After nearly two decades in the business world, Tom Lotrecchiano and Joe Schimdt know that, often, you have to be willing to get your hands a little dirty, metaphorically speaking, in order to succeed.
From that experience, the Raleigh-based duo created EntreMANUREship to mentor young and aspiring entrepreneurs on the realities of innovation.
Lotrecchiano and Schmidt–recent guests at UNC-Wilmington’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s (CIE’s) inaugural Coastal Connect Entrepreneur and Capital Conference in September–return to the Port City today (Thursday).
They are the keynote speakers during CIE’s Entrepeneurship Week, which kicked off Monday.
Lotrecchiano and Schmidt have spent more than 15 years building up various companies, including their flagship Canvas on Demand, which turned photos into artwork.
“After we sold that business, one of the things that we really wanted to do was to encourage entrepreneurs,” Lotrecchiano told Port City Radio morning host Aimee Bowen. “And we do it a few ways. One is through investing and advising…and the other is through speaking to young entrepreneurs and meeting with them.”
Out of that came EntreMANUREship, a video blog and upcoming book.
At today’s presentation–set for 4 p.m. in UNCW Fisher Student Center’s Lumina Theater–the pair will share “What Business Schools Don’t Teach You About Entrepreneurship.”
“Being an entrepreneur now has become kind of sexy, right? You hear about…the rich and famous and all of the ‘Shark Tank’ shows and things like that. They really make it look easy,” Lotrecchiano said. “But the fact of the matter is, starting a innovative company is messy business.”
Many budding business owners spend too much time waiting for an “epiphany” or a “perfect idea,” he noted.
“But there is no perfect idea. The fact is, there are a lot of businesses that are taking an existing business and changing the way it is done…and you can create a very successful business doing that,” Lotrecchiano said.
The presentation is free. Registration is required and is still open. Click here to sign up for the EntreMANUREship workshop.
Entrepreneurship Week, sponsored by UNCW Cameron School of Business, wraps up Friday with the seminar, “Starting Your Own Business.” The course, located in Room 110 in UNCW’s Cameron Hall, is offered three times–from 9-9:45 a.m., 10-10:45 and 11-11:45. Advance registration is not required.
