Entrepreneur speaks to ISU students
Katelyn Kunesh
Issue date: 4/4/05 Section: Campus
Jay Moroney, executive vice president of Lemme Insurance Group, Inc., presented "What it takes to be an Entrepreneur," Friday as part of Business Week.
"Today's presentation will discuss issues related to starting and growing a business," Brian Gardner, senior marketing major and president of Entrepreneurship Club, said.
"I am going to tell you entrepreneur stories that you won't hear in the classroom," Moroney said.
"First I want to tell you a little bit about who I am, what I mean by an 'entrepreneur' and then tell some personal stories of entrepreneur activities."
Being an entrepreneur isn't just about starting your own business, it's also about offering your entrepreneurship skills to the company, Moroney said.
He gave the dictionary definition of an entrepreneur and then continued by sharing his own definition.
"Being an entrepreneur is managing and assuming the risk of yourselves, your career, where you are," he said. "You are your business."
An entrepreneur is a risk taker - someone who gets it done, he added.
Moroney spoke on his "keys to success" as an entrepreneur.
"Complimentary skills, hard work and big time risk taking are the 'keys' you need to be successful entrepreneur," he said.
Moroney told a story of two young men who failed separately but with hard work and risk-taking, succeeded together.
"They took an idea and made it work," Moroney said. "They were committed to the idea, made sacrifices and with drive and energy saw it through."
Moroney emphasized taking responsibility and seizing opportunities.
"Don't look to someone else. You create it, you take initiative," he said.
Two types of workers were discussed - "survivors," who work the system and avoid risk and "creators," who drive the growth of the company and take risks.
"Be a creator," Moroney advised. "Ask yourself how you can make the company a better place, do not wait for opportunities to come to you. Create them. If you keep trying you will never fail."
This was the first year Entrepreneurship Day was held during Business Week, Gardner said.
"Today's presentation will discuss issues related to starting and growing a business," Brian Gardner, senior marketing major and president of Entrepreneurship Club, said.
"I am going to tell you entrepreneur stories that you won't hear in the classroom," Moroney said.
"First I want to tell you a little bit about who I am, what I mean by an 'entrepreneur' and then tell some personal stories of entrepreneur activities."
Being an entrepreneur isn't just about starting your own business, it's also about offering your entrepreneurship skills to the company, Moroney said.
He gave the dictionary definition of an entrepreneur and then continued by sharing his own definition.
"Being an entrepreneur is managing and assuming the risk of yourselves, your career, where you are," he said. "You are your business."
An entrepreneur is a risk taker - someone who gets it done, he added.
Moroney spoke on his "keys to success" as an entrepreneur.
"Complimentary skills, hard work and big time risk taking are the 'keys' you need to be successful entrepreneur," he said.
Moroney told a story of two young men who failed separately but with hard work and risk-taking, succeeded together.
"They took an idea and made it work," Moroney said. "They were committed to the idea, made sacrifices and with drive and energy saw it through."
Moroney emphasized taking responsibility and seizing opportunities.
"Don't look to someone else. You create it, you take initiative," he said.
Two types of workers were discussed - "survivors," who work the system and avoid risk and "creators," who drive the growth of the company and take risks.
"Be a creator," Moroney advised. "Ask yourself how you can make the company a better place, do not wait for opportunities to come to you. Create them. If you keep trying you will never fail."
This was the first year Entrepreneurship Day was held during Business Week, Gardner said.