In celebration of Entrepreneurship Week USA, BMCC students are holding a summit today, February 27, from 9 am to 2 pm in the Richard Harris Terrace to spread the entrepreneurial spirit throughout the campus community. BMCC students Steve Williams, Kenny Nguyen, and Tony Huynh will be among several students participating in the panel discussion, “The Future: Student Entrepreneurs.”
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in a recent proclamation, called the week from February 24 to March 3 as Entrepreneurship Week USA and encouraged the City’s youth to explore their big ideas and “take it on.”
BMCC’s students have gotten the Mayor’s message and they are taking it on.
Steve Williams, a Business Management major, who will be a panelist, will speak about his ongoing business, Fashionable Entertainment. He says “Our mission is to deliver quality service at competitive prices to our clients. We offer many different services, including graphic design, photography, event promotion, event hosting, and event photo archiving.” Williams founded the small business in 2004 and his clientele range from modeling management firms to musicians to real estate companies.
Williams sees Fashionable Entertainment as a niche business and says, “Our customers need to come first and we practice and believe in honesty, professionalism and competence when we deal with clients.” Most of all, Williams wants Fashionable Entertainment to be the top graphic design and event planning company in New York City, and “beyond.”
Kenny Nguyen, who is an Accounting major, was born in Vietnam and at the age of six immigrated to New York City with his family. He is proud to be an American citizen and just as proud to say that he is nearing graduation. Besides going to BMCC, he is in partnership with his older brother, Steven, in a small business called “Nails Salon,” located in the Bronx. He was only 18 when he opened the salon and he is 24 now.
In relating about the psyche of small businesses ownership, Kenny says every business has to engage in risk because “opportunities don’t always come around again.” The biggest problem he faces right now is his inability to put in a full work week. The problem of finances and competition also weigh on his mind. “The financial problems we face are increases in rent and supplies. We can’t raise our prices because our competitors will tend to lower theirs.”
Tony Huynh, who also happened to be born in Vietnam, came to the United States after spending more than ten years in Hong Kong. Before enrolling at BMCC, Tony was a day trader and a stock broker working for a firm. He came to BMCC with the intention of receiving his degree in Business Management and to eventually open his own brokerage firm. But most of all, he says, “I want to acquire the necessary wisdom and knowledge to make his enterprise his American dream. While he characterizes himself as ambitious he also recognizes that he must have a strong business plan to reach that dream.”
Huynh has already named his online trading company, SeAsia. In his marketing piece he writes, “When investing with SeAsia you’ll find state-of–the-art tools, a level II Nasdaq trading platform, affordable and innovative technology.” Tony knows that he has to be different to build a clientele and so he offers a “Free Equity Option Trading Seminar,’ that includes “How to Buy and Write Call and Put Options.”
Tony believes that New York City is the right place for minority entrepreneurs. “It is the most diverse city in the world and people from every country, race, religion, and class have wide open opportunities, especially if they are educated.”
For a schedule of BMCC’s Entrepreneurship Week events, see Student Entrepreneur Summit.
