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Global Entrepreneurship Week at Penn State
November 15th-20th, 2015
Happy Valley Communications Fall Campaign Book
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Client
Global Entrepreneurship Week at Penn State
Linda Feltman Senior Business Consultant, Coordinator for Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) Penn State Small Business Development Center 814-‐880-‐9288 [email protected]
Happy Valley Communications Account Team Contact Information Casey Adam Account Executive 908-‐303-‐0176 [email protected] Marisa DeGennaro Account Associate 908-‐566-‐8042 [email protected] Kevin Kelley Account Associate 215-‐534-‐2591 [email protected] Amanda McIlvain Account Associate 443-‐878-‐6711 [email protected] Kayla Sredni Account Associate 954-‐990-‐9977 [email protected] Jill Tatios Account Associate 484-‐832-‐7034 [email protected]
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Table of Contents
Client Summary 4
Target Audience 5
Research/SWOT Analysis 6
Goals and Objectives 7
Evaluation of Goals and Objectives 8
Media Coverage___________________________________________________________9
Promotional Materials and Ads
Flyering_____________________________________________________ 37
Toilet Paper 38
Balloons 39
College TVs 39
Social Media
Summary___________________________________________________ 40
Facebook 41
Twitter 43
Blogs_______________________________________________________ 48
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Client Summary
Global Entrepreneurship Week http://wearegen.co/gew/about “Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) is the world’s largest celebration of innovators and
job creators who launch startups that bring ideas to life, drive economic growth and expand human welfare. Each year in November GEW hosts over 34,000 events in 160 countries around the world.
These events, from large-‐scale competitions to intimate networking gatherings, connect participants to potential collaborators, mentors and even investors—introducing them to new possibilities and exciting opportunities. Millions who had never before considered launching their own ventures soak up advice and inspiration from the likes of Richard Branson, Michael Dell and Muhammad Yunus. Thousands of brand new startups spring to life through boot camps like Startup Weekend and competitions like Startup Open. Hundreds of universities strengthen connections that help them commercialize research from their labs.
Researchers and policymakers engage in discussions around the world to examine the underlying policies necessary to promote entrepreneurial growth. And serial entrepreneurs share their expertise through activities like EO24, run by the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, and practical training courses like FastTrac.
Meanwhile, world leaders and local elected officials alike have embraced the campaign as they look to fuel the economic engine of high-‐growth startups in their own countries and communities. During 2013 alone, 126 heads of state and ministers from 69 countries supported Global Entrepreneurship Week by speaking at activities during the Week, filming statements of support or otherwise endorsing the national campaigns in their countries. GEW is more than just an awareness campaign. It is a platform for connection and collaboration—engaging all players along the entrepreneurship spectrum in strengthening ecosystems around the world.” About Global Entrepreneurship Week at Penn State
In 2015, GEW at Penn State hosted over 100 events and activities aiming to inspire and connect students, university faculty, and community members. GEW at Penn State particularly focused on students, promoting itself as an opportunity for anyone interested in exploring their potential as a self-‐starter or innovator. In 2014 GEW at Penn State was the largest GEW partner in the nation with over 5,000 participants.
Global Entrepreneurship Week Attendance 2015
Student Attendees
Student Volunteers
SBDC Speakers, Judges, or PSU
Staff/Faculty
Community Attendees
Total Attendees
3,751 204 72 92 421 5,058
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Target Audience
Primary Target Audience:
Happy Valley Communications’ GEW team has recognized undergraduate students, ages
18-‐24 as the primary target audience. One of the goals and missions of GEW is to share the
enthusiasm of entrepreneurship by inspiring students. Happy Valley Communications has
recognized the significant role students’ share in the success of this event, with several student
organizations participating and sponsoring GEW. Although all undergraduate students were
considered among the primary target audience, students with applicable majors such as business
or those with greater interest in entrepreneurship were specifically targeted by the HVC account
team. These students were considered to be the most receptive to the lineup of events, with their
interests closely aligning with the core mission of GEW.
Secondary Target Audience:
Secondary audiences are composed of State College community members and professors.
State College Community: Happy Valley Communications sought to target this audience to
incorporate aspects of the client’s mission. In addition to inspiring students, GEW sought to
celebrate entrepreneurship within the community by featuring several local businesses in the
lineup of events. In addition, certain events required an admission price making adults more likely
to attend those events than students in our primary audience.
Professors: Penn State University professors, especially those in relevant business and
entrepreneurial fields were considered key among the secondary target audience. Professors relay
information about GEW events to their students and often offer extra credit for attending events
applicable to the content of their class. Happy Valley Communications worked closely with several
faculty and staff to discuss GEW events and encourage student participation.
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Research/SWOT Analysis
Strengths
1. Events that target both students and community members, bringing in the largest possible audience
2. The numerous events provides a wide range of variety that appeals to a large audience 3. Professors offer credit for attending and structure events around their curriculum, so it
allows the material to be relevant to individual students 4. Our GEW has been one of the largest in the country, helping to garner publicity
Weaknesses
1. Non-‐participants may believe entrepreneurship doesn’t apply to them. “If I’m not going to start my own business why should I go to these events?” These events do not always feel applicable to non-‐business majors.
2. The setup of the website is cluttered and not user friendly
Opportunities
1. Using social media to show that GEW events are relatable to students of all majors and across all organizations
2. Further aligning the interests and goals of Penn State community and the State College community
3. Recruiting more entrepreneurs that fit into the general interests of college students (like Brandon Stanton from GEW 2014)
4. Continuing the success of GEW promotes positive publicity for GEWUSA and the wider Penn State University
Threats
1. GEW falls right before Thanksgiving Break when students are busy finishing up assignments before the time-‐off, potentially threatening student engagement
2. Maintaining fresh events for the future years without repeating too much 3. Attendance may have been hurt with Valley Week and the occurrence of the Paris attacks
coinciding with GEW events
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Goals and Objectives
Goal: To increase the attendance and awareness of Penn State students and State College
community members for GEW 2015 at Penn State.
Objective 1: To increase awareness of GEW at Penn State among our target audiences
Objective 2: To increase the number of Facebook “likes” on the GEW at Penn State page
Objective 3: To have at least three articles written about GEW as a whole or specific GEW
events prior to the week of events at the majority of local media outlets (The Daily Collegian,
Centre Daily Times, Onward State, Centre Country Report, etc.)
Objective 4: To increase promotional presence on campus, specifically among our targets
Tactics: To accomplish the goals and objectives our team used a variety of tactics. These
included:
● Increasing our social media presence (Facebook and Twitter) by posting engaging content
on each Global Entrepreneurship Week at Penn State social media platform
● Using all accounts to inform our audiences of events, as well as to interact with them
● Creating Media Pitches and event summaries to distribute to local media outlets
● Hanging promotional GEW balloons across The Library Mall before the week long event
● Flyering classrooms with information about GEW the week prior to GEW
● Reaching out to professors, GEW speakers, Penn State alumni, and local community
leaders to write blogs to be posted ands shared through the GEW website
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Evaluation of Goals and Objectives
At the conclusion of Global Entrepreneurship Week, the total attendance of all the events
reached 5,058 students, surpassing the total from 2014. The overall goal of the campaign to
increase attendance was accomplished.
In addition to the increased attendance, we were also able to increase awareness and
social media presence among our three target audiences: students, faculty, and community
members. Our Facebook page likes increased by 49%, from 535 to 801 over the course of the
campaign. Twitter followers increased by 44%, from 312 to 448.
Our goal to have at least three articles written about GEW was surpassed with over 19
media mentions and articles. This media coverage focused on GEW as a whole in addition to
specific events that were of interest among our three target audiences.
The fourth objective was met by a number of actions taken to promote GEW around
campus such as, the balloons, banner on Osmond, the HUB table, flyers, and advertisements in the
HUB and on monitors throughout 10 different colleges.
Through the use of our tactics, we met all four objectives at the conclusion of our
campaign for Global Entrepreneurship Week 2015.
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Media Coverage
Date Outlet Title Link
10/22/15 Penn State News Penn State Berks to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week Nov. 16-‐22
http://news.psu.edu/story/376652/2015/10/22/academics/penn-‐state-‐berks-‐celebrate-‐global-‐entrepreneurship-‐week-‐nov-‐16-‐22
10/30/15 Penn State News Penn State Altoona celebrates Global Entrepreneurship Week Nov. 16-‐20
http://news.psu.edu/story/377763/2015/10/30/penn-‐state-‐altoona-‐celebrates-‐global-‐entrepreneurship-‐week-‐nov-‐16-‐20
11/3/15 Penn State News Penn State Lehigh Valley to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week Nov. 15-‐20
http://news.psu.edu/story/378702/2015/11/03/academics/penn-‐state-‐lehigh-‐valley-‐celebrate-‐global-‐entrepreneurship-‐week
11/4/15 Penn State News Global Entrepreneurship Week at Penn State to offer opportunities, ideas
http://news.psu.edu/story/378738/2015/11/04/impact/global-‐entrepreneurship-‐week-‐penn-‐state-‐offer-‐opportunities-‐ideas
11/6/15 Penn State News Arts Entrepreneurship Program events during Global Entrepreneurship Week
http://news.psu.edu/story/379639/2015/11/06/arts-‐and-‐entertainment/arts-‐entrepreneurship-‐program-‐events-‐during-‐global
11/7/15 Altoona Mirror Penn State Altoona to Mark Global Entrepreneurship Week
http://altoonamirror.com/page/content.detail/id/623428/Penn-‐State-‐Altoona-‐to-‐mark-‐Global-‐Entrepreneurship-‐Week.html
11/11/15 Statecollege.com Entrepreneurship Week at Psu to Offer Opportunities
http://www.statecollege.com/news/business/entrepreneurship-‐week-‐at-‐psu-‐to-‐offer-‐opportunities,1466022/
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11/11/15 The Daily Collegian Johnny Cupcakes Gives Lecture Explaining the Success of His Sweet Business
http://www.collegian.psu.edu/arts_and_entertainment/article_d4fb2fe0-‐8887-‐11e5-‐af3f-‐c3a9c9453fc4.html
11/12/15 Centre Daily Times Giving You The Business http://www.centredaily.com/2015/11/12/5012108_giving-‐you-‐the-‐business.html?rh=1
11/12/15 ComMedia Fishing For Business http://commedia.psu.edu/centre-‐county-‐report/story/fishing-‐for-‐business
11/15/15 Centre Daily Times Penn State Offering Nearly 100 Events during Global Entrepreneurship Week
http://www.centredaily.com/news/local/education/penn-‐state/article45213654.html
11/15/15 We Are Central PA Penn State hosts largest global entrepreneurship week in U.S,
http://www.wearecentralpa.com/news/penn-‐state-‐hosts-‐largest-‐global-‐entrepreneurship-‐week-‐in-‐us
11/16/15 B94.5 N/A http://b945live.com/the-‐morning-‐getaway/
11/16/15 Onward State This week is Global Entrepreneurship Week at Penn State
http://onwardstate.com/2015/11/16/this-‐week-‐is-‐global-‐entrepreneurship-‐week-‐at-‐penn-‐state/
11/16/15 PSNTV PSN News https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj8S1lxFMwo
11/17/15 Reading Eagle Penn State Berks Global Entrepreneurship Week
http://www.readingeagle.com/money/article/penn-‐state-‐berks-‐to-‐host-‐global-‐entrepreneurship-‐week
11/18/15 The Daily Collegian Musician Joe Crookstone Speaks to Penn State Students Tuesday for Global Entrepreneurship Week
http://www.collegian.psu.edu/news/campus/article_4ad63956-‐8da8-‐11e5-‐bd5f-‐c7e037fce474.html
The Lion FM N/A http://www.thelion.fm
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Penn State News
Penn State Berks to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week Nov. 16-22
October 22, 2015
READING, Pa. — In today’s economic environment, entrepreneurship is one of the
most important aspects of our economy. In an effort to inspire an entrepreneurial
spirit among students and to seek partnerships with business and industry that
foster economic growth for the local community, Penn State Berks — along with all
of Penn State University — is celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week Nov. 16–
22. Penn State Berks has several events planned for aspiring student
entrepreneurs, and some are open to the public.
Tuesday, Nov. 17, 12:15 p.m.–1:30 p.m., Room 245, Gaige Technology and Business
Innovation Building
Global Opportunities for an Entrepreneurial Solar Energy Company
Paul Eisenhuth, CEO of CEWA Technologies, and Connie Faylor, regional manager
of the Greater Reading/Berks/Schuylkill Ben Franklin Technology Partners, will be
guest speakers in the campus' entrepreneurial mindset class. Founded in April
2009, CEWA Technologies develops and markets CSP (concentrating solar power)
point concentrator dishes that utilize solar technology in innovative ways to
generate sustainable power at a price competitive with fossil fuels. Ben Franklin
Technology Partners is one of the nation’s longest-‐running technology-‐based
economic development programs. For more than 31 years, BFTP has provided both
early-‐stage and established companies with funding, business and technical
expertise and access to a network of innovative, expert resources. This
presentation is open to students of the college.
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Wednesday, Nov. 18, 10:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m., Room 244, Gaige Technology and
Business Innovation Building
Penn State Berks students in the Entrepreneurship Club and entrepreneurship and
innovation minor will hold a workshop for Reading School District high school
students enrolled in the Penn State Educational Partnership Program (PEPP). The
PEPP students will learn about entrepreneurship, self-‐assessment, 3-‐D printing, and
writing a business plan. The workshop will begin by focusing on what it means to
be an entrepreneur. The PEPP students will learn how to become innovative
thinkers, and through the self-‐assessment portion of the workshop, the students
will learn about themselves, their passions, networking, and generating new ideas.
Finally, they will be taught the basics of writing a business plan and how to
incorporate their plan with the needs of their community.
PEPP is an early-‐intervention collaboration between Penn State Berks and the
Reading School District. The mission of the program is to enhance academic
preparedness and motivation levels in its Reading School District participants to
pursue higher education. PEPP also recruits and trains students from Penn State
Berks, most of whom are childhood and early adolescent education majors, to act
as PEPP learning assistants.
Abdullah Konak, professor of information sciences and technology, and Sadan
Kulturel-‐Konak, professor of management information systems, coordinator of the
entrepreneurship and innovation minor, and adviser of the Entrepreneurship Club
at Penn State Berks, are faculty advisers and workshop co-‐coordinators.
Thursday, Nov. 19, 3-‐4 p.m., Room 248 and Room 114, Gaige Technology and
Business Innovation Building
Ecoult: An International Success Story
Jason Hoffman, senior engineer with Ecoult, will speak about the entrepreneurial
company that has created a revolutionary energy storage system. Hoffman will
provide a history of Ecoult and a description of the relationship between Ecoult and
its parent company, East Penn Manufacturing Company, located in Lyon Station.
He will also provide an overview of the unique Ecoult technology and the
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applications of that technology. In 2013, Ecoult was named in the Cleantech
Group’s prestigious 2013 Global Cleantech 100.
Ecoult developed a revolutionary battery storage system featuring new technology
invented and incubated by Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial
Research Organisation (CSIRO). The new venture, which is supported by
international corporate, government and research partners, is expected to change
the role that solar and wind energy play in the electricity market by smoothing the
volatility of renewable power and allowing it to be integrated seamlessly into the
grid.
At Penn State Berks, Ecoult batteries were used in the microgrid located in the
automation lab in the Gaige building. Hoffman will provide an explanation of how
Ecoult batteries work in the microgrid.
This event is sponsored by the Penn State Berks entrepreneurship and innovation
minor, and it is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. For more
information or to reserve a seat at this presentation, contact Kathy Cavanaugh at
610-‐396-‐6220.
Thursday, Nov. 19, 6:30–7:30 p.m., Room 246, Gaige Technology and Business
Innovation Building
Helping PA Entrepreneurs Reach Global Markets: Resources and Assistance
Available through the PA Dept. of Community and Economic Development
This program will provide an overview of the types of assistance that are available
to entrepreneurs in Pennsylvania through the PA Department of Community and
Economic Development. Guest speakers will include Katherine Skopp, Director of
Global Partnerships, PA Department of Community and Economic Development
Office of International Business Development, and others. This event is sponsored
by the Penn State Berks Entrepreneurship and Innovation minor, and it is free and
open to the public, but seating is limited. For more information or to reserve a seat
at this presentation, contact Cavanaugh at 610-‐396-‐6220.
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In addition to these events and lectures, Kulturel-‐Konak and Konak are taking their
creativity and innovation workshop class, composed of four Penn State Berks
students, to Nicaragua from Nov. 21–29. There they will reside at the Fabretto
Center, an educational center whose mission is to empower underserved children
and their families to reach their full potential, improve their livelihoods, and take
advantage of economic opportunity through education and nutrition, The faculty
and students will teach the Nicaraguan youth business skills so that they may
become self sufficient.
Penn State Berks is committed to entrepreneurship and economic development.
The Creativity, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (CEED) Center was
established in the fall of 2011 as part of the Gaige Technology and Business
Innovation Building. The CEED Center is an extension of the college’s
entrepreneurship and innovation minor. This interdisciplinary 18-‐credit minor is
designed to foster an entrepreneurial spirit, creativity, and leadership in students.
Since the CEED Center was established, it has sponsored several Entrepreneurship
Speaker Series panel discussions, composed of both student entrepreneurs who
have started their own businesses and local entrepreneurs from the business
community. In addition, several collaborative initiatives have been undertaken
between students, faculty, business and industry leaders, and members of
organizations from around the world.
For more information on these projects or the CEED Center, contact Kulturel-‐Konak
at 610-‐396-‐6137 or via email at [email protected].
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Penn State News
Penn State Altoona celebrates Global Entrepreneurship Week Nov. 16-20
October 30, 2015
ALTOONA, Pa. — For the first time, Penn State Altoona is participating in Global
Entrepreneurship Week, scheduled this year for Nov. 16-‐20. The campus is
partnering with University Park on two events while holding several of its own for
aspiring student entrepreneurs. Some events are open to the public.
Global Entrepreneurship Week is the world’s largest celebration of the innovators
and job creators who launch startups that bring ideas to life, drive economic
growth, and expand human welfare. Global Entrepreneurship Week inspires people
everywhere through activities designed to help them explore their potential as self-‐
starters and innovators. These activities, from competitions and events to intimate
networking gatherings, connect participants to potential collaborators, mentors
and even investors — introducing them to new possibilities and exciting
opportunities.
To get started, students may join the Global Entrepreneurship Week Selfie
Challenge at Penn State Altoona. From Nov. 9-‐10, find one of the following
destinations or resources — a local business owner who started his or her own
business, a professor who teaches about entrepreneurship, an incubator, a flyer
about a campus entrepreneurship competition, or a Facebook page about a Penn
State Altoona entrepreneurs’ club — and take a selfie! Post to @PSUaEshipCtr on
Instagram for a chance to win a $25 Sheetz gift card. Each selfie will count as one
entry, so post as many selfies as you can (just no repeats!). Names of participating
students will be drawn at random from Instagram entries on Nov. 20.
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Global Entrepreneurship Week will kick off with a student entrepreneur panel from
5-‐6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 16, in the Sheetz Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence
at Penn State Altoona. Several students will explain how they used Penn State
Altoona resources to help them launch a successful business. They will share their
experiences and talk about how they balance the needs of their business with the
college experience. The public is encouraged to attend and support these student
entrepreneurs.
There is also the "First Step to Starting a Business" workshop, set for 6-‐7:30 p.m.
Nov. 16 in 262 Willard Building on Penn State's University Park campus. This
workshop for students will help aspiring entrepreneurs to begin the process of
successful business ownership, including evaluating business ideas, developing a
business plan, and exploring financing options. The program is free, but you must
register online at http://sbdc.psu.edu/seminars/.
Two sessions of a seminar titled "Emotional Intelligence: The Key to Your
Leadership Potential" will be held from 9-‐11:30 a.m. and 5:30-‐8 p.m. on
Wednesday, Nov. 18, in the Sheetz Center for Entrepreneurial Excellence. The
sessions will help you to understand your personal emotional quotient, discover
the science behind your emotional reactions, and more. Register for this free
program at altoona.psu.edu/businesstraining, by calling 814-‐949-‐5535 or emailing
Students can also attend "The Mind of an Entrepreneur" program from 3-‐4 p.m.
Nov. 18 at 243 S. Allen Street in State College. What is it about the way a person
thinks that makes him or her a successful star-‐up leader or an entrepreneur who
will be successful? Join entrepreneurial thought leaders to delve into the subject.
A two-‐day "Advanced Strategic Business Facilitation Training" will be offered Nov.
20 and 21 in the Devorris Downtown Center in Altoona. The program is open to the
public and runs from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. It is designed to give trainees
the ability to facilitate business sessions within their own company or with other
companies. The model used will be the Seven Swords of Strategic Business
Facilitation methodology outlined in the book. This class provides a new skill for
legal, business, medical, and ADR professionals, as well as students pursuing any of
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these fields. Cost is $2,500 per participant or $1,800 per participant with a group of
five or more. Register by calling 814-‐949-‐5535.
For more information about Global Entrepreneurship Week, visit
altoona.psu.edu/gew.
Penn State News
Penn State Lehigh Valley to celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week Nov. 15-20
November 3, 2015
Penn State Lehigh Valley aims to inspire an entrepreneurial spirit in its students.
For the week of Nov. 15-‐20, the Lehigh Valley campus— along with all of Penn
State — is celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week.
From students who want to study abroad to business students interested in
international project management, Penn State Lehigh Valley has a couple of events
planned for aspiring student entrepreneurs, with one open to the public.
Noon to 1 p.m Monday, Nov. 16, Room 219, Penn State Lehigh Valley
Educators as Entrepreneurs
To teachers, the classroom is their world, but what happens when the world
becomes their classroom? Education students are invited to hear different
perspectives from a pre-‐service teacher and university administrator/educator
about the entrepreneurial spirit that is awakened when an invitation to collaborate
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with a university abroad is accepted. A teacher's world and an entrepreneur's
world collide and unique opportunities result!
Nancy Coco, director of corporate and community education at Penn State Lehigh
Valley and director of the Penn State Lehigh Valley Writing Project, will present
with Crystal Ball, an adult student earning a degree in early childhood education at
Penn State Lehigh Valley.
7 to 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, Room 302, Penn State Lehigh Valley
The Project that Never Sleeps: International Project Management
International project management requires a specific set of skills to ensure success
when managing international projects that spread across borders and cultures.
International project management is becoming increasingly important in today’s
global business world where businesses are continuing to expand into new
countries and markets, either to increase their market share or to reduce costs by
utilizing more efficient resources of other countries.
Pamela Bender, Melanie Sanchez-‐Jones and Joseph Garofalo, who have a
combined 80 years of experience in engineering, manufacturing, and project
management, will be guest speakers for this event geared toward students
enrolled in management, project management, supply chain and international
business courses.
12:15 to 1:15 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, Room 135, Penn State Lehigh Valley
Global Etiquette
Kara Amoratis, international risk analyst and global operations coordinator for
Penn State, will share her expertise in the practical and logistical risks and issues of
international travel and global operations. Amoratis will present her perspective on
safe and effective travel in the modern world. For students and local community
members planning to study or travel abroad, Amoratis will review medical
insurance, converting money, entry/exit fees, passport rules and legal issues
abroad, among other topics. This event is open to students, parents and the
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general public. Lunch will be available to Penn State Lehigh Valley students,
sponsored by SAF Funding.
Attend one or more of Penn State Global Entrepreneurship Week’s events and
become part of an international entrepreneurship celebration with 150 countries,
24,000 partners and 34,000 events
To plan to attend one of the events, visit the Global Entrepreneurship Week
website. For more information, contact Diane McAloon at 610-‐285-‐5066 or
Student and community entrepreneurs share ideas on how to start your own business during GEW Penn State.
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Penn State News
Global Entrepreneurship Week at Penn State to offer opportunities, ideas
November 4, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.—Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) is an international
initiative for entrepreneurs taking place in more than 160 countries. GEW at Penn
State officially kicks off on campus and in downtown State College Nov. 15, but the
week leading up to it is also packed with events.
Linda Feltman, senior business consultant at the Penn State Small Business
Development Center, is the coordinator.
“GEW at Penn State was recently recognized by the Ewing Marion Kaufman
Foundation for being the top GEW partner in the United States,” Feltman said. “We
are excited to offer nearly 100 events that have been planned by students, faculty
and the community and a majority of them are open and free to the public.”
GEW events are scheduled on campus and at local businesses, including New Leaf
Initiative.
“The event creates a connection between established entrepreneurs in the
community and caring, talented students which (may) lead to jobs or internships,”
said Galen Bernard, director for New Leaf Initiative.
Ryan Yosua, a senior in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, began
a business — YosuaTreeGames — with his brother while they were students at
Penn State. Yosua will participate in a student entrepreneurship panel during GEW.
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“I have been able to take advantage of lots of great resources at Penn State to help
grow my business, and I’m excited to have the chance to help other students out,”
Yosua said.
Events featuring Johnny “Cupcakes” Earle, named America’s No. 1 entrepreneur by
Businessweek and a startup workshop are two of the events scheduled the week
leading up to GEW, Nov. 5–12.
A Lufthansa vice president will discuss "intrapreneurship" versus entrepreneurship,
author Anne Deeter Gallaher will host a dialogue for women in business and
student entrepreneurs will get a chance to pitch ideas during events scheduled
Nov. 15-‐20.
Penn State Abington, Penn State Altoona, Penn State Berks, Penn State DuBois,
Penn State Harrisburg, Penn State Lehigh Valley, Penn State Center Lewistown and
Penn State World Campus will also host GEW events. Several events will be
streamed live.
For a complete schedule visit GEW Penn State.
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Penn State News
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We Are Central PA
Penn State hosts largest global entrepreneurship week in U.S. By Marielena Balouris | [email protected]
Published 11/15 2015 11:23PM
Updated 11/15 2015 11:33PM
State College, Centre County, Pa.
Starting Monday, 160 countries will celebrate global entrepreneurship week. The largest celebration
in the U.S. Is in our area.
It's all about Innovation and entrepreneurship at Penn State, and both students and community
members say State College is the perfect place for that to happen.
That's part of the reason why Penn State has the largest Global Entrepreneurship Week celebration in
the U.S.. The events are not just for Penn State students -‐-‐ they're for the entire community.
Todd Erdley, Founder and CEO of Videon, said, "As far as State College, is it an entrepreneurial-‐rich
town, it has the potential to be that. You have the elements coming together. You have Penn State
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dedicated to it, you have the community awakening, you have a lot of different things happen where
entrepreneurs can really do something amazing."
Erdley spoke to a crowd at the State Theater on Sunday night. He was joined by Andrew Muirhead, a
VP at Lufthansa Technik. Their presentation defined the differences between entrepreneurship and
intrapreneurship. They also shared their stories of how they achieved success.
"I said you know what I'm going to make a lot of money, I'm going to have a lot of fun and then that
company went bankrupt. So you know starting out was really, really hard. I'm one of those that failed
but the second company I've started and it has really done well," said Erdley.
Penn State also recently announced the creation of LaunchBox-‐-‐ a place where students and
community members can work together on new ideas.
Neil Sharkey, Penn State VP for Research, said, "We have a lot of bright ideas floating around and we
should do this better and we'd really like to jump-‐start the local economy and use our ideas and keep
them in our local communities."
Penn State is now accepting applications to be one of five teams that will be the first to work in the
LaunchBox. Teams accepted into the program will have requirements, one of them being a 10-‐week
program with classes geared toward how to create a successful start-‐up.
"We're trying to make an ecosystem here where we have all the resources needed for people to
succeed," said Sharkey.
And for students, they're excited about these opportunities.
Matthew Roda, Penn State freshman, said, "If you really have a good idea, there's so many different
options available to you, that you can really, you'll be able to find money, people to help you out.
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For more information, visit: http://www.gewpennstate.org/
Copyright 2015 Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Centre Daily Times
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Statecollege.com
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Centre County Report
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The Daily Collegian
Johnny Cupcakes gives lecture explaining the success of his sweet business
● Amara Saputo | The Daily Collegian
● Nov 11, 2015
Johnny Earle, more commonly known as Johnny Cupcakes, has created a graphic t-‐shirt company with
a tasty twist.
Hosted by the Student Program Association, Earle visited The State Theatre last night to shed some
entrepreneurial wisdom to an audience filled with start-‐up ideas.
“He’s a marketing genius,” Michael Black (senior-‐finance), who has created a start-‐up business, said. “I want to
learn more about how he got licensing agreements with companies like Hello Kitty.”
Earle, who has created 16 companies ranging from lemonade stands, snow shoveling and magic performances
by the time he was 16, said “real success is being happy doing what you love.”
Having both an online and storefront market advertising the carb-‐free, sugar-‐free and fat-‐free product, Earle
said he has created loyal customers –– some who have tattooed the cupcake and crossbones logo on
themselves –– as well as angry internet complainers who have waited in snaking lines to get a red velvet
cupcake only to be disappointed that the clothing store is only designed to look like a bakery.
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“Apple doesn’t sell fruit, why should I sell cupcakes?” Earle said.
Earle said part of the success of Johnny Cupcakes is the unique experience customers have when shopping for
his cupcake-‐themed tees. The stores look and smell like a bakery and the shirts are typically packaged in
cupcake boxes.
“People thrive off of new experiences,” Earle said. “I want customers to feel like it’s their birthday. Great
packaging does not get thrown away.”
Johnny Cupcakes has hosted themed t-‐shirts such as The Simpsons where each Simpsons-‐themed shirt was sold
with a Duff drink and, yes, a cupcake adorned with a little doughnut. Other themed-‐packaging including shirts
sold in a vintage push-‐pop and an ice cream carton.
Earle gave out some words of advice throughout his presentation to those “haunted with ‘what if’s,’”: List 12
things that make you unique, high-‐five and network and meet strangers unless they drive a white van.
Earle said he does a very limited amount of the traditional, expensive advertising. A lot of it is word to mouth
that he accredits to the Johnny Cupcakes’ experience. He said he also uses social media to tell his followers to
meet him in town for a pizza party, which is cheaper than traditional ads and gives him a chance to personally
meet his existing and potential customers.
“Just to hear him is amazing,” Maggie Norton (senior-‐geography), who sported a Johnny Cupcakes shirt, said.
“He’s so inspirational and he’s such an individual. I’ve always admired him for that.”
Along with his business advice, Earle gave the audience some pranking tips. Earle said he lines his friends cups
with Orajel to make their mouths numb before they go off to hit on a girl.
His favorite prank: “I opened up a bakery that didn’t sell food.”
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The Daily Collegian
Musician Joe Crookston speaks to Penn State students Tuesday for Global Entrepreneurship Week
● Kelly Powers | For The Collegian
● Nov 18, 2015
● American folk singer Joe Crookston plays guitar during Global Entrepreneurship Week in the Carnegie Building on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015.
Joe Crookston is both a musical artist and a successful entrepreneur. Oftentimes, it seems like this combination
is unobtainable; however, on Tuesday night, Crookston showed people just how possible it is.
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He successfully runs his own business and “tours internationally,” his publicist Elisabeth Harrod said.
“I own a house and I’m married and I make a good living,” Crookston said. “I don’t buy into the story of a
starving artist.”
This week is Global Entrepreneurship Week, and Anne Hoag, an associate professor in the College of
Communications, said she thinks Penn State “does it better than anyone.”
Hoag books the entrepreneurs, like Crookston, who come to Penn State to talk to students.
“I like the media entrepreneurs to give students an idea of what their life could look like,” Hoag said.
One student, Brianna Debow (junior-‐telecommunications), said she came for not only the entertainment, but
also to learn about how Crookston became a successful artist and businessman.
A crowd of many Penn State students and other members of the State College community listened to
Crookston’s playing and singing, as well as his story.
Crookston spoke of his unique life leading up to today.
“I only have a high school diploma,” he said, mentioning he dropped out of Kent State University.
He told the crowd about his decision to leave school and pursue an interest in music. He said he started off
working at a music center in New Jersey.
Crookston said he had a moment where he discovered he could actually make money as a touring artist.
“I took this dream and broke it down, doing the math for my business,” he said. “I started with house concerts
and built it night after night.”
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“There was never an absence of help,” Crookston said.
Crookston said people should find others who have mastered their passion and ask questions.
GEW aims to inspire students, Linda Feltman, coordinator of GEW, said.
“It is fun to watch [students] decide to start something, to do something,” she said.
Crookston said that everyone in the audience will be doing something in their future — they will either love it or
hate it; therefore, he said it’s important to find a career that matches their passion.
He showed students that it is possible to be successful in what they love.
“It can be hard, but it would be harder to be at a job you hate. I wanted to do something related to my passion,”
Crookston said.
Many students may think that the only way they can succeed is through rigid, clear-‐cut careers, but last night
Crookston showed them something different.
“We don’t need anymore drones. The world’s people need to go out and be cultural creators,” Crookston said.
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Onward State
This Week Is Global Entrepreneurship Week At
Penn State
BY ANNA FOLEY ON NOVEMBER 16, 2015 AT 1:59 AM NEWS, PENN STATE
Penn State is joining forces with entrepreneurs from more than 160 countries and 24,000 partners to
celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week. The week-‐long event, which officially started on
November 15, will consist of dozens of speeches, workshops, discussions, and meet ups on campus
and in downtown State College.
The university has participated in GEW since 2009. Back then, the week only had two events and 45
participants. But the event has grown quite a bit since its humble beginnings. Last year, GEW Penn
State hosted 78 events for over 5,000 participants.
Global Entrepreneurship Week at Penn State is bigger than ever this year. More than 100 events will
be hosted at University Park, and many will be available via live stream for those who cannot
attend. Here are of some of the week’s highlights:
Monday, November 16:
● Student Entrepreneurship Panel (5:30-‐7 p.m. in 260 Willard): Hear from student
entrepreneurs at Penn State about the resources the university has for building
business. Panelists include Assistant Professor and Co-‐Director of Lion Launch Liz
Kisenwether, Project Vive’s Mary Elizabeth McCulloch, ResumeRuby’s Mitch Robinson,
Carl Rowits, and Ryan Yosua.
● 4 Under 30 (8-‐9:30 p.m. in Foster Auditorium): Four recent Penn State graduates and
current startup owners will return to chat with students. Panelists include Pete
Brockman, Alan Erdley, Abu Fofonah, and Zachary Zimbler.
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Tuesday, November 17:
● Entrepreneurial=Improvisational: How to accept the good, bad, and the never-‐saw-‐
that-‐coming (6-‐8 p.m. at the Palmer Museum of Art): Lead by Craig Walsh of Go
Walsh Design studios, this workshop is focused on how to overcome the roadblocks
and failures of the entrepreneurial world.
Wednesday, November 18:
● Understanding Business Cash Flow (6-‐7 p.m. in 262 Willard): The Penn State Small
Business Development Center will offer a crash course in how to set up an accounting
system, track income and expenses, and keep financial records.
● Circle of 6: Where is your line? A Night of Sex-‐Positive Awareness and Safety (7:30-‐
9:00 p.m. at the State Theatre): Presented by GEW Women’s Entrepreneurship Day,
the film “The Line” will be screened. After, filmmaker Nancy Schwartzman will hold a
discussion of how she turned her traumatic date rape experience into the creation of
her app, Circle of 6.
Thursday, November 19:
● Hacky Hour (5:30-‐8:00 p.m. at New Leaf): This informal meet up for developers will be
hosted by West Arete’s President Scott Woods.
● Shattering the Artist vs. Entrepreneur Paradigm: A conversation with someone who is
a little of both (6:30-‐8:00 p.m. at the Palmer Museum of Art): Howard Udell, who is
both a musician and entrepreneur, will host a conversation and Q&A.
Friday, November 20:
● Penn State Idea Pitch Competition (3-‐4:30 p.m. in 217 Business Building): Presented by
Smeal College of Business, this competition allows students to collaborate on their
ideas with Penn State faculty. For more information on the pitch competition, check
out their website.
For GEW Penn State’s entire schedule, visit the event’s page.
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PSNtv
In an interview with Jill Tatios, the basis of Global Entrepreneurship week was discussed.
This interview included the client summary, outreach strategies, as well as social media platforms.
Another aspect of this interview includes events and the main focus of GEW which is innovation.
Reading Eagle
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Altoona Mirror
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Promotional Materials and Ads
Through the use of advertisements, balloons, and flyers, the Happy Valley Communications
GEW team was successfully able to meet our goal of increasing the promotional presence on
campus.
1) Flyering
We looked to a variety of outlets to capture the attention of students and faculty on Penn
State’s campus. First, we posted flyers around major buildings on campus. We went to Willard,
Sparks, Carnegie, Thomas, Forum and many others and posted flyers on the bulletin boards at the
front of the classrooms. Additionally, we targeted the residence halls. We went to the East,
Pollack, South, and West communities and put GEW flyers in their mailboxes. Lastly, we took over
The Mall from College Avenue to the Paterno library. We tied GEW balloons to the posts that line
The Mall.
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2) Toilet Paper & HUB TVs
The following two advertisements were placed on the back of bathroom stall doors
throughout the HUB and on all televisions within the building. The first advertisement ran from
November 9th-‐13th with a call-‐to-‐action to like our Facebook page and join the GEW Facebook
community. The second advertisement ran the week of GEW from November 15th to the 20th
with a call-‐to-‐action to check out the GEW schedule of events on the website.
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3) Balloons These balloons were tied along posts on Old Main lawn the first day of GEW, November
15th. Old Main lawn has high foot traffic among students and faculty walking to and from class.
4) College Television Advertisements
The following advertisement was created by Penn State Outreach marketing and placed on
TV screens in the following colleges during the week of GEW: The College of Communications,
Smeal College of Business, Agricultural Science, The Eberly College of Science, The College of the
Liberal Arts, and The College of Engineering.
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Social Media Platforms
The Happy Valley Communications GEW team collaborated with Penn State Outreach
Marketing in GEW’s overall Facebook and Twitter strategy. Happy Valley Communications focused
on producing the social media content, since the team members had a heightened understanding
of what messaging college students best respond to. Penn State Outreach Marketing and the
Happy Valley Communications Account Executive managed the scheduling and posting of all
Facebook posts and tweets to the GEW Penn State accounts using Storify and Hootsuite. The
overall strategy for GEW focused on providing engaging content that was both informational and
entertaining to the college-‐aged demographic.
Happy Valley Communications utilized an informal communication style when creating the
posts while still providing information related to GEW Penn State and entrepreneurship. Instead of
solely posting GEW event details, the team expanded all content to create an interactive two-‐way
communication experience for GEW Penn State followers. This expansion of content included
interesting articles related to entrepreneurship, asking questions to drive engagement as well as
other creative messaging. Throughout the semester, each Account Associate drafted several mock
tweets and Facebook posts on a weekly basis. These posts were reviewed by the Account
Executive and revised if needed at each team meeting. This content was then passed along to the
Outreach Marketing team to be scheduled and posted deliberately to avoid overloading the
Facebook and Twitter pages. Outreach Marketing has saved all the posts that were not used this
semester for future use.
An important aspect of the GEW Facebook and Twitter strategy was the consistent use of
the hashtag #GEWPSU to categorize GEW Penn State related tweets and brand the series of
events. Attendees of GEW events were also encouraged to do the same. Also, the bulk of GEW
Penn State Twitter activity took place during GEW, however, tweets were rolled out weeks in
advance to create awareness.
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Twitter Content Before
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Twitter Content After
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Live Tweeting In addition to producing content to be posted on the GEW Penn State Twitter account,
each Happy Valley Communications team member live tweeted from their personal account
during attended GEW events. This was done to take advantage of each team member’s existing
Twitter following. Each live tweet followed a journalistic style, providing direct quotes and
paraphrases from GEW speakers, pictures of events, and other observations. Many of these live
tweets were retweeted by the GEW Penn State account.
The Happy Valley Communications team also developed additional hashtags to use during
GEW, such as #innovation, #smallbiz, #startup and others to broaden GEW Penn State’s reach.
Additionally, the team created a list of relevant Penn State organizations and media outlets to
tweet at during GEW to drive Twitter engagement and increase retweets in order to reach a larger
audience.
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Paid Social Media Throughout the course of the campaign the Happy Valley Communications team
collaborated with Penn State Outreach Marketing to execute four paid Facebook advertisements.
These advertisements included boosted posts and page promotions. Two of the advertisements
were targeted towards faculty and community members in the Central PA region and the other
two targeted Penn State students. The Facebook analytics below show our reach, impressions, and
engagement measurements.
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Blogs Purpose: To allow prominent entrepreneurs (some whom were speakers in Penn State’s GEW) the
platform to provide inspiration, share their knowledge and give advice.
Strategy: We wanted the blogs – each around 200-‐300 words – to draw people’s interest into
looking at the events these speakers would run and Global Entrepreneurship Week in general. For
the speakers that wrote blogs, they gave a teaser of the topics they would be addressing. We
gathered these blogs in advance to and shared them before GEW through social media. Those that
wrote blogs who weren’t speakers discussed what entrepreneurship meant to them. By picking a
wide range of entrepreneurs to write blogs (from professors to motivational cartoonists), the
blogs allowed readers to see that entrepreneurship is more extensive than it may appear and that
it can relate to their interests.
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Blog Samples Todd Erdley
Entrepreneurial Thinking and Innovation -‐ From Startups to Large Corporations
Global Entrepreneurship Week is an exciting time. It’s not only a celebration of entrepreneurship,
but also a unique opportunity to bring students and the community together around shared
interests and learn from one another’s experiences.
I’m looking forward to kicking off GEW 2015 on Sunday evening with a good friend, Andrew
Muirhead, who is Vice President of Original Equipment Innovation at Lufthansa Technik in
Hamburg, Germany. During our session called “Entre...intra. A tale of two ...preneurs,” Andrew
and I will compare and contrast our own experiences with entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship
and how we grew our businesses in different environments. I pursued my entrepreneurial dream
of growing my own company, and founded Videon Central here in State College in 1997. Videon is
now a leading provider of audio/video applications for a wide range of markets, with over 30
million devices using our digital media technology. Andrew’s accomplishments are a great
example of intrapreneurial success: applying entrepreneurial ideas within a company to make a
significant impact and drive growth. Fifteen years ago, he had a vision for a company within
Lufthansa Technik and built it into a huge center of innovation for Lufthansa.
Whether you’re interested in founding a startup or never see yourself being an entrepreneur,
GEW events offer valuable insight for all. I strongly encourage every student and professional in
the community to attend as many GEW events as possible. There’s no doubt that you will come
away with knowledge that will help you enhance your career. One of the biggest pieces of advice
that I emphasize is to take control of your career; be the person you dream of being, not the
person you are expected to be. GEW offers you tools to make that happen in any setting.
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Dan Rowland
There’s always going to be uncertainty working as an entrepreneur. But, with thoughtful planning,
you can take some of the guesswork out of owning a business and set yourself up for success.
Scott Woods, from West Arete, and I are excited to have the opportunity to speak again at this
year’s Global Entrepreneurship Week. Our presentation “Learning From Experience”, which is split
between two nights, will then explain the planning phase of our web & mobile apps and include
success stories from previous clients.
Our conversation will revolve around a model we’ve developed. Based off our industry experience,
years of working with clients, seeing what worked, and what didn’t, we realized that it isn’t just
one or two components that lead to a project’s success– a well-‐balanced approach is the
dominant feature behind every great app. Using this knowledge we created the Donut.
We will be discussing the 7 pieces of the Donut (User Experience, Content, Design, Marketing,
Business Model, Programming & Engineering, and Leadership & Management) during Global
Entrepreneurship Week and how we’ve refined the concept of the Donut to ensure successful
outcomes for our clients.
The great feature of the Donut is that it can be incorporated into the planning process no matter
the size of the company or its experience developing apps. We look forward to sparking
conversation among a variety of students, current entrepreneurs, and future business owners
about the strategy behind success.
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Stephanie Halligan
Steph Halligan is a motivational cartoonist and the creator of ArtToSelf.com, where she sends out
daily inspirational cartoons love notes. She's also the founder of EmpoweredDollar.com, a
financial literacy consulting service and comic blog dedicated to bringing creativity to the world of
money.
1. What does entrepreneurship mean to you? Entrepreneurship is really a state of mind more than
a business model -‐ are you willing to look at things differently? Are you willing to experiment and
find the way you provide your own unique value to the world? And are you willing to change and
change over and over again for the sake of becoming better and finding a better solution?
2. What's your personal business philosophy? I live by the 80/20 rule: that 20 percent of the work
gets 80 percent of the results. So I do what I'm good at. I focus on what really truly works for my
business -‐ what grows my audience, what resonates with my fans, etc. -‐ and do those things over
and over. I try really hard to avoid trends or overcomplicating my business. The simplest thing is
usually the best.
3. What advice would you give to a college student who wants to start his/her own company?
Start today. Start offering a service on the side. Start offering things to your peers or family. Start
offering something online. It took me about 3 years of hustling on the side to find out what I'm
really good at and what would make a thriving business. If I had sat back and waited for the
perfect opportunity, I would've missed out on years of experimentation... and I would've never
landed on my ultimate business, Art to Self.
4. Who are some of their favorite entrepreneurs or business professionals they look up to and
why? My two biggest role models are Elizabeth Gilbert and my boyfriend Matt Giovanisci. Liz
Gilbert did a tremendous job turning her craft (writing Eat Pray Love) into the business of helping
others become more creative and live a more creative life (with her new book Big Magic). And
Matt is probably the smartest entrepreneur I know -‐ he's savvy and he also knows how to have fun
(he runs a pool care website and makes videos about them). I aspire for that balance of smart and
fun, too.
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Nathaniel Peters
How I Applied Entrepreneurial Thinking to My Not-‐So-‐Entrepreneurial Design Business
My name is Nathaniel Peters. I am an independent designer with five years of experience in the
field.
Freelance and independent designers are a weird hybrid of consultants, makers, and merchants.
They alone offer advice on what to purchase, create the product, and ultimately sell it. Conversely,
entrepreneurship is about creating a sustained system of product and profit-‐-‐ a system which
could continue to exist after the founder is removed. Almost by definition, my business plan does
not work without me squarely in the center. However, that hasn’t stopped me from applying
entrepreneurial lessons to grow and enhance my design business.
In the fall of 2014, I was unemployed, clientless, and living in the house I grew up in just outside of
State College. It was a bad time. At that point, I had been doing design work for about three years.
However, most of the projects I had undertaken were small and safe. I wouldn’t take on a project
unless it was something I had already done. That led to four years of stagnancy during school.
While I was interning at the New Leaf Initiative-‐-‐ a community hub and coworking office in State
College-‐-‐ I found out how important it is to be fearless in the face of failure. I’ll never forget New
Leaf’s membership director at the time, Serena Fulton, lecturing the interns about how you don’t
have entrepreneurial street cred until you’ve had your first big failure.
With Serena’s words in my head, I offered my services for a project I wasn’t sure I could handle.
Ultimately, that risk became the catalyst for the largest period of growth I’ve ever experienced. I
completed the project, and was immediately given another by the same company. The work from
that project gave me the confidence to start selling myself, and I soon signed a long term
agreement with a different organization. The progression of new work turning into new portfolio
pieces turning into newfound confidence always cycled back to new work.
I became fascinated by entrepreneurship not only as a self improvement tool, but also an
ecosystem within which I could thrive. I taught myself about branding and marketing, and about
where designers fit into a company’s pipeline. I learned about data analyzation and visualization to
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offer my clients a more complete experience. Most importantly, I started teaching myself new
design skills.
Entrepreneurial thinking led me to realize that, while the print design market was flooded, there
weren’t many independent motion graphics artists. The majority of my portfolio is now geared
towards motion and animation, with instructional videos and animated logos prominently
displayed over my older print design work. The work for one organization or company has,
consistently, been cascading into work with others once they realize my services are for sale. None
of my growth would have been possible if I hadn’t identified a market opportunity.
It’s been a little over a year since I took my first risk and started a journey which ultimately
redefined my professional identity. Since that point, I’ve succeeded, failed, and evolved my way
forward into more exciting opportunities. I moved to Pittsburgh this past September in search of
more clients and new risks. Contracts are sparse when juxtaposed with the rent I must pay, and I
often find myself pondering about whether or not I should pursue a 9-‐5 design gig at American
Eagle. However, in those moments, I take a breath, make a cup of tea, and put my bet on me.
Besides, if this were easy, it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun.
Abu Fofanah – speaker/former PSU student Behind every successful person are a lot of unsuccessful years. I had to realize early on that a lot of
people fail before they succeed. Starting your own business doesn't have anything to do with how
smart you are but it has everything to do with how much you are willing to suffer in the beginning.
I've personally heard countless of no's and once I figured that's the worst thing that could happen,
it allow me to flourish even further. After selling my past business, I'm currently working on a new
business venture focused on fashion and technology.
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Alex Mendonca Late night munchies with Alex was inspired by my hobby of cooking! I wanted to introduce various
items such as empanadas, fried plantains, guava juice, and Guarana soda to the Penn State
community. These items are not easy to come by in the area. However, I also served kosher
hotdogs with a homemade Brazilian sauce and french fries. The food truck was open for the first
eight weeks of classes, but now I am unfortunately closed until the spring due to the cold
temperature.
Advice to Future Entrepreneurs: Be prepared to improvise. On my first evening opened, I
overloaded the food truck with an electric fryer, so I lost power. I had to open in 30 minutes and
had no fryer to fry my empanadas. I needed to open the first night because I had informed a
bunch of people to come and I could not disappoint my costumers. So, I had to be creative and
think about how I would fry these empanadas without power. I drove to Wal-‐Mart and bought a
gas stovetop so I could fry food without electricity. The night was a success. The moral of the story
is you have to be prepared for the worst. If something terrible happens like losing power on your
grand opening, you must figure out how adjust in order to make things work.
Gregory Ziegler I look forward to Global Entrepreneurship Week because it generates so much excitement around
new and innovative ideas. The optimism Penn State students have at GEW is something that
makes me look forward to the event every year. GEW is a great place for inventive students with
awesome ideas to come together.
When I think about entrepreneurship and my personal business philosophy, I think about the
“triple bottom line.” I believe in the “triple bottom line,” people, planet and profit. I think
capitalism works best when it inspires individuals to pool their resources to produce something
that satisfies a societal need. For this reason, I most admire entrepreneurs that can acknowledge
the debt they owe to society at large and find a way to give back. Timing is crucial when starting
your own business. Right out of school, you may have a good idea, but lack experience. On one
hand it may be easier to do before life entangles you with a career, a family, or debt, but later you
may have acquired the contacts and resources to build on. It is important to be watchful for
opportunity throughout your life.
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I am excited about GEW where I will be speaking at the Food Entrepreneurship in Ethiopia event. I
will be discussing the unique challenges to starting a business in a developing country.
Additionally, I will speak about appreciation for the requirements of a food business. Come learn
more by attending the event on November 19th in 134 Erickson Food Science Building at 9:45am –
11 am.
Meg Small The mHealth Challenge is one of my favorite activities. It was born out of a discussion between
faculty from the Entrepreneurship Minor that went something like this, “Our IST students would
really like to work with students from other majors.” “Yeah, our Health and Human Development
students say the same thing because they get locked into working on teams with people only in
their classes.” “What if we were able to pair them up and model it after the national mHealth
Challenge?” With that as the framework, Penn State’s mHealth Challenge was born. We’ve run the
challenge for three years now – this year we are expanding it to include nursing students. I’m
always so impressed with the level of innovation and professionalism the students bring to the
challenge. The students’ ideas are diverse and often grounded in real-‐life experiences. The
Biobehavioral Health students create briefs based on theories of change and the IST students
serve as technology consultants. This mirrors real-‐world working relationships which the students
say is incredibly valuable – the benefit engaged scholarship.
Talia Santos
Passion is the motivation for every accomplishment I have achieved. Rhythm For Relief is a
reflection of what I believe in, a reflection in which I want the world to see. Rhythm For Relief is a
fundraising organization that raises money for non-‐government organizations in various parts of
Africa by hosting concerts. This vision comes from the ideology behind the power of music; the
unity it brings and the message it can share. At Rhythm For Relief, we believe in being global
citizens; we are all one, and we are all here. It is a global citizens responsibility make efforts to
solve problems of those who we share the same planet with.
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By creating this organization, I have seen a positive impact on the communities where we host
concerts and in which we raise money for. Rhythm For Relief brings people together and allows
people to share talents all while helping fund a sustainable project that was created by an
empowered local who saw a change that needed to be made in their community.
I encourage everyone to follow their passion and channel it into a creation that illuminates the
good you want to see in the world. By creating something that is fed by my heart, I have not only
achieved great happiness but I have learned more than any textbook in classes can teach me. I’ve
gained a lot of real-‐world experience, when talking to venue owners, musicians, sound managers,
bank associates, the media and many more I’ve grown to be a better communicator and have
gained confidence. While the work is hard and challenging, the positives it brings to people right
near me and people half way around the world make it worth.
The work it takes to create something of your own is a handful, but it is worth it. My friend, Ariel
Lozovsky, and I started Rhythm For Relief at the age of 17 as juniors in high school. You are never
to young to make a difference; you are never to young to follow your dreams. Since we started,
we have raised about $3,000 over the course of three different fundraising events. We hope to
plan more events in the future and finalize our 4o1C3. Please like us on Facebook or check out our
website rhythmforrelief.org to learn more or to get involved!
Respectfully submitted by:
Talia Santos. She is only 19 years old and is the founder of Rhythm for Relief, a charitable
organization.
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James Tonkin
As you are now ‘experts’ in understanding Global Entrepreneurship (wink wink), let me share a
few things to think about in case you have a few extra brain cells that need to be educated…
1st becoming an entrepreneur is NOT something you set out to become… you become one based
on the success you have in achieving and or exceeding expectations!
2nd, gaining accolades and praise from peers and others that revere the work you may accomplish
is mere complacent and unnecessary praise. The real achievement and sense of accomplishment
will be yours when you well-‐up inside as you complete your mission, and frankly that is all that
matters in the long haul. Did you make or exceed YOUR expectations-‐did you help others to
achieve or beat theirs-‐did you help others around you become better and more productive
citizens, and did you leave the world a better place given your efforts?
Those are big questions and only YOU can answer, but as someone who has achieved multiple
successes in life and in entrepreneurship, I can share personally that nothing means more than
friendship, stewardship leading by example, and taking no prisoners in the process.
Passion, Passion and Passion will only take you so far. Couple with that hard, hard work, great
mapping and execution, and one never knows, your goals may be reached!! Good hunting!
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Bob Anderson
Food for Thought from Bob Anderson
Written by Jill Tatios
If there’s anyone who knows anything about food entrepreneurship, it’s Bob Anderson—especially
when it comes to organic food. Anderson has an extensive background in sustainable agriculture,
from beginning as a farmer to consulting fortune 500 companies.
Anderson believes entrepreneurship is a state of mind and way of being. Anyone can be an
entrepreneur even in an already established organization as long as they are willing to contribute
new ideas and be an innovator. He claims many are trained in a particular field but most do not
end up in that field. Opportunities present themselves, and it is up to the individual to act on
them.
“If you’re willing and eager to make a leap of faith, things will occur that you never would have
envisioned,” Anderson said. “The opportunity to shoot for the moon comes from within.”
In 1997, Anderson founded his own company, Sustainable Strategies, which is based in Boalsburg.
Combining his knowledge of organic farming with his regulatory know-‐how, Anderson set out to
provide sustainable strategies and organic consulting services to companies, organizations,
governments and countries worldwide.
Though Anderson has access to experts in the field, he acts as the principal contact for Sustainable
Strategies. When running a business, Anderson says you need to be able to “chop wood, carry
water and be a visionary”—a practical visionary that is.
In Anderson’s line of business, he must understand where his clients are, where they want to be
and provide them with practical solutions.
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During Global Entrepreneurship Week, Anderson will be speaking at two food entrepreneurship
sessions on Tuesday, Nov. 17 and Thursday, Nov. 19 from 11:05 a.m. – 12:05 p.m. in 201 Food
Science Building. He will speak about his evolution from a farmer to an “organicrat,” the organic
farming industry’s transition from a counterculture movement to a mainstream phenomenon and
provide examples of successful entrepreneurs who have made the most out the opportunities and
challenges given to them.
Allison Tatios
A word from Allison Tatios, Founder of Elevated Resumes
Entrepreneurship comes with its share of ups and downs. On the positive side, you get you be
your own boss, have a flexible schedule and have control over the growth of your company. With
that comes a lot of responsibility, accountability and long hours. As an entrepreneur, you must be
prepared to wear multiple hats. One day you may need to be your own accountant, designer and
customer service team. The next you're focusing on research and development. It's a whirlwind of
excitement, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
I created my first elevated resume to mimic the style of my favorite company, which happened to
have pink as a signature color. I ended up getting an interview at a different company, and it was
the only resume I had available to hand out. The director at this more traditional organization was
so impressed by my resume — because it was, in his words, “unforgettable” —that I was offered
the job. I knew I had stumbled onto something great, and I wanted to share it.
It took a solid year to establish my company, Elevated Resumes, and gather enough case studies to
prove that my products and services worked across multiple industries and at various levels. With
any new idea, you'll face adversity and people who will doubt your vision, but if you're passionate
enough and willing to put in the work, you can prove them wrong. I'm proud to say that Elevated
Resumes has revamped over 1,000 resumes and has had countless clients land jobs at top
companies like Google, IBM, LinkedIn, ESPN, Anthropologie, Viacom, Boewing, QVC, Merck, PwC,
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Accenture, Teach for America and more. We've even been featured on Business Insider,
Bloomsberg, The Muse and Huffington Post.
My objective is to help people stand out against the competition and land the job they deserve.
That's why each resume is customized to showcase my client’s specific skills and expertise. My
team and I work with each individual until their resume is perfect and they are 100% satisfied. For
me, it’s so rewarding knowing I’m giving people more than the average six seconds that a recruiter
spends scanning their resume.
Lindsay Fairman
Women’s Network Group (WiNGs)
A Network for Women Entrepreneurs
As girls and women, we know the value and comfort a girl friend brings to our shared, individual
and team endeavors. As women other significant women step into our circle of support. In
reviewing our important life events, even as high school or college age women, we recognize the
women who were present in our sphere of dreaming and planning.
This is why the Women’s Network Group (WiNGs) was started in 2007– for local female
entrepreneurs to share in the complex realities of entrepreneurialism. Issues that are hidden in
the twists and turns of the daily operation of most businesses are shared in meetings once a
month. As a business plan takes form, it is exhilarating and exhausting.
The value of collective support from a group of business women
Aspiring business owners are strongly motivated individuals, at times, determined to strike out
alone. It takes a special strength to step past our individual pride and ask for help. It is also very
wise. Significant women models who have experience, determined energy, a proven track record
and a personal sense of accomplishment are a treasure of collective knowledge.
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Finding and engaging women with established businesses, who are willing to offer the
value of their individual or collective experiences, especially from the inception of their business
idea, is a worthy consideration. During the developing weeks and months of
creating your business plan, this guidance is invaluable. As an entrepreneur it is priceless.
Juggling the realities of work and home life
Combining the overlapping realities, responsibilities and demands of our lives as home managers,
partners and mothers, or prime supporters for our mates, as they finish degrees or develop
careers, daunting. Finding a comfort level through the shared experiences of other women fosters
a sense of knowing that your business idea is a worthy concept. The extra layer of complex
management you are going to find yourself mired in every waking hour will be better managed
with the reflective review that what you are experiencing is usual, normal, survivable.
All the education we have and even the great business plan cannot bring ease to a crunch day with
tightly planned client appointments and a sick child. At such times having snapshots of reviews
that other women have faced, such similar or even complicated dilemma and kept their
momentum, is enormously comforting.
A forum for sharing the combined value of our experiences
There are the ever-‐present realities of developing a location, hiring employees, creating a logo and
face for your product. Naturally all trusted and suitable experienced or successful business men
and women are a remarkable example. The perspective from those who have mentored women
as they developed businesses is equally worth telling. Women do not often recognize all they
know or have accomplished until they share the stages of thinking that have brought a simple idea
to a viable concept for a service or a product to an untested market.
Join us!
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WiNGs meets once a month at the Patton Township Building. Any woman considering a business
plan who is interested in attending to discuss her idea or learn about mentoring opportunities may
connect with the group through wngs.org.
On Wednesday November 18th, WiNGs will hold our monthly meeting at New Leaf Initiative as part
of Global Entrepreneur Week. We will be conducting our Member Showcase to show the diverse
and exciting businesses run by local women entrepreneurs.
