Entrepreneur's Panel Kicks-Off Fall 1997 Career Week

Successful entrepreneurs must feel a driving need to go into business for themselves, a panel of self-employed business people told an audience of about 150 students last night at the kickoff event for the Harvard Student Agencies (HSA) and the Office of Career Services (OCS) Career Week.

After a brief introduction by HSA President Amit Tiwari '98, the six entrepreneurs, ranging from software producers to juice makers, each gave a brief synopsis of their experiences and their company.

John Chuang '87, president and founder of MacTemps Inc., started a small desktop publishing service with two classmates as a junior at Harvard. He said his entrepreneurial spirit carried him through to create a leading international staffing company, supplying Macintosh and PC/Windows experts, with 7,000 employees.

"When I left school, I was only beginning my education," he said.

Tom Scott and Tom First, co-presidents of Nantucket Nectars, started a boat business in 1989 in Nantucket and a year later turned into the "juice guys" who compete in a beverage market with Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Snapple. Neither of them went to business school.

Yet Tom Scott had some advice for aspiring entrepreneurs: "A. Make a promise, B. Make a promise that's better than other people's promises. And C. keep that promise...and I think we exceeded that promise," he said.

The work of one of the panelists, Jennifer Floren, president of Ivy Software, deals directly in helping college students find jobs that are suitable for them.

Ivy Software's programs give users access to information about job opportunities in 15 industries.

Floren, like the other entrepreneurs at the panel, said she loves her job.

"It's about feeling an energy when you get out of bed in the morning," she said.

"You need that desire to create something," said fellow panelist Walter Gilbert, co-founder and former chief executive of Biogen Inc.; professor of molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard, and a Nobel Prize winner. "It takes a lot of arrogance to create a company."

Despite the sacrifice of time and perhaps one's social life, another panelist, Chris Gabrieli, general partner of Bessemer Venture Partners, advised the truly wise not to go into "gilded cage careers" just for the sake of having a stable job.

"Few of my friends in those jobs are happy," he said. "Try to look hard for that passion, interest where you can reinvent your own enthusiasm."

"I'm really glad HSA and OCS are organizing this panel because when I was here there was absolutely no advice," Gabrieli said he "couldn't resist" telling students about his own lessons.

In past years, OCS has sponsored the annual Career Forum, held on Friday this year, in which representatives from more than 100 companies and organizations came to campus.

This year, after a set of talks between representatives from HSA, OCS and Phillips Brooks House, the Career Forum has been expanded into a four-day event also featuring panels on entrepreneurship, business, public service and study abroad, with a keynote speech by Marc B. Fuller '75, chief executive and chair of Monitor Company, a consulting firm.

"These events promise to provide a rich resource to students exploring professional careers," said Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III in a statement.

HSA president Tiwari said the panel went well.

"It's been very successful," he said. "The turnout was great."

Attendees at yesterday's event said the panel was helpful.

"I'm just a sophomore, so I haven't been thinking about careers yet, but it was really fascination that someone could become so successful starting out from nothing," said Melanie Sheerr '00

"It's about feeling an energy when you get out of bed in the morning," she said.

"You need that desire to create something," said fellow panelist Walter Gilbert, co-founder and former chief executive of Biogen Inc.; professor of molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard, and a Nobel Prize winner. "It takes a lot of arrogance to create a company."

Despite the sacrifice of time and perhaps one's social life, another panelist, Chris Gabrieli, general partner of Bessemer Venture Partners, advised the truly wise not to go into "gilded cage careers" just for the sake of having a stable job.

"Few of my friends in those jobs are happy," he said. "Try to look hard for that passion, interest where you can reinvent your own enthusiasm."

"I'm really glad HSA and OCS are organizing this panel because when I was here there was absolutely no advice," Gabrieli said he "couldn't resist" telling students about his own lessons.

In past years, OCS has sponsored the annual Career Forum, held on Friday this year, in which representatives from more than 100 companies and organizations came to campus.

This year, after a set of talks between representatives from HSA, OCS and Phillips Brooks House, the Career Forum has been expanded into a four-day event also featuring panels on entrepreneurship, business, public service and study abroad, with a keynote speech by Marc B. Fuller '75, chief executive and chair of Monitor Company, a consulting firm.

"These events promise to provide a rich resource to students exploring professional careers," said Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III in a statement.

HSA president Tiwari said the panel went well.

"It's been very successful," he said. "The turnout was great."

Attendees at yesterday's event said the panel was helpful.

"I'm just a sophomore, so I haven't been thinking about careers yet, but it was really fascination that someone could become so successful starting out from nothing," said Melanie Sheerr '00