Speaking at the Durham School of the Arts

You may remember that community service is an important aspect of our business model in order to be a good citizen in the Durham community. On March 17, 2009, Ms. Debora Surbrook, a teacher at the Durham School of the Arts, invited me to speak to her entrepreneurship class in hopes of providing both encouragement and practical knowledge to be an entrepreneur. It was a great event filled with energetic students who had lots of great questions and ideas!

I think the highlight of the day came when I asked them, "what is the most important thing an entrepreneur must have to be successful?" The students gave many good answers ranging from dedication, patience, work ethics, etc. But they seemed a bit surprised that I wouldn't agree to any of the 10+ answers they kept throwing at me. Finally they seemed to be growing somewhat annoyed by my disagreeing with them, so I told them about the importance of Passion. From every happy and successful entrepreneur ranging from Donald Trump to Oprah, from Bill Gates to any local entrepreneur in Durham, you will generally hear them all say the same thing: Do What You Love! I've learned that it is love and passion for what you're doing that will get you through the dark and tough times.

What's funny is that seeing aspiring entrepreneurs in high school is equally rewarding and inspirational to me. Not to mention it serves as a reminder that there is a younger generation of entrepreneurs just behind me, and they too are as energetic and passionate about their dreams. I simply enjoy being around dreamers who see the world as "what if..." and "why not...".

Thank YOU Ms. Surbrook's class for keeping me going!