to keep a balance." For him, that
means scheduling classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while
getting down and dirty -- literally in the mud and grass --
the other days of the week. He's even managed to maintain
a 3.6 GPA!
"I
had to sacrifice my personal time," Robert admits, "but
it's a sacrifice well worth it!"
Robert,
who also has his real estate license, plans to attend law
school with a long-term goal to "tie it all together."
He wants to become a real estate attorney and a behind-the-scenes
businessman -- then, he says, someone else could do the dirty
work.
Thomas
Krol, an electricial engineering major at the College of New
Jersey, Ewing, NJ, and New Jersey's second-place winner, is
determined to stay on top of his game, too. Not only does
he maintain a 3.9 GPA, he owns IMET (Innovative Mechanical
and Electrical Technology). He and his co-winning partner,
Joseph Petrella, Jr., make their fortune providing expert
engineering advice and product development for companies that
lack the manpower to do their own designing.
"Our
goals are to build a consulting base with other companies
and keep coming up with new [and] innovative engineering ideas,"
Thomas reveals. He and Joseph have already developed two patent-pending
products that are waiting to be marketed: "I-Dial,"
a voice-activated telephone device, and "I-Lock,"
a gun safety mechanism.
While
waiting for things to kick off, the guys incorporate the
'burn-the-midnight-oil' theory. Since they want their business
to work, they stay up until the wee hours of the morning to
brainstorm and prepare for success.
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