BXG
Educational Panel at Whitman-Hanson High School
February 8, 2005 - Whitman-Hanson
Regional High School students in Ms. Sentnor's Accounting
class had the opportunity to
listen and participate in an employer's educational panel.
Georgia Clancy, School to Career Coordinator, invited the
Business eXchange Group, Inc., a non-profit educational organization,
into the school to discuss entrepreneurship.
Business panel
members included: Scott Belliveau of Belliveau Financial
(a financial advisor), Stephen Culp of Culp Design
(a graphic/web designer), Robert Murphy of Danena Engineering
(a civil engineer), and James Stoffel of Info
Haven
Productions
(a computer consultant/retail store owner).
The panel
explained that an entrepreneur organizes, operates, and assumes
the risk for business ventures. Students were
encouraged to believe in their ideas and make them happen.
They were told
how important it is to "service" their customers
and how exhilarating and frightening owning your own
business can be at the same time.
Jim Stoffel stressed
how important it is to take high
level business courses and how entrepreneurship is within
you.
Scott Belliveau explained how important it is to
really "listen" to
your customers. You may be able to make your own hours
owning a business, but you will put plenty of hours into
it. You have
to meet your own deadlines-it is your own stress.
Robert
Murphy was asked "how do you acquire clients?" His
answer was to "take jobs that no one else wants,
its how you start. He quoted JFK stating that an entrepreneur
asks "why
not" rather than the common question "why?" When
you are good at it people will seek you out."
Stephen
Culp explained how important it is to keep up with things
and to constantly take new courses. "College teaches
you how to communicate" and that is important for
success. The following reflections are from the students:
Shannon Roppolo: "You were able to provide
us with inspiration that working is not working if you love what
you do,
and that anyone is capable of pursuing their dream."
Ashley
Stevens: "With the visiting panel, I realized
that if I want to open up a salon and I truly think
that I can do
it, then I can. All I need is a little confidence
and not let anyone tell me I can't."
Tim Kundzicz loved
Mr. Murphy's idea about sending customers thank you cards
and was going to share
this idea with
his father who owns his own business.
Kailyn Getchell thought that the panel was well organized and very interesting.
They answered all
our class's
questions effectively
and I felt our class got a lot out of what they
told us about themselves and their jobs.
Julie
Mendona: "You have given me great confidence in
starting my own business. I have always been
a little skeptic and nervous about it, but now I know that
you can do it if
you try. It's my dream and you gave me the
lift off that I needed. Also, I thought that you gave me great
information
on how to deal with unethical situations. I
never really
knew
how to handle them. I see the confidence and
control you have so it makes me feel much better about dealing
with them.
Thank
you for coming, it is greatly appreciated."
Submitted
by: Georgia Clancy |
