Fascinated with the concept of entrepreneurship, I attended VEF Momentum Connect: Entrepreneurial War Stories, representing the UBC publication Global Ink. Dr. Ali Tehrani, the speaker at the event, is the President and CEO of Zymeworks- a Vancouver based biotechnology company which has recently landed a multimillion dollar deal with Merk.
Dr. Tehrani talked about his trials and tribulations in finding and negotiating with investors and potential partners to start his business. During the talk he offered a few golden nuggets of advice (each of course, supported by a hilarious anecdote):
- When establishing a relationship with someone, do it in person- it reflects poorly if all interaction is done via email
- First impressions last a lifetime
- Be open to new ideas- don’t be defensive
- Passion must fuel your goal, or no one will be passionate about your goal
He was a confident and witty speaker, and while I won’t say he was inspirational, he was definitely charsimatic.
Another point I would like to note about the event, was the networking opportunities afforded. As my first time networking outside of Sauder, I was extremely nervous. One particularly amusing trend I found, was the way some would tactfully excuse themselves, after realizing I was completely useless in terms of helping them find jobs. On the whole, however it was an enlightening experience.
In the weeks to come, I have been appointed by my club, to go “sponsor hunting”. I will have to approach businesses such as Coast Capital, develop relationships, organize face- to- face meetings and present advertising opportunities, all of course, armed with the arsenal of tools I have picked up in Comm 101.
END OF COMM 101 BLOGS!
Sources:
http://www.ibclub.ca/global-ink/
products each with their own QR code, allowing viewers at home to scan their TV screen, access information about the product and have the ability to purchase the product from the comfort of their own homes. Being the first retailers to incorporate QR codes, HSN has definitely taken a giant step forward in innovative thinking, but has this seemingly brilliant move paid off?
