In these times of insecurity about post-college success, when moving back to Mom and Dad's house is more popular than ever, asking a senior what his or her post-graduation plans are has nearly become a social faux-pas.
A few creative students, however, have plans that don't necessarily rely on networking and internships: Instead, they plan to start their own businesses and engage in the exciting world of entrepreneurship.
"My dad is an entrepreneur, and he's only worked for himself, so someday I hope to lead the same lifestyle," senior Alison Savery said. "I worked on a business plan before, and I've started working on a new plan that I hope to continue with after
graduation."
Similarly, senior Robin Liss began her business venture years ago, but plans to focus on the company's growth after she
graduates.
"When I was 12, I started writing about camcorders online. I realized there was a real demand for an authoritative unbiased review of camcorders, and I decided to fulfill that market," Liss explained. "I now own a group of Web sites that review digital imaging sites called camcorderinfo.com and digitalcamerinfo.com, and we review camcorders and digital cameras."
Camcorderinfo.com is now the largest camcorder publication online or offline in the United States. It serves about 320,000 people per month.
"It was a hobby, and I realized that I could make some money out of it, and I wanted to serve a greater audience," Liss said. "We're going to build pretty aggressively when I graduate."
But for aspiring entrepreneurs who do not know how to get their business ventures off the ground, the University does provide programs and opportunities.
According to Career Services Director Jean Papalia, although entrepreneurship is a "relatively small segment" of Career Services' work as a whole, "we consider Career Services as a liaison which can help link students and alumni with appropriate resources to engage in
entrepreneurship."
At Career Services, students are coached on how to "market their entrepreneurial experiences on their resumes and in interviews," Papalia said. Career Services has also been a co-sponsor of the Entrepreneurial Conference, which Tufts has held for the past two years.
Another co-sponsor of the conference is the Entrepreneurial Leadership Program, created in 2000. The program has been extremely successful, resulting in the hiring of a full-time director, Pamela Goldberg. The program was created "to further promote innovation on campus and to give people the tools to turn innovations into enterprises," Goldberg said.
Since the Entrepreneurial Leadership minor was instituted three years ago, it has become increasingly popular: 40 students completed the minor last year.
"Each of our courses for this semester are oversubscribed," Goldberg said. "We added a section for the introductory course to address some of that demand."
She added that each semester, up to 200 students take courses in Entrepreneurial Leadership - and according to those students, the courses are helpful in turning ideas into real business plans.
"I found the entrepreneurial classes and minor and decided to take the introductory course [ELS101]," Savery said. "In the class, you study other case studies and then form a business plan from your own idea with a small group."
"A few of us in my group really got into our business idea and then decided to keep running with it," she continued. "We actually got out into the real world, and then we took ELS199, which is geared for students with a business plan to further their businesses.
"While our first plan didn't end up working out, [one of my partners and I] are now working on a new business plan," Savery added.
Many Tufts alumni with roots in the Entrepreneurial Leadership program are now successful businesspeople themselves, and they have brought their expertise back to the University as guest speakers. These alumni guest speakers include Jim Foster (E'88), president of the biotechnology company Charles River Labs; and Chris Christoudias (E'99), founder of Web designer and developer Digital Bungalow.
The classes are not the only resource offered by the Entrepreneurial Leadership program. The program also offers internships for students who want to see what working in an entrepreneurial setting is like, as well as offering a lecture series. Some lecturers - also Tufts alumni - include Jon Bello (LA'68), co-founder of SOBE Beverages, and William J. Murphy, CEO and co-founder of Clos La Chance winery (E '67).
According to Goldberg, one of the most interesting activities the Entrepreneurial Leadership program hosts for aspiring entrepreneurs is the business plan competition. The competition is held in order to "give students and other members of the Tufts community opportunities to expand their view of entrepreneurship and to network with other entrepreneurs," Goldberg said.
Students submit a 10-20 page business plan alone or in teams. Total prize money, dispersed among the winners, is $20,000. Tufts also hosts the Frigon Family Prize in Social Entrepreneurship competition, which is geared to plans with social, not just private, value.
Along with internships, classes and the business competition, the Entrepreneurial Leadership program works side-by-side with the Young Entrepreneurs at Tufts (YET) to bring in guest speakers and host the Entrepreneurship Conference. "We are exploring ways to co-host the Entrepreneurship Internship Program" as well, Goldberg said.
Though statistics for the percentage of aspiring entrepreneurs at Tufts are not available, "it is clear to me that many students are interested in entrepreneurship," Goldberg said.
A quick glance at the Tufts Career Network on Tufts' Webcenter substantiates this claim: A search for alumni whose career field is entrepreneurship, small business or freelance work finds 235 members.
"It appears as though graduates of Tufts have a tendency to be entrepreneurial," Goldberg said. "I always encourage people to dream big."
"In general, you really have to have the drive to have your own business because it's a ton of work," Savery said. "It's all about vision."
