Spring Break
Entrepreneurial conference provides tips for success
Sara Siekierski
Issue date: 10/3/07 Section: Arts & Lifestyle
- Page 1 of 1
Inventors and entrepreneurs walked away a bit more business-savvy following this year's Ideas to Profits conference.
The annual conference, presented by the Wisconsin Innovative Service Center, was held on campus last Friday and Saturday. More than 100 people attended.
Senior Chris Nwakalo, UW-Whitewater marketing major, said the conference was worth attending, especially for college students.
"It put everything I needed almost in my lap," Nwakalo said.
Nwakalo, who has aspirations of someday owning his own business, said he learned more at the conference in seven hours than he had in the past two years of taking business courses.
Senior Lamont Sharp, political science and marketing major, said his reason for attending was the opportunity to network with business leaders and entrepreneurs. Another important thing he learned was not to expect immediate success and how to move on after a failure.
This year's conference focused on facilitating innovation and featured a number of workshops designed to help innovators and entrepreneurs turn their dreams into reality. Some of the workshops offered included developing effective networking skills, licensing strategies and using eBay for success. Workshops were presented by business leaders and professionals. The conference also featured keynote speakers Jim Lindenberg, founder and president of World Class Wire and Cable, Inc., and Wisconsin Sen. Ted Kanavas.
The conference also featured a contest called Idea Link, which was sponsored by WISC and Horizon Fitness. The contest gave students, inventors and entrepreneurs the chance to help W.I.S.C. and Horizon Fitness answer four problems.
These problems focused on fitness equipment and how it could be designed differently to motivate people to work out and be more environmentally friendly. The first place winner of each problem won $1,000, and the second place winners won $500.
UW-Whitewater students Michael Fritz and Jason Romans were two of the winners.
Horizon Fitness plans to use the ideas to facilitate further innovation in the company.
The annual conference, presented by the Wisconsin Innovative Service Center, was held on campus last Friday and Saturday. More than 100 people attended.
Senior Chris Nwakalo, UW-Whitewater marketing major, said the conference was worth attending, especially for college students.
"It put everything I needed almost in my lap," Nwakalo said.
Nwakalo, who has aspirations of someday owning his own business, said he learned more at the conference in seven hours than he had in the past two years of taking business courses.
Senior Lamont Sharp, political science and marketing major, said his reason for attending was the opportunity to network with business leaders and entrepreneurs. Another important thing he learned was not to expect immediate success and how to move on after a failure.
This year's conference focused on facilitating innovation and featured a number of workshops designed to help innovators and entrepreneurs turn their dreams into reality. Some of the workshops offered included developing effective networking skills, licensing strategies and using eBay for success. Workshops were presented by business leaders and professionals. The conference also featured keynote speakers Jim Lindenberg, founder and president of World Class Wire and Cable, Inc., and Wisconsin Sen. Ted Kanavas.
The conference also featured a contest called Idea Link, which was sponsored by WISC and Horizon Fitness. The contest gave students, inventors and entrepreneurs the chance to help W.I.S.C. and Horizon Fitness answer four problems.
These problems focused on fitness equipment and how it could be designed differently to motivate people to work out and be more environmentally friendly. The first place winner of each problem won $1,000, and the second place winners won $500.
UW-Whitewater students Michael Fritz and Jason Romans were two of the winners.
Horizon Fitness plans to use the ideas to facilitate further innovation in the company.
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