Entrepreneurs Club

Anthony A. Perrault '97 says he thinks a Harvard education is grounded almost exclusively in theory, rather than pre-professional courses.

And in a nation where 57 percent of undergraduates go straight into the workforce after college, many are looking for pointers on how to survive once they leave the confines of Harvard.

"We get such a limited view of what the corporate world is really like. Our club tries to give students a feel for what it's like to be a professional in the corporate environment," says Perrault, the president of the Harvard Entrepreneurs Club.

The club, which was founded in 1983 and has 175 members, brings in national and local business leaders to speak on business-related topics. Last Wednesday they heard an address by Tom First and Tom Scott, co-founders of the expanding fruit-juice company Nantucket Nectars.

The club will also sponsor a field trip to the Harvard Business School; a talk by Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship Myra M. Hart, a co-founder of Staples; and lessons on how to write a business plan.

"I joined the club to network and to learn what it takes to be an entrepreneur," says Daniel J. Yates '99, a computer science major, who plans to eventually start a computer software business.

Mazen Al-Jubeir '98, the club's vice-president for public relations, adds: "This is the only club where you have the opportunity to learn from people who have actually gone out and started their own companies."

Al-Jubeir says the club's atmosphere is very informal, with brief presentations by guest speakers and question-and-answer sessions afterwards.

First and Scott, who are not yet 30, are referred to as "Tom and Tom." Al-Jubeir says the Nantucket Nectars founders were mistaken as students by one member who asked the two casually dressed men whether they had come to hear Tom and Tom speak.

The club sponsored the 1989 Harvard Conference for Young Entrepreneurs, which featured Mitchell Kapor, creator of the fast-growing Lotus Development Company.

The club is seeking to expand by creating a web site and a logo, Al-Jubeir says, and is led by officers and members with "ambitious goals."

"I think it's great for students to have a place where they can share these kinds of ideas outside of the structure of classes, says Assistant Dean of Students Sarah E. Flatley.

The entrepreneurs club has one president and three vice-presidents, who are in charge of public relations, activities and seminars. Each vice-president presides over a committee of five to 10 members.

James L. Price '97 praises the club, which meets periodically. "I walked away with the knowledge that you need a passion to be successful," he says.