To the Editor:
A group of around eighty Tufts students, faculty and staff were treated to an inspirational lecture by Jeff Stibel (A '95) on Monday, March 10. The lecture was part of the Lyon and Bendheim series, which brings alumni who have made tremendous achievements in their fields to campus each semester.
Stibel currently holds the position of CEO of Website Pros, Inc., which provides internet advertising services to small businesses. He began his first business venture while majoring in psychology at Tufts. Along with some friends, he founded a mail-order service, JustBeans, which shipped coffee and jelly beans from his fraternity house. The company failed miserably when the house's pet dog broke into their storage closet.
Citing this and other experiences, Stibel delivered the lecture he titled, "The Contrarian Entrepreneur." Throughout his speech, he debunked several myths that concern many young entrepreneurs. An especially powerful moment occured when he noted that he actually enjoys failure more than success. When success comes, he has no idea why it happens. But when he fails, he can clearly see why and learns much more from this experience.
Overall, Stibel's lecture showed the audience how success, in life and business, follows no standard method and cannot be learned from a textbook. This excited some and scared others, but everyone seemed to come away with a new or revised vision for themselves and their future. As this was my first time attending a Lyon & Bendheim event, I look forward to hearing the experiences of other alumni at future lectures.
Jason Nochlin
Class of 2010
