Throughout the 2020 Wake Forest Summer Immersion Program – Online Experience we will be featuring different students to talk about their diverse experiences in our Institutes. Learn more about our Business Institute from the perspective of our students. 

Marketing that Works - An Introductiob

Students learned about failed products from popular brands – an important lesson in perseverance!

What were your biggest takeaways? 

One of my biggest takeaways from the WF Business Institute Program was the importance of pushing yourself, making mistakes, and changing your career path. Specifically hearing from many of the entrepreneur alumni from Wake Forest, I found it most interesting to listen to their stories and how they came up with their product. With this, these entrepreneurs would discuss the mistakes they had made in the past and the difficulties they have faced with the COVID-19  outbreak. Though I had listened to other entrepreneurs before, I never got to understand the passion they had for their company and the risks they had to take to fully support what they were creating like quitting their day job, investing their own money, and even moving. 

What is something new that you learned about yourself? 

I learned that I am capable of doing many things for a career path. After learning more about marketing, hearing entrepreneurs tell their story, and even speaking to 100+ people on Zoom, I was able to understand that there are many careers that I could choose from to be successful and many different areas of interest that makeup who I am. 

How has this experience changed your mindset? 

This experience has drastically changed my mindset. I originally had my mind set on doing something related to marketing at college and as a career path but this program has allowed me to see that I can do much more than that. Even if I am an adult and change my mind or decide that I have a great business idea, I can take that leap of faith to do whatever I want. The idea that “if you can dream it you can do it” has faded from my mind in the past couple of years through the expectations of school and college, but this course has shown me that it is, in fact, true. I can do anything I set my mind to and can change my decision on a career/major with support behind me. 

What is an experience you had that really stands out to you?

An experience I had that really stood out to me was learning some of the basics of marketing in the program. I found the professor to be very interesting and I think he enjoyed hearing my input on the baked seaweed that my group and I reviewed

Bill DAlessandro, Founder of Elements Brand

Bill DAlessandro, Founder of Elements Brand

Describe someone you met who impacted you. 

Meeting the founder of Elements Brands and Ski Balm, Bill, was very interesting. He was a very nice guy and seemed happy to be joining us and speaking about his journey. He impacted me by describing how he got more involved in his brands he was building by quitting his day job, taking risks, and “moving from sitting in my underwear in my home office to having a real office with employees.” Taking that next step that I would most likely have to complete if I were an entrepreneur, was something that stuck with me. 

How has this experience impacted your future? 

As mentioned in previous questions, this experience has shown me more career paths that I might be interested in. This came together by talking with some of the representatives from WF about their backgrounds and the process of choosing their careers. 

What was your favorite moment from this week? 

My favorite moment from this week was hearing Bill’s story and the way he has developed Element Brand’s. He made his talk very interesting and answered all the great questions the students had! He also went above and beyond the basic details of the company, going deeper into how they choose brands to buy, which ones to sell, and which ones bring in the most revenue. 

How has this experience clarified your goals? 

This experience has clarified my goals by showing me that I am capable of reaching them. Even if I don’t reach those goals or have a change of heart of what I want to achieve that is okay! I also realized that I can push myself further than expected!

US Kombucha Market Growth Presentation

During the Business Institute, students heard from UpDog Kombucha, which was started in the dorm room of two Wake Forest alumnae

What was the most interesting thing you did/saw/learned?

The most interesting thing I did was listening to the entrepreneurs speak to their mistakes and what they had learned from them. Some talked about the cost of their product, how to take it to the next level, and more. It was great to hear about and made me better understand how extremely difficult it is to start your own company. 

Why would you recommend the Summer Immersion Program? 

Absolutely! I had a blast asking a ton of questions to the presenters and meeting some kids my age with similar interests. If someone is looking for a fun, engaging, and passionate business program, this is it. The presenters were welcoming to the students’ questions and it was great to see that every person there was in the program because they wanted to learn and be exposed to the real world of business.

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