16-year-old Alex Rivera stands aimlessly behind a small table on the front lawn of his suburban home. On his table rests a large pitcher of ice cold lemonade, under which a sign greets his neighbors with ‘Lemonade – 50¢.’ In his first hour of business, he has sold a staggering 2 cups of lemonade. He calculates that he needs to sell another 12 just to pay his mother back for the lemonade itself and starts to doubt whether this is the best method to delve into the world of entrepreneurship. The next day at school, he hears his saving grace over the loudspeaker during morning announcements: the Entrepreneurship Club.
Alex Rivera ‘20 is one of the four members of the Entrepreneurship Club’s new leadership team. New leadership has revived the club to provide a more engaging, curiosity-sparking club experience.
Rivera is optimistic about the future of the club under new leadership:
“The Entrepreneurship Club is in a process of rebuilding, and we are hopeful of its promising future. With new leadership, we are using our innovative ideas to make this club what it is meant to be. We plan to explore innovation and venture development, discuss new and interesting products, and create business venture projects that we design and sell.”
President Matthew Freeman ‘20 was especially passionate about the practical application of the club, the business venture project:
“We are trying to expand our exploration and discussion of innovation in the world around us, while at the same time launching a product of our own to give our members a taste of what it is like to be an entrepreneur.”
In addition to the venture project, the club integrates the practical application of entrepreneurship through their monthly speaker’s forum. The goal of these forums is to make connections with business leaders and learn from their experience across a variety of fields and industries.
The club experienced their first speaker’s forum of the semester this past Wednesday. Senior Account Executive at Buxton Analytics, Mr. Nick Parrish ‘07 presented insights into how to be successful both at both the high school and professional level.
New club member Max Arroyo ‘20 articulated his appreciation for Mr. Parrish.
Said Arroyo, “He really helped me to understand the significant role Jesuit plays in my life and how that role shapes my worldview. He helped me to recognize my potential as an entrepreneur and helped encourage and foster my creativity to hopefully be successful.”
General members of the club similarly have nothing but praise to describe about their club experience. Thomas Johnson ‘20 commented on the overall enjoyable atmosphere of the Entrepreneurship Club:
“I just got into the Entrepreneurship Club this year and am extremely glad I joined. Meetings don’t take too much time out of my schedule, and I’m actually interested in the topics we discuss. If you’re on the fence about joining, I would definitely recommend trying it out.”
Stay tuned to The Roundup to keep up with the Entrepreneurship Club’s latest business ventures.
