Entrepreneurs shared the secrets to their success at a forum Tuesday, which the Ball State University Entrepreneurship Center hosted.
About 60 students gathered in the L.A. Pittenger Student Center Ballroom to listen to the four co-founders of The Lucky Napkin Company speak.
Co-founder Anthony Tesoriero said the company is designed to help individuals launch their ideas into the market.
"We are just a group of people who want to mentor young entrepreneurs and help them finance their operations," he said. "The name comes from our belief that you should be able to explain a business idea on the back of a napkin and have it be memorable."
Successful entrepreneurs start with great ideas, he said.
Co-founder Tom Rietz said great ideas "should keep you up at night," but they must also be executed correctly.
Students asked questions about marketing a product and getting it financed.
Co-founder Amilya Antonetti answered, "Where there's a will, there's a way."
"You should always be persistent, creative and willing to do whatever it takes to make your business a success," she said. "People will never turn you away for working too hard."
Larry Cox, director of the Entrepreneurship Center, said the forum was about how to work with an idea and make it into a success.
It was an opportunity for students to learn from professionals about how they started their businesses and how they got where they are today, he said.
These particular professionals were chosen for specific reasons, he said.
"They are the some of the best entrepreneurs I know," Cox said. "They have also been very involved with the Entrepreneurship Center at Ball State in the past."
Senior general studies major Chelsea Rogan said she had not considered entrepreneurship as a career before the forum.
"Not only did it give me a lot of ideas about what business I could start, but it also gave me the confidence that I could really do this," she said.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
