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Entrepreneurship Day (E-Day) |
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About The Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship
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Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship sponsors first E-Day
Tim Gannon, co-founder of Outback Steakhouse, Inc., headlined Florida State University College of Business' first annual Entrepreneurship Day on Friday, Feb. 1. Gannon, senior vice president and creator of Outback's popular "Bloomin' Onion" recipe, spoke to entrepreneurship and hospitality management students about "Starting and Growing a Business". Named 1994 Entrepreneur of the Year by Inc. magazine, Gannon had just $37 in his pocket when he partnered with Bob Basham and Chris Sullivan to launch Outback. The restaurant based in Tampa, Fla., ranked as the third-largest in the United States in 2005, with $3.2 billion in annual revenue and 1,175 locations. Gannon, an FSU alumnus, received the Florida Restaurant Association's "Lifetime Achievement Award" in 1999. Gannon's talk culminated a full day of interaction between students and entrepreneurs from Tallahassee and the region. "Our students are excited about starting a business," said Betty Presnell, associate director of the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship. "We want to give them this exposure to a variety of entrepreneurs with real-world experience." FSU accepts a limited number of students in its entrepreneurship major. Those selected are trained to run their own business or work for other companies in an entrepreneurial role. They take courses with faculty who have been entrepreneurs, complete a feasibility study and write a business plan. Often they double major in entrepreneurship and another business discipline, such as accounting or finance. "We're committed to building a top-ranked entrepreneurship program in The Jim Moran Institute," said Annette Ranft, chairwoman of the college's management department that houses the institute. Tim O'Brien, a Tallahassee serial entrepreneur and licensed building contractor, introduced a series of roundtable discussions in the morning on "What are you most afraid of when starting your business?" Students then participated in a progressive lunch that moved them to three different tables for a question-and-answer session with guest entrepreneurs. Gannon's afternoon speech was followed by a reception in which students practiced their "elevator pitches," well-rehearsed summaries of their business plan and qualifications. It's the oral equivalent of a business card delivered in the time an elevator would rise to the top of a 20-story building. Other guest entrepreneurs included Bobby Boeneke of Residential Elevators, Tallahassee, Fla.; Bryan Desloge, Desloge Home Oxygen & Medical Equipment, Tallahassee, Fla.; Ed Eckland, IRBsearch, LLC, Tallahassee, Fla.; Chad Gardner, Super-Suds Car Wash, Tallahassee, Fla.; John Perry, Medical-Enterprise Development Group, Jacksonville, Fla.; Steve Roden, LearnSomething, Inc., Tallahassee, Fla.; Beth Tedio, Uptown Café & Catering, Tallahassee, Fla.; Doug Tatum, Tatum Partners, Atlanta, Ga.; Doug Dunlap, FuelMaster, Tallahassee, Fla.; Nick Guillaume, Gameplan Financial Marketing, Atlanta, Ga.; and Joe Douglas and Mike Vaughn, 131 Main Restaurants, Huntersville, S.C. # # # |