Caesar received the award May 8 during the 听The 2018 winner, Olivia Hettman, presented the prize to Caesar and spoke about what the opportunity of receiving the prize last year meant to her.

Alicia-Ann Caesar, left, receives the $5,000 award from the 2018 winner, Olivia Hettman. (Photo by Aaron Houston)

When Caesar was asked what the prize meant, she stated, 鈥淚 am extremely grateful to have been selected this year’s Promise Prize Scholar. Once I found out the criteria for the nomination I became overwhelmed at just the idea that one of my professors would nominate me. I plan to fully engage with the Change Create Transform Foundation, the 麻豆传媒在线 faculty committee, especially Professor Taylor the program’s new academic advisor, and the previous winners in the area. I am inspired to work harder for myself to get to a place to support others. Marie Nesbitt’s story and legacy is an inspiration. The opportunity to learn from her granddaughter, the Foundation’s founder Ms. Vikki Pryor, and be mentored by outstanding community members is exciting and not an opportunity I plan to waste. I am honored.”

Caesar is an MBA student with a Master’s in Public Administration, Nonprofit Management from Kean University, and a Bachelor’s of Art in History from The College of New Jersey. When asked why she is pursuing an MBA, Alicia-Ann quickly answered, “Because it’s time for me to be a CEO.” That gives a glimpse of the drive, passion and enthusiasm of Caesar. Besides the cash, the students selected for the prestigious award become part of a network established by the prize鈥檚 sponsor, the Change Create Transform Foundation.

Caesar is also the Director of Quality Improvement, Risk Management and Training at Cerebral Palsy of North Jersey. She also has a strong interest in women empowerment, and is very active with community service. Alicia-Ann is from Liberia, and is mulling starting a business someday to sell Liberian spices/sauces. She calls herself a “secret farmer” because of the volunteer work she does with community gardening.

Alicia-Ann Caesar speaks during the Promise Prize ceremony. (Photo by Aaron Houston)

Past winners of the Promise Prize are:

• 2014: Alanda Alexandre, who has two degrees from 麻豆传媒在线, a Business Administration degree with concentrations in Finance and Management, and an MBA degree.
• 2015 winner: Dana LaCondre-Nugent who has a Master鈥檚 and Bachelor鈥檚 in Accounting from 麻豆传媒在线.
• 2016 winner: Stanley Fils, who majored in Justice Studies at 麻豆传媒在线 and then obtained an MBA degree from the university
• 2017 winner: Kishawn Jean-Pierre, graduated as an accounting major.
• 2018 winner: Olivia Hettman, who is graduating this May and obtaining her MBA in the fall.

From left: Sharon Waters, Dennis Bone,听Agatha Jeffers,听Faith Taylor, Olivia Hettman (2018 winner),听Devon Johnson, Alicia-Ann Caesar (2019 winner), Mariah Mayers, Hermann Sintim-Aboagye.

The 2019 selection committee included staff from the Feliciano School of Business: Agatha Jeffers, Accounting professor; Devon Johnson, Marketing professor; Mariah Mayers, assistant director of Career Services; Hermann Sintim-Aboagye, Finance Professor; Faith Taylor, Marketing professor; and Sharon Waters, interim director of the Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship.

Last night the 麻豆传媒在线’s Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship in partnership with Health Promotion ran an event focusing on Women’s Sexual Health. The title of the event, “Orgasmic Leadership” peaked many student’s interests as they were not used to seeing titles containing sexual language. Our guest speaker for the night was Rachel Braun Scherl, co-founder of and author of听

This event was interesting for students because some of the topics brought up are considered to be taboo to talk about amongst friends, family or the people in your community. Rachel started by telling the audience that she refers to herself as a “vagipreneur,” and at that moment you could pan the room of students and see the excited looks on their faces to listen to what she had to say.

It was interesting to hear Rachel’s struggling journey to get her product (a product similar to viagra made specifically for women) to shelves. She spoke about being a woman in the industry and how that was a struggle in itself, but also how she was able to be taken seriously with an “out there” product. It took time, but Rachel eventually was able to come up with how to break into the industry and receive support for her product. This event was very inspirational for young women to hear as they are preparing to get into their own careers and building the confidence to do so.

Rachel brought along with her guests, Amy Buckalter (founder and CEO of Pulse) and Dr. Alyssa Dweck (gynecologist and author). Both were essential to the conversation about how to be okay with talking about women’s sexual health, why it is important to have these discussions and why there is a need for the types of products they sell.

Amy spoke about her products on听听which consist of听a new revolutionary product with patented technology invented to dramatically improve the delivery of 鈥済oops鈥� – lotions, gels, creams, oils, lubricants, and other liquid or fluid consistencies within the health and beauty space.

We heard directly from students that they enjoyed having Dr. Dweck there to immediately provide positive medical feedback for the ingredients that were going into Amy’s and Rachel’s products. The conversation really brought awareness to the harmful ingredients found in some women’s sexual health products and what to look out for. From a business perspective, it was a great opportunity to learn about how to handle situations or topics in which not everyone may be on board or ready to talk about, but how we are making strides each and every day and can overcome the taboo talk and turn it into a serious conversation.

Alyssa Tenore is a current MBA student at 麻豆传媒在线 working in the Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship. Alyssa received her Bachelors Degree in marketing from 麻豆传媒在线.听

The panel discussion was part of the fourth annual Women Entrepreneurship Week, a program celebrated this year at in 22 states in the U.S. and 15 countries all over the world. 麻豆传媒在线 started WEW in 2014 as a way to inspire women entrepreneurs, and give college students all over the world the chance to network with female founders. Nearly 150 people attended the Oct. 19 event.

Panel, from left: Linda Lacina, Alfa Demmellash, Laurel Dumont, Denisse Rojas Marquez, Susan MacLaury

Overcoming challenges was one theme of the evening. In a keynote address to kick off the event, , co-founder and CEO of Rising Tide Capital, shared her journey from Ethiopia to Harvard to Jersey City, where she started her nonprofit that helps urban entrepreneurs start businesses. Her goal in launching RTC was to provide economic opportunity to others, after she overcame hardships growing up in Ethiopia.

Alfa Demmellash delivers the keynote address.

Later, as a panelist, Demmellash talked about the importance of leading from vulnerability and finding your power from that. But she also advocated having fun, letting yourself relax and finding trusted allies you can quit to (where it won鈥檛 really count) when you鈥檙e feeling discouraged.

co-founded Pre-Health Dreamers to help undocumented students pursue health care careers after undocumented relatives had trouble accessing medical care. Marquez said it could be hard to find undocumented people willing to tell their story publicly鈥攁n important tool for fundraising and building support. But eventually the people she was helping would realize 鈥渨e鈥檙e not going to gain anything if we stay quiet,鈥� she said. Marquez also mentioned that her age鈥攕he started Pre-Health Dreamers in her late teens鈥攎ade funders think it was merely a student group. 鈥淚t was really tough keeping my morale up,鈥� she said.

Denisse Rojas Marquez, left, laughs as Susan MacLaury speaks

, co-founder and executive director of Shine Global, a nonprofit film production company, said she was surprised to be invited to speak on a panel of entrepreneurs, because it wasn鈥檛 a word she had ever considered to describe herself. But throughout the discussion, she exhibited hallmarks of entrepreneurship, such as her belief that starting a nonprofit 鈥渢akes courage, but even more than that it takes a passion.鈥�

, a former public school teacher who has been involved in many entrepreneurial endeavors in Newark, advocated the power of never being afraid to ask. She shared how her nonprofit applied for funding that seemed like a long shot, and learned that hearing “no” is part of every entrepreneur’s experience, but sometimes won big for Newark. She advised aspiring entrepreneurs to do their homework, engage various stakeholders to understand the problem and hone their solution, and then to dive in and see what happens.

Funding was a big topic of conversation during the event. The moderator, , managing editor of Entrepreneur Media, noted fundraising isn鈥檛 a transaction but a relationship, and the panelists agreed that they needed to keep building a base of supporters.

Linda Lacina, moderator

Marquez said she found that once her organization landed one well-known funder, it 鈥済ave a little more security鈥� to other funders considering a gift or grant. MacLaury agreed, and also talked about a connection that led to the actress Eve Longoria providing three-quarters of the funding needed for a documentary about American child migrant farm workers. Dumont echoed the importance of referrals, noting many Americans donate $25 here, $30 there because someone they knew asked. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 remember the cause, but the friend who asked,鈥� Dumont said.

MacLaury said Shine Global鈥檚 board started as close friends and family, then people with expertise and then they tried to add wealthy people. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like building a web,鈥� she said.

Laurel Dumont, center, answers a question

Dumont, currently senior director of New Ventures at Leadership for Educational Equity, said it can be tough to be told 鈥渘o鈥� in fundraising, but she also figures the rejection is universal for nonprofit leaders. She said she might choose to take on the 鈥渘o鈥� if she believes there is bias involved but otherwise just walks away, noting you don鈥檛 have to fight every fight. But Dumont did advocate diving in to get started, instead of waiting for everything to be perfect. 鈥淒o what you can after hours. Do what you can with a small grant,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 put your idea forward, it will never sprout.鈥�

All photos courtesy of听

started at 麻豆传媒在线 in 2014 when four north Jersey universities held events during the same week. In 2017, in 22 states in the U.S. and 15 countries all over the world were involved with events to celebrate women entrepreneurs.

The conference kicked off with welcome remarks from 麻豆传媒在线 President and Vice Dean . Then , founder and CEO of FEM Real Estate, talked about the impact of two near-death experiences recently, and how they changed her thinking.

Mimi Feliciano tells the crowd about two near-death experiences.

The morning keynote at 麻豆传媒在线 was who explained the start and growth of 麻豆传媒在线 Film, which she co-founded. She was interviewed by longtime friend .

McGee Colbert said she asked one of the male members of the 麻豆传媒在线 Film board, why she was the secretary, and he replied that instead she would be the vice president and he would be the secretary.

鈥淭hat was me leaning in,鈥� said McGee Colbert. 鈥淚 became president because I leaned in harder, and kept showing up.鈥�

Evelyn McGee Colbert, right, was interviewed by Emily Lazar.

McGee Colbert discussed the growth of 麻豆传媒在线 Film, which started as a festival and expanded into an organization with year-round programming and 10 full-time staff. In fact, when asked about her biggest mistake, McGee Colbert said sometimes the organization took on too much too quickly. But like any entrepreneur, McGee Colbert and her colleagues did this because they were seizing opportunities when they popped up, such as when Investors Bank offered a building on Bloomfield Avenue, and 麻豆传媒在线 Film 鈥渉ad to jump in,鈥� she said.

.

A panel of startup founders offered a slew of advice to attendees, as well as their compelling stories of how and why they started their businesses. The panel was moderated by , co-founder and CEO of the World Science Festival.

Panelist advocated the power of just getting started. 鈥淧erfectionism leads to procrastination,鈥� said Cohen, co-founder and co-CEO of KUDZOO. When entrepreneurs ask for something from investors or other supporters, they need 鈥渋dentify your value add, as well as your value ask,鈥� Cohen said.

, founder and president of Runway of Dreams Foundation, discussed the importance of persistence, and putting your heart on your sleeve. Scheier, who was inspired by her son to create adaptable clothing for children with disabilities, said people initially told her she had only a niche market. But Scheier would answer with stats on the large number of people in the U.S. and beyond with disabilities, and also developed a following of fans. 鈥淚 was building up an army. 鈥� I had the consumers with me,鈥� said Scheier, whose clothing became a Tommy Hilfiger line.

Startup panel, from left, Tracy Day, Consuelo Vanderbilt Costin, KJ Miller, Mindy Scheier, Logan Cohen, Tracy Stern.

Overcoming obstacles was a theme too for the startup panel. 鈥淜now you are going to fall,鈥� said , an artist, designer and entrepreneur. , owner of Salon Tea, added, 鈥淚f someone tells you no, smile and keep going.鈥�

, co-founder of Mented Cosmetics, said she thought leaving her corporate job to start a business was a 鈥減ie in the sky dream,鈥� and was concerned she鈥檇 let down her parents if she failed. But then she realized, 鈥渋t wasn鈥檛 just my dream; it was their dream.鈥� Miller, who was with her co-founder Amanda Johnson as the 15^th and 16^th black women ever to raise $1 million in capital, also advised attendees to sell to investors on your passion and who you are. 鈥淵ou pitch to everyone,鈥� she said.

A second panel, 鈥淓ntrepreneurship in the C-Suite,鈥� featured top execs at New Jersey companies and nonprofits. These women shared how to be an intrapreneur鈥攕omeone who is entrepreneurial within a large organization. The panel was moderated by , editor-at-large at Inc.

, VP of Government Affairs for Tri-State Region at Verizon, recommended taking informed and calculated risks, as well as 鈥渇ail fast and move on.鈥�

While the audience was 85 percent women, there was a higher attendance by men this year than past WEW conferences. 鈥淚 love that there are men in this room,鈥� said , executive VP and chief corporate affairs officer at RWJBarnabas, which drew applause from the audience. Davis added that the presence of men at a conference focused on women helps those men be more inclusive when they return to the workplace.

C-suite panel, from left: Kimberly Weisul, Michele Siekerka, Michellene Davis, Leecia Eve, Judith Spires

, CEO of Kings Supermarkets, said people have asked if she鈥檇 ever go on 鈥淯ndercover Boss.鈥� Spires said she replies that she doesn鈥檛 need to, because she rose from being a supermarket checkout clerk in high school, and knows the grocery business inside-out from working at every level of supermarket chains.

There were knowing murmurs of assent from the crowd when asked if anyone had ever been at a table, usually of all men, and offered an idea to little or no reaction, and then a while later someone else at the table suggested the same idea, to enthusiastic support from everyone in the room. Siekerka said women shouldn鈥檛 be silent when that happens, and a way to handle it is to say something like, 鈥淭hanks for expanding upon my idea.鈥�

The afternoon keynote was , principal and chief growth strategist at Sobel & Co., who is known for her branding expertise. Glick was interviewed by , regional president of PNC Bank.

Sally Glick, left, was interviewed by Linda Bowden.

Glick talked about her journey from overcoming a fear of swimming as a child and then doing marketing for her father鈥檚 accounting firm in Chicago, to a move to Atlanta and eventually New Jersey. She advised attendees always to think that they are serving, not selling, and advocated how powerful it can be to be a 鈥済iver鈥� versus a taker. Glick鈥檚 other tips to build a brand and a marketing program included be authentic: 鈥淚f you鈥檙e not real鈥t will never work for you,鈥� she said.

Glick shared a story about how she asked at a Sobel staff meeting for people to raise their hand if they worked in marketing. When only one hand went up, Glick gave a lesson that everyone should think of themselves as being involved in marketing and branding. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e always on duty鈥� for the brand, she said.

Networking is one of top benefits of the WEW Conference.

All photos courtesy of

Today’s visitors included , co-founder and CEO of , a business intelligence and marketing services company. Valletta was joined by two of our advisory board members: Mimi Feliciano, founder and CEO of FEM Real Estate, and Ilene Wachs, president of Horizon Casualty Services, Inc. at Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey.

From left: Dennis Bone, Ilene Wachs, Mimi Feliciano, Altarik Banks, Josh Miller, Liliana Valletta

Valletta is an award-winning entrepreneur who also is the founder of , a product innovation accelerator that is an alliance of leading experts, investors and mentors to fill the gap in access and opportunity for Latino entrepreneurs. Dreamers Ventures has launched and managed , a business competition that discovers, mentors and fast tracks Latino entrepreneurs to launch their products live on HSN. Valletta is also a . She is also an independent on-air contributor to Fox News Channel, CNN en Espanol and other networks on issues of business, diversity/multicultural and women matters.

The visitors learned about MIX Lab from two students who help manage the lab: Altarik Banks, a senior Psychology major, and Josh Miller, a senior Management major.

From left: Josh Miller, Ilene Wachs, Liliana Valletta

Banks and Miller, who have received our 3D Printing Certificate in Digitally Mediated Innovation Design and our Certificate of Entrepreneurship, showed Valletta, Feliciano and Wachs two of the items they created thanks to the knowledge they have gained from the MIX Lab and its courses. First, the duo launched Geo Collection, a series of biodegradable bags created with Kombucha leather using a pollutant free production process, leaving no environmental harm to the planet.

Liliana Valletta and Mimi Feliciano admire the Geo Collection bag created by MIX Lab students Altarik Banks and Josh Miller.

Then, Banks and Miller focused on special cups for in Watchung Plaza. The cups have an innovative design that signal to servers when coffee drinkers are done and ready to have their table cleared. The pair used 3D printing to create prototypes of the cups, and after refining the design they made the cups using locally sourced clay. Local is selling the cups at its eatery.

The cups created by Altarik Banks and Josh Miller

From left: Dennis Bone, Altarik Banks, Mimi Feliciano and Liliana Valletta discuss 3D printing

By Kristen Martinelli

I wasn鈥檛 nervous until we walked into the auditorium style room at Princeton University.

The pitched seating seemed huge. The room鈥檚 layout and presentation placement forced us to rely on our memory when presenting. No assistance from a nearby laptop to see what was next. In between bites of pizza and notes from the tech operator, the nerves set in. My team, Elaion, would be competing for cash prizes against 12 other New Jersey universities in the second annual UPitchNJ contest.

As the next team entered the auditorium to go over their presentation, we went back to our demonstration table. In between conversations we practiced our deck from memory. We knew our parts; that wasn鈥檛 the issue. The scary part was facing the unknown. We always pitched to our classroom of peers, and here we were with several prestigious teams of strangers. Despite our smooth pitches in the car ride to Princeton, I was worried about clicking through the presentation at the wrong time.

All too soon, we gathered into the first three rows of the auditorium. 麻豆传媒在线 was fourth in the pitch order and I could feel my heart pounding as each speaker discussed Princeton鈥檚 entrepreneurship program.

I went through my parts of the presentation over and over before the first team started. I flipped back through my notes to confirm my numbers and specific details. Yet, at some point as the teams began, I realized I had to trust that over the past 14 weeks we had practiced enough to give a great pitch. We had to believe in one another. I stopped pitching in my head and took a deep breath, we can do this.

I listened to the judges鈥� feedback for each team. Some teams ran out of time, others didn鈥檛 clarify their product, and as always, the judges asked for validation.

I started to relax. I knew we would pitch within the time requirements, and that we had over 100 interviews validating our product. Having our professor, Jason Frasca, in the audience helped make this pitch feel like the one we do every week.

鈥淚鈥檓 not using a microphone,鈥� I told my teammates in between pitches. I worried that holding the clicker and a microphone would hinder my performance. (I鈥檓 Italian after all, I talk with my hands).

鈥淯s either,鈥� they agreed.

鈥淢ake sure you project,鈥� Professor Frasca reminded us.

We transitioned to the front of the room as Professor Sharon Waters introduced our team. I don鈥檛 remember anything anyone said, just the feeling of the rubber clicker in my right hand, my shaky knees, and the loop of: project, breathe, project, breathe going through my mind.

鈥淚 almost had a panic attack, no lie,鈥� my teammate Alexis Johnson, a senior Fine Arts major,听recounted later, about waiting for our pitch to begin. 鈥淢y heart was pounding. When we got up there, and you [Kristen] did your thing 鈥� it was fine. The intro eased my nerves.鈥�

We didn鈥檛 turn around and crane our necks to look at the slides. We had the audience鈥檚 attention. We presented with the same flow that happens during successful MSU class pitches.

We trusted each other, and we succeeded.

After three minutes of questions with the judges, we took our seats and finished watching the presentations.

The first person I looked to was Professor Frasca. His face would tell it all. I knew he was going to tell me not to hide behind the podium next time, but to be honest, my legs were shaking so bad, I was glad it was there!

During the judges鈥� deliberation and subsequent award announcements, we went over the competition.

鈥淲ho do you think is going to take first?鈥�

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know鈥ow do we compare to the two groups that have been established for two years?鈥�

鈥淲hat about Pedul? She was the best speaker here.鈥�

鈥淥r The Buzz, I like the idea of a holistic/probiotic drink.鈥�

鈥淭he signing school was great too. I love American Sign Language.鈥�

We didn鈥檛 know who would win what prize, but we knew we wanted to win something 鈥� even if it was just the $100 Starbucks gift card for the Audience Choice Award!

鈥淚n my heart, I thought we would win third place. Not because of Karuda [the 麻豆传媒在线 team that won third prize in the 2016 UPitchNJ contest]. But because Pedul and Buzz were really strong. So I thought they were good competitors. I thought we would be the last slot because I thought we were good too,鈥� Alexis explained.

As the judges filed out of the deliberation room, I thought we had a chance of winning some award. We were one, if not the only, team who had traction and sales. The only other teams who had anything were teams who were around for 2+ years. We鈥檝e been around for three months.

鈥淚 thought we had a shot at winning, but I was also nervous that we weren鈥檛 going to win anything,鈥� teammate Sophie Kunert, a sophomore Illustration major,听added.

The judges announced the winner of the Starbucks card to The Buzz. The second award was 鈥淏est Early Stage Startup.鈥�

That鈥檚 gotta be us, I thought.

Sure enough, the judge reads, 鈥淓laion.鈥�

鈥淚 was speechless,鈥� Alexis recounted.

We went to the front of the room and took pictures with the giant check. I smiled and smiled and smiled so much I felt like the joker. This can鈥檛 be real, we won! All of our hard work, late hours, and revisions paid off.

鈥淚 was in shock. I didn鈥檛 feel anything in the moment. It was afterwards, after everything was processed,鈥� Sophie remembered.

Other prizes went to Pedul at Rutgers ($1,500)听for their college tuition funding platform; SignSchool affiliated with Princeton University ($1,000)听for its online platform to learn American Sign Language; and Trend Pie at Seton Hall ($500) for its platform to encourage influencers to communicate with their social media followers. We lined across the front of the room and took pictures together.

鈥淭his competition was very exciting. The whole atmosphere is motivating!鈥� Sophie reflected on the connections and networking we had throughout the day. People loved our idea and understood the product, even if they didn鈥檛 have tattoos themselves.

Being recognized for our work with Elaion was only part of our enjoyment. What was better, is that 麻豆传媒在线 and the Feliciano Center get bragging rights too.

鈥淚 honestly don鈥檛 think we would鈥檝e gotten this far without [Professor Frasca] each week,鈥� Sophie said.

鈥淚 wholeheartedly agree,鈥� Alexis added. 鈥淔rasca really pushed us. When I first started the class, it was too much for me. But slowly I started to like it, and I appreciate the hard work. I know at some point, in the real world, this will help me.鈥�

Professor Frasca really prepared us for the competition. He put time in and outside of class to give us feedback and push our ideas.

You could see from our deck and presentation that he鈥檚 a great teacher, and that the entrepreneurship program at MSU prepares us for the real world of entrepreneurship.

Pitching and winning at Princeton University was a once in a lifetime experience.

Kristen Martinelli is a senior English major pursuing a Certificate of Entrepreneurship, and a member of team Elaion.

鈥淚 feel a sense of control of my destiny,鈥� said , president and CEO of , one of four panelists at a March 28 event, held at 麻豆传媒在线. The event drew 150 attendees, and was sponsored by the university鈥檚 Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship, which has a special mission to nurture women entrepreneurs, and .

Also on the panel were , president and CEO of ; , founder of ; and , co-founder of Harlem-based . The moderator was , president of OOBinker and an ENTR 201 adjunct professor.

The panelists had a few theories why women are under-represented as entrepreneurs.

Miller noted since there are fewer women entrepreneurs, there are fewer women to serve as role models for aspiring female founders. Miller said her time at Harvard Business School gave her role models who are HBS graduates and started businesses, including , Gilt Groupe, and Aromaflage.

Doyle said when she considered starting her own company, she felt she didn鈥檛 have enough experience. As a 麻豆传媒在线 graduate with a Psychology degree, she felt she didn鈥檛 know enough about business. Doyle said women can feel like they have to check every box of what鈥檚 required, while men are less inclined to feel that way. 鈥淚 think we hold ourselves back,鈥� she said. When asked later by an attendee how she learned the numbers side of the business, Doyle said she hires someone to handle that.

Tracy Doyle

Raising funds was another focus of the event. Miller said it can be 鈥渁 good lesson in stamina,鈥� noting she was trying to secure capital before she had sales or even a website. 鈥淢ost people will say no, male and female,鈥� she said. Miller mined her network of any and all contacts who might be able to lend money to her. Miller said she also interpreted 鈥渘o鈥� as 鈥渘ot yet.鈥� Miller described herself as a penny-pincher, because she said she had to work so hard to get every dollar. Doyle noted women can be risk-averse from a financial perspective, and reluctant to take on debt. She said that while starting out she looked at every expense, including personal expenses, to decide if it was necessary, and cut cable, as one example, because she could live without it.

From left: moderator Claire Cowart, Cheryl Biron and KJ Miller

Biron and her husband, , bootstrapped Wayne-based One Horn Transportation, using their house and loans as financing. She said the duo was able to get financing because of their company鈥檚 receivables, their credibility, Louis Biron鈥檚 background in trucking, their MBA degrees, and they had a good story to tell. Later, the Birons did a 鈥渕ini road show to banks鈥� to raise more money, and their preference was always loans so they didn鈥檛 have to give up equity in the business. Biron recently started a second company, .

Melissa Fensterstock

The panelists made the leap into entrepreneurship in different ways. Fensterstock said she worked on her business as a second job, while still working full time. She was an advocate of working on a startup as a side business until you can generate enough revenue to pay yourself a salary and cover your health insurance costs. Miller said she didn鈥檛 leave her full-time job until she had a term sheet, or document outlining conditions to receive financing. Doyle鈥檚 eventual co-founder, , had floated the idea of the pair starting a company, but Doyle was hesitant. Then Doyle was laid off from her job, and within a few days agreed to start Phoenix Marketing, based in New Providence, with Fiordilino.

Doyle and Fiordilino have been friends since they met as Psychology majors at 麻豆传媒在线. Doyle said they could sometimes fight like sisters, while working together on the startup, until they divided up tasks based on each person鈥檚 strengths. Miller said she and co-founder share many skills and experience, and that some would advise selecting a partner who has opposite skills. But Miller recommended choosing someone with whom you can have difficult conversations. Fensterstock co-founded her company with her husband, . Fensterstock noted that even if your co-founder is not a spouse, you will be 鈥渨ork-married鈥� to your partner. Doyle and Fensterstock emphasized that trust is the most important factor in choosing a co-founder.

As final advice, Biron advised making sure there is actual demand for what you want to sell, and also recommended two books: by Eric Ries, and by Robert H. Bloom.

Miller鈥檚 advice was to try doing some version of your business idea before you talk yourself out of it鈥攋ust get started.

Fensterstock counseled attendees to be persistent and resilient. She also said that if you are not an expert on something related to your planned business, that鈥檚 not a deal-breaker because you can learn what you need to know.

Doyle talked about Jane Fonda鈥檚 advice to know your product and then you can sell it and succeed. Doyle also recommended joining mentor groups or getting a coach.

Mark your calendar! The Feliciano Center will host a daylong conference for women entrepreneurs on Wed. Oct. 18 as part of Women Entrepreneurship Week. The WEW conference is free and open to the public.

To find out about other events presented by the Feliciano Center, join .

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The Feliciano Center is familiar with Change Create Transform because its foundation sponsors an annual $5,000 award to a 麻豆传媒在线 student. The award, called the Promise Prize, has been a wonderful honor for the three 麻豆传媒在线 students who have been selected since 2014. The Promise Prize program came to 麻豆传媒在线 in 2013 when Vikki Pryor, the managing principal and founder of Change Create Transform, was introduced to us. We were impressed with Vikki, and her desire to have a positive impact on young adults, and quickly expressed interest in being a Promise Prize site.

The executive retreat on Dec. 1 was the first training event I had been to with Change Create Transform. I was very impressed with the whole program. The presenter was Dr. Artika Tyner, a professor and associate VP at University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., who specializes in leadership development. Tyner had wonderful advice, and received stellar feedback from the attendees.

At any professional event, the formal program is obviously important and needs to be relevant, informative and inspiring. The Change Create Transform event met all of those markers with flying colors. But when you give up part or all of a work day for an event, it is equally important who else is in the room for networking purposes. Change Create Transform assembled a fantastic group of 鈥渟tudents鈥� in the room, many of whom were entrepreneurs. Learning from them was as valuable as learning from Tyner.

The event reinforced how much we value our affiliation with the Promise Prize program, which is identifying the future group of people who will be 鈥渋n the room鈥� at these types of events, either as the presenter or the fabulous people in the audience to network with.

This post was written by Sharon Waters, program manager for the Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship.

Anne Murray, director of development at the Feliciano School of Business, said the event was a valuable experience for the students.

“Attending the Leading Women Entrepreneurs and Business Owners Recognition event last night provided a great networking opportunity for students to meet successful, established entrepreneurs and business leaders who could share their experiences, provide insights into successful business practices and serve as mentors for our students and recent graduates,” Murray said.

As each entrepreneur was honored, a video created by Socialfix Media was shown highlighting the woman’s accomplishments. Landers said she was inspired by the videos, which included motivational quotes from each honoree about what makes each of them unstoppable. “The quote that stood out to me most, ‘I am unapologetically a dreamer,’ from Vonda McPherson of Vonda鈥檚 Kitchen,” Landers said.

Mimi Feliciano, the founder of the Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship at 麻豆传媒在线, kicked off the conference by sharing lessons she learned from her experience as a competitive ballroom dancer. Feliciano, who runs FEM Real Estate, said dancing taught her how to let others lead, which led her to give more responsibility鈥攁nd opportunities鈥攖o her staff.

The conference is one of the most high-profile events held during Women Entrepreneurship Week, when 40 organizations held events on every continent except Antarctica. WEW was launched at 麻豆传媒在线 in 2014, and grew into an international movement in 2016.

The 鈥淭aking Risks鈥� panel, moderated by alumna and retired VP of Prudential Financial Michele Ansbacher, featured insights from entrepreneurs as well as corporate execs. These pieces of advice registered with attendees, who shared them on Twitter:

鈥淔ail fast, and recover quickly,鈥� Debbie Dyson,听corporate VP of Client Experience at ADP. 鈥淭hink big, be bold, speak up.鈥�

鈥淭he more conviction you have, the more people will follow you,鈥� Laura Overdeck, founder and president, Bedtime Math Foundation

鈥淲hen you鈥檙e not fearful anymore, maybe it鈥檚 time to try something new,鈥� Jessica Gaffney, founder and CEO of Wavework

鈥淚f not now, when? Go for it! There鈥檚 always going to be an obstacle,鈥� Sunita Holzer,听EVP and chief human resources officer at Realogy.

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A panel of leaders from Women Presidents鈥� Organization, titled 鈥淢oving the Needle: WPO Members Share Tips for Success,鈥� covered various aspects of entrepreneurship. Susan French, CEO of Social Media Link, told the audience to be tenacious. 鈥淲hen I believe in something, I fight for it,鈥� she said. French also talked about how working in a relatively new industry can be a challenge but also offer freedom. She noted there is no road map for running a social media company. 鈥淲e get to make the map, and make the road,鈥� French said. Jayne Millard, CEO of Turtle & Hughes Inc., advised, 鈥淣ever allow yourself to be intimidated by anyone, ever. Ever.鈥� The panel also talked about the reality of owning a business, with 24 Seven Inc. President Celeste Gudas saying being an entrepreneur is 10 times more work than you expected. The panel also talked about entrepreneurs鈥� propensity to break the rules. Moderator Marsha Firestone, the founder and president of WPO, noted entrepreneurs aren鈥檛 necessarily the best students鈥攖hey may rack up C grades鈥攂ecause they have a habit of breaking rules.

Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno talked about lessons she鈥檚 learned by breaking barriers as New Jersey鈥檚 first lieutenant governor and, previously, as sheriff of Monmouth County. A promoter of business all over New Jersey, Guadagno also advocates for more women at top levels of management. She noted there are more men named John running large companies than women of any name at the top of large companies. Guadagno told attendees to be the best educated and most prepared person in the room. She concluded: 鈥淭he women are the problem-solvers, so let鈥檚 get to work.鈥�

The conference culminated with an interactive presentation by Jen Slaw, a performer, speaker and juggler. In her speech, 鈥淲omen: The Master Jugglers! How to Build a Fulfilling and Balanced Life,鈥� Slaw used juggling to make metaphors about juggling professional and personal life. For example, one piece of advice is 鈥渓earn from the drops,鈥� or mistakes. Slaw had each attendee balance a peacock feather on the palm of the hand to make the point about maintaining equilibrium, literally and figuratively. The highlight was when Slaw taught the audience how to juggle, with attendees teaming up to toss multi-colored balls between them. There were laughs, some shrieks, and a lot of bending over to pick up dropped balls as scores of attendees attempted to juggle. The attendees, more than 90 percent of whom were women, may have learned from the drops that figurative juggling may be easier than actual juggling.