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Student Incubator Success

Wilox, a student startup focused on making the world a cleaner place, is part of the Holy Cross student-run incubator.  Earlier this month (11/13/18) they competed at the Beantown Throwdown (part of Global Entrepreneurship week) pitch contest hosted at LogMeIn, sponsored by Nutter/John Loughnane ’87 P19.  The student team placed second, beating teams from MIT, Harvard, BC, BU, Tufts, McGill, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health, Wentworth, Brandeis, and Berklee.

Congratulations to the Wilox team!

Pictured from left to right: Joe Egan ’19: Business Development, Mike Brown ’19: Director of Sales, Luke Knox ’22: Co-Founder/CEO,  Mary Anne Wiley ’22: COO, Paul Wiley ’20: President/Founder, Eric Lane ’21: Product Manager, John Bowen ’22: User Research, and Nolan Howard ’19: Market Research

“Tremendous job by the student team in competing so effectively! Congratulations to all involved! Great job too by the entire team from the Ciocca center for Business, Ethics, and Society at the College including Director David Chu and Entrepreneur-in-Residence Ja-Naé Duane.”  – John Loughnane ’87 P19: Partner, Nutter

The Entrepreneurship & Innovation Program, led by Ja-Nae Duane, provides students the opportunity to utilize and build upon their liberal arts education while learning the fundamentals of starting a venture and keeping a company relevant in this fast-changing world.  The new Certificate of Entrepreneurship offered through the Ciocca Center for Business, Ethics, and Society provides students with comprehensive and structured programming to acquire technical business skills and experiences.

The Incubator started in 2018 with two student entrepreneurs, Paul Wiley ’20 and Joe Egan ’19. They currently have over 40 members and work with 4 different student ventures. Their goal is to teach the entrepreneurial method across campus which in turn will allow students to make their business dreams a reality as a part of the E&I programming.

Thanks for reading! Cassie

Cassie Gevry, Associate Director of Student Engagement
Ciocca Center for Business, Ethics, and Society
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The Great Balancing Act
Cara Gontarz Hume ’03
Senior HR Leader, General Electric Finance
Major: Political Science

It seems as though achieving a healthy work-life balance in today’s society is unattainable. Finding harmony between a demanding work schedule and a role as a mother, or juggling classwork, a social life and sleep as a student is exhausting. As highly motivated women with many goals, it is easy to feel overwhelmed.

Meet Cara Gontarz Hume, one of our fellow female Crusaders, who has created a balance between her career and family that works for her. Hume is the Senior Human Resources Leader for General Electric Finance and has three children all under the age of five-years-old. With an executive career and three young kids, she asks herself a question that many struggle with, “Can I still work and be a great mom?” For Hume, the answer is yes. She has managed to be present as a mother while simultaneously progressing her career. She remembers going on maternity leave for the first time and how worrisome it was balancing her career with the vision of what it means to be a mom. However, when she sat down with her manager and explained her situation, he gave her the life changing advice of, “just leave early.” In that moment, Hume discovered that the keys to balancing her home life with her work life were setting priorities and not keeping her two lives separate from each other.

Hume recalls the once defined line between work and personal life: “I was taught, you keep work at work and home at home.” However, throughout her career, she has seen a change in this attitude to which she attributes much of her success. She explains that she brings her full self to work not hiding that she is a working mother with three young kids. She explains, “I will be there and deliver but I do carve out time for kids. I do not use them as an excuse or a limiting factor, just part of who I am.”

As a student at Holy Cross, she was able to develop her time management skills. Like many students on the Hill, she managed a schedule of rigorous courses, a competitive athletic schedule and a variety of other campus activities. The ingrained concept of Cura Personalis, or “care of the whole person,” is a mentality promoted at Holy Cross that has contributed to much of her success. Hume says she draws upon these ideas of caring for the mind, body, and soul as a foundation of her whole-self resulting in a better self.

Multiple priorities are hard to balance and this difficulty will never go away. Hume emphasizes the importance of setting parameters around prioritizing personal time. She says, “If you don’t set a framework for personal time you will burn out. And no one will set it for you.” Everyone has their own tips and tricks on how to balance commitments, but what has worked for Hume is making a habit of taking personal time. She advises, “Make an actual plan. Mark it on your calendar and block it off.” Mark off family dinner or gym time. Put drinks with friends in your calendar and stick with the designated schedule. Having personal time marked into the calendar will make it part of your routine, making it harder to let your personal time go by the way side. Additionally, she warns, “Don’t bite off more than you can chew and avoid the extremes.” Hume also recommends constantly turning inward for personal assessments. Nobody’s fulfillment plan will be the same so it is important to check in with yourself to make sure you are happy with the way life is going.

With the school year starting up soon and new projects beginning at work, try using Hume’s trick and mark your calendar with consistent “me time” to care for yourself. Happy balancing!

Continue reading “The Great Balancing Act”
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Weekly Wednesday Workshops

The Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Ja-Naé Duane, is working with the student club HCEG (Holy Cross Entrepreneurs Group) to offer a series of workshops designed to help you make your idea a reality!  Get involved and compete in the annual spring Shark Tank competition.

Each Wednesday meeting is held from 6:30pm-8pm in Hogan 402/403.  See you there!

> Wed., October 18th: Pitch Night!
Have a project or an idea you are working on? Could you use a little money to work on it? Come to this open mic and tell us about your idea or project and why you could use some financial help. Then your peers will decide. No slides. No suits. Two-three minute pitch. Just you and your idea. That’s it!

> Wed., October 25th: Rapid Prototyping
When you have an idea sometimes you just need to put together a prototype for people to see. Within this session, we will go through the different types of prototypes you can create, how to do paper prototypes, as well as digital prototypes.

> Wed., November 1st: Find a Co-Founder Networking Event
Want to do a startup, but need a co-founder or to build out your team. Come to this networking event and meet like-minded individuals who might have an interest in teaming up with you and doing something great.

> Wed., November 15th: Pitch Night!
Have a project or an idea you are working on? Could you use a little money to work on it? Come to this open mic and tell us about your idea or project and why you could use some financial help. Then your peers will decide. No slides. No suits. Two-three minute pitch. Just you and your idea. That’s it!

CONTACT: Ja-Naé Duane, Entrepreneur-in-Residence & Lecturer at the College. Stop by her office to say hello in Stein 129C and check out the new co-working space.

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2017 Women in Business Conference – REGISTRATION OPEN!

As a student at College of the Holy Cross, homework, sports practice, club meetings and the job search can be overwhelming. How can a student at Holy Cross possibly manage to build their network while also meeting deadlines?

Answer: The Women in Business Conference.

Every November, the Women in Business Committee brings upwards of 200 student and alumnae together to meet, chat about life on the Hill and learn about life in the real world in Hogan Ballroom. The all day event includes FOOD, FUN and NETWORKING! What more could you want from a Saturday on the Hill? The alumnae that travel back to their alma mater are here to talk with student, dish out great advice and if you’re lucky, hand you their business cards for the next time you’re in their area.

This year on Saturday, November 11, Chief Communications Officer of GE, Deirdre Latour is coming to talk about her life at Holy Cross as a History major and how she became the awesome, powerful, inspiring woman she is today! Check out the agenda, panels and alumnae on the website.  Be sure to register while you are there!

This year’s sponsors include: GE, PepsiCo, Deloitte and Eaton Vance. In addition to sponsoring this incredible event, GE and PepsiCo will also be sending alumnae representatives to the college to have recruiting lunches. This of course is by application ONLY, so be sure to get your resumes in early to have a little extra face to face time with these two fantastic companies! How do you apply? 1) Register for the conference 2) Send your resume to prebusiness@holycross.edu


If you’re missing out on the Women in Business Conference, your missing out on networking with some of the most fun, charismatic and passionate women in the world of business. Be sure to register for your spot now!

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Thank you to Casey Carty ’18, WIB Student Committee Member, for this great write up.  Hope to see you at the conference on Saturday, November 11, 2017! #HCWIB #HCWomeninBiz
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Meet Riley Benner ’20: Founder of Phoenix Haberdashey

Riley Benner’ 20
Summer Assistant, Prebusiness Office
Founder, Phoenix Haberdashery

“I wanted to take subjects that I truly enjoy like philosophy and political science, but still gain the technical skills to be successful following graduation. That is exactly what Holy Cross has offered me: the ability to pair a liberal arts education with a professional business understanding.”

1) Why did you choose Holy Cross?
At the time I was applying to schools I was looking for a small college with a Jesuit identity. There was no better fit than HC. I wanted to learn more about the business world, but I didn’t want my whole schedule taken up by accounting, economics, and management classes. I wanted to take subjects that I truly enjoy, like philosophy and political science, but still gain the technical skills to be successful following graduation. That is exactly what Holy Cross has offered me: the ability to pair a liberal arts education with a professional business understanding.

2) What has been your favorite aspect of Holy Cross?
Hands down… the people. You hear that the Holy Cross network is incredible. They aren’t lying. The Prebusiness Office has been especially supportive with my startup. Every member of the HC community – professors, staff, alumni, and even students – truly want to see their fellow crusaders succeed.

3) Tell me more about your startup.
Junior year of high school I started a company called Phoenix Haberdashery, a high-end mens’ accessory brand known for its line of reversible, double-sided neckties.  All of our employees are refugees who came to America to escape violence and tyranny. For most of them working with us was their first job, which is why we use the Phoenix to represent the brand- it symbolizes rebirth and new opportunities. Each tie purchased will tell the story of the sewer who made it, a powerful way to show our customers that not only was their tie handmade and carefully constructed, but it was done by someone with an incredible story.  Keep up with these stories on Instagram.

4) How have you been involved with the Entrepreneurial Studies & Prebusiness Office?
When I decided halfway through the second semester of my freshmen year to resume my company, I knew that the first place to go would be the Office of Entrepreneurial Studies. I met with Professor Chu and two other faculty to learn about (and later receive) the Ignite Fund, a grant that allows students to gain capital and jumpstart their ideas. Professor Chu also invited me to an alumni networking event in Boston for entrepreneurs. I went, pitched my idea, and met several alumni who have been incredibly helpful in Phoenix Haberdashery’s early development. I decided to stay in Worcester over the summer and was hired to work in the Prebusiness Office. While here, I’ve been learning about business administration and getting tips on how to successfully scale my startup.

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If you want to learn more about the Entrepreneurial Studies & Prebusiness Office, check out our website and follow us on Instagram. Thank you Riley, for sharing your story – we look forward to seeing your business grow!

 

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CPP STUDENT HIGHLIGHT: Ben Lodge ’18 started the COES Professional Program during his freshmen year with the Fullbridge Professional Edge Program. He later participated in two alumni-led business workshops: Finance Boot Camp and Marketing Communications & Sales.  Ben will receive his Certificate of Readiness and Graduation Pin at the upcoming Prebusiness: Road to Success event on April 18.

Ben’s advice to underclassmen? Start early and try everything. Completing the Fullbridge program my freshman year gave me ample time to attend a few of the many workshops offered by COES. I was also able to attend many of the alumni lectures and dinners that the office sponsors.  Through these experiences I was able to explore a multitude of industries in order to find out what I was interested in and how I could turn those interests into a career.

Join Prof. Chu in congratulating Ben and the many other students who have earned the Certificate of Readiness! Hear more advice and eat free pizza on Tuesday, April 18 at 5PM in Stein 208.