On March 28, I had the pleasure of attending the Kennesaw State University/Coles College of Business’s Tetley Distinguished Leader Lecture Series featuring Daymond John. As in FUBU founder. “Shark Tank” star. Two-time author. Branding guru. An entrepreneur who absolutely embodies the spirit of the word.
At the event, Daymond spoke to 700 business students about how that entrepreneurial spirit led him from a makeshift clothing factory in his mother’s house to a global, multi-billion-dollar brand. How he had to pound the pavement with nothing but 10 hand-sewn shirts for three years before the sales truly started. He was engaging and interspersed his commentary with a lively soundtrack of the times. There’s nothing like a presentation you can dance to. 🙂
So what makes an entrepreneur successful? See Daymond’s extended comments here. His 5 key, universal “shark rules were:
1. Set a goal
2. Do your homework
3. Love what you do
4. Remember that you are the brand (and be able to say in two to five words what your brand is about)
5. Keep moving
To be a success, an entrepreneur must also have access to leaders who came before. That’s why organizations like Kennesaw State University are so important. Whether hosting lectures like these, offering the Entrepreneur 2.0 Certificate program or collaborating with groups like Entrepreneur Advisors (who co-sponsored Daymond’s visit), Kennesaw State continues to go above and beyond to shape today’s students into tomorrow’s innovators. As an Entrepreneur Advisor board member who is also developing Entrepreneur 2.0 curriculum, I am proud of the efforts to spread the entrepreneurial bug far and wide.
