By Ashley Zahabian<\/p>\n
The Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship<\/a> has yet again given my peers and me the opportunity to walk in\u00a0the shoes of an entrepreneur. Not only did we get the chance to network with startup experts and others who are striving\u00a0to become one themselves, but we also had the chance to hear the stories and\u00a0speak to the CEO of three awesome startups.<\/p>\n As an individual who is taking pursuing the Certificate of Entrepreneurship<\/a> at Montclair, my team and I are creating a product along with a\u00a0smartphone\u00a0application, and guess what? None of us have a clue on how to build a working application, manufacture a hardware, work overseas, and how to legally start a technological business. Nonetheless, I went to a Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship event<\/a> and I was honored to hear a\u00a0story about\u00a0a successful application being run by\u00a0a programmer who barely knows\u00a0anything about coding! As he encouraged my team and me to proceed, he offered\u00a0me many\u00a0useful tips, sources, and tactics on how to do so. Sure, words can only take you so far… But with action, you are limitless;\u00a0the same week, I went home and\u00a0built\u00a0my own prototype for my team and my\u00a0mobile application software!<\/p>\n On top of delicious food and wonderful individuals at the event, I was able to leave with phone numbers, business cards, and even better, a foundation for\u00a0our startup. Also, to add a cherry on top, our mentor\u00a0Professor Frasca<\/a>, was able to pass down his technological resources to our class to help\u00a0our startup stay alive outside of the program as well.<\/p>\n The entrepreneurship program<\/a> here at Montclair State University has been such a realistic walk in the life of an entrepreneur, and I am grateful to take part. As our May 6 pitch day<\/a> approaches, with a prize of $10,000 for the winning student team, our weekly pitches are being critiqued by several individuals, and our opportunities to reach and seek\u00a0advice and opinion are broadening. I deeply thank the Feliciano Center of\u00a0Entrepreneurship for the opportunity to understand what a true startup consists of, and for preparing my peers and me for life after college. All of the networks I have built through the Feliciano Center meetups held will build a strong foundation for becoming an entrepreneur myself.<\/p>\n