What’s the best way to start or grow a business? Do you need guidance in dealing with challenges that may arise?
Four local entrepreneurs will share their stories of success and the lessons learned on their path to business leadership as part of the FIU College of Business’ 2015 Hall of Fame events. This second annual alumni panel will be held October 22, 2015 at 6 p.m. at the CBC Special Events Center at FIU’s Modesto Maidique Campus.
Moderated by FIU professor and entrepreneur Seema Pissaris of the Department of Management and International Business, the panelists will share insider tips for success. The panelists are:
- Andres Campo (BBA ’00) – CEO of Axxis Solutions management and technology consulting firm
- Jose Manuel Diaz (BBA ’86)– CEO of Compass Office Solutions, a full-service office furniture dealer
- Misha Kuryla-Gomez (MIB ’04) – founder of Misha’s Cupcakes, which owns five bakeries in Miami
- Lorenzo Perez Jr. (MSIRE ’07) – CEO of Premier International Properties commercial and real estate brokerage firm
“We want to provide the students and stakeholders interested in entrepreneurship, an inside look at the process through the lens of FIU alumni who are now successful entrepreneurs,” said Pissaris. “What are the characteristics, skill sets and personality of an entrepreneur? Did they acquire these along the way or did they always have them?”
Among the key topics that will be analyzed are how the entrepreneurs identified the opportunity to launch their businesses; the process of attracting talent with a tight payroll budget; the importance of having a mentor; and if being an entrepreneur has provided the independence that many aspire to when launching a business.
Participants attending the alumni panel discussion will learn firsthand about the entrepreneurs’ journeys, successes, failures, and lessons learned along the way. The panelists’ trajectories run the gamut from an internship turned career path to a home bakery launched by a mother who wanted to stay home with her baby.
“It’s going to be a heartfelt discussion where the successful business owners will share insightful information about the importance of continued learning,” said Pissaris. “Students will also have an opportunity to rub shoulders with people who sat in the very same classrooms at FIU and pursued their dreams.”
