Letter from the Chief Information Officer

According to Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, an entrepreneur is "anyone who organizes and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk." Although not everyone in the Entrepreneurship Society of Notre Dame is managing his or her own business, I can confidently say that each member is gaining appreciation and knowledge about the entrepreneurial field that can be applicable to countless endeavors down the road. The definition of entrepreneurship is exemplified in all that the Entrepreneurship Society does at Notre Dame. For instance, virtually any student who is willing to organize and manage a startup business is encouraged to do so. In fact, members are given the tools needed to make their dreams a reality. This requires initiative, but also provides an environment for ideas to grow and develop.

Initiative is rewarded in this club in other ways, as well. The Entrepreneurship Society hosts an annual Case Study Challenge in which students can join a team, do research, and compile a presentation for all members. This presentation highlights a company of the presenter's choice that embodies entrepreneurship in some way. I participated in three separate presentations last year, and I can say that I took away different lessons and ideas from each one. It certainly takes initiative to spend countless hours working on a presentation during a busy semester filled with coursework, jobs, and other responsibilities. While the presentation is a fulfilling experience, there is also an element of risk when putting yourself out there to present your findings in a creative fashion to an entire group of people. Many other projects of the Entrepreneurship society require risk and initiative on different scales. These projects give students hands-on experience, put their skills to work, and often benefit others, such as El Campito (see pg 6).

There is one word that I believe is written between the lines of Webster's definition of entrepreneurship: Passion. One can have all the initiative in the world to start a business, but without the passion to keep it going and the desire to make it work, it will not succeed. The Entrepreneurship Society of Notre Dame is so fortune to be composed of so many passionate people who are not only willing, but want to put the time and effort into whatever they chose to be involved in. The club welcomes students from all majors and in all schools of Notre Dame, for we believe that every background can bring something unique to the table (see adjacent chart). The purpose of this Pitch-Book is to give a better understanding of the Entrepreneurship Society and what its goals and ambitions are for the upcoming year. We look forward to the many opportunities ahead of us and welcome any ideas or suggestions. Please do not hesitate to contact any of the officers, and I hope that you find our ambitions as exciting as we do.

All the best,

Katie Grennan

Did you know?

  • 95% of members place very high emphasis on organizational leadership.

Getting To Know

Don Whitley

Role:
CFO
Hometown:
Long Island, NY
Major:
Finance
Contact:
dwhitley@nd.edu
Employment:
Sales for Manufacturing Firm

Why Entrepreneurship Society?

"I was introduced to the Notre Dame Entrepreneurship Society by Jaime Urquijo and Bob Huguelet, my close friends. They convinced me to attend a few meetings and I instantly fell in love with the club and its members. I remember being amazed at how much effort the clubs members put into this particular extracurricular, and how they managed to keep such a relaxed and friendly atmosphere in the process. I really should thank Bob and Jaime, because many of my closest friends are in the club, and I've derived a significant amount of enjoyment from the freedom the society gives me to turn my dreams into realities."