As you wander through your four years at Georgetown – getting involved in whatever you like to do – it is essential that you take a few hours of your life to utilize the surprising number of resources Georgetown has for your financial education. If you aren’t in the business school, but still see yourself running a business someday, joining, or starting your own student-owned company is perhaps the fastest and most direct means to gain the skills you will need to succeed.
Student entrepreneurs at universities across the nation have created such companies, forging their own path to greater opportunity. Such companies differ from the traditional campus club in that they do not rely on university safety nets or faculty advisors to guide them. Rather, students in these organizations take the initiative and prove their intellect by demonstrating the teamwork, management and financial skills necessary to run a complex business. Students operating these organizations have complete responsibility and control, and are thus well equipped to enter the professional world after graduation. Principles such as responsibility and innovation are at the heart of these companies, driving their success and viability into the future.
Whether your interest lies in finance or operations, marketing or management, taking the initiative to get involved in a professional student company is the way to develop such skills. Having experience in real-world applications of these skills will prove invaluable when interviewing for internships, or beginning that first job after graduation. Employers will recognize the creativity and initiative required to lead an organization of this design.
While we support and applaud the numerous clubs around campus, the unique design and approach taken by student-owned companies provides a rare perspective to students as they journey through college. Here at Georgetown, there are a few organizations that we think provide an excellent template for those wanting to start their own operation.
If you are interested in financial entrepreneurship, for instance, The Georgetown Collegiate Investors, LLC is an entirely student-run, student-owned financial organization with $75,000 in assets under management that has been active on Georgetown’s campus for just over a decade. For those interested in seeing how a financial company operates, joining GCI is an excellent opportunity.
GCI operates with no faculty or outside advisors, and its student leaders manage their own marketing, accounting, operations and legal departments in an effort to build a fully functioning corporation.
If you want to take a less finance-focused route, there are a multitude of other excellent organizations that you can join to learn about business operations. Students of Georgetown Incorporated is a prominent example of such a group. It is also entirely student run, and has been operating successfully for nearly 40 years.
The Corp allows its 240 student employees to gain experience dealing with the complexity of payroll management and timetable scheduling. In addition, students learn critical skills associated with managing a supply chain, and cultivating relationships with their suppliers and the university to ensure that their products are available on a consistent basis.
The Corp’s best quality, in our opinion, is that it operates a successful philanthropy department that is responsible for supporting members of the Georgetown community. It donates over $30,000 annually to charitable organizations and initiatives on campus, and allows students involved in this effort to have a chance to see the impact of charitable contributions and to gain excellent experience that will serve them well going into any industry.
If your goal is to be an entrepreneur one day, there are a variety of ways to get involved at Georgetown, and you should take this opportunity to learn from your more experienced peers. The key to running a successful business is developing a good idea, and taking the effort to bring that idea to fruition. While we can certainly appreciate a well-manicured Facebook profile, students – especially those interested in pursuing a career in finance or business – should also take initiative and leave their own footprints on the Hilltop.
Charlie Leisure is a senior in the College and chief executive officer of Georgetown Collegiate Investors LLC. Max Gaby is a senior in the McDonough School of Business and chief operating officer of Georgetown Collegiate Investors LLC. They can be reached at leisurethehoya.com and gabythehoya.com. Money Talks appears every other Tuesday.
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