EFactor Presents: Entrepreneur Evangelist vs Corporate Lacky

Corporate go-getters and independent entrepreneurs – we all know people who identify as either one of these or the other, but it may not be so easy to define ourselves. EFactor took the matter to QuickSuites in NYC this earlier this month with “Entrepreneur Evangelist vs. Corporate Lackey,” a friendly debate that brought together these two schools of thought to duke it out and determine which might be best fit for our modern age of industry. Attendees heard the pros and cons of entrepreneurship and corporate pursuits, how to transition between the two, and tons more.

First to speak was Ria Browne, an experienced fashion entrepreneur who’s no novice to successful launches of fashion products, retail stores and ecommerce businesses, and whose expertise is found in making meaning come to life with vision and commercial value. Browne told a tale of evolving entrepreneurship – from how she started Mella, a designer flip-flop purveyor, to ultimately selling it to Scoop after realizing she didn’t want to work in fashion anymore, and ending up working at a store in Brooklyn, called Pomme, where she eventually became owner. In just a few years, Browne explored many different levels of employment and entrepreneurship, and finally found one that fit.

Next up to speak was Kasia Michalski, an ACE-certified nutritionist who builds balanced diets around optimal health, fitness and energy and runs her own consulting practice, EatFit, which helps teach people about the food they eat and the exercise that’s right for them. Michalski shared the issues she took with working in the corporate world – a few things for the crowd to consider.

Paul Ruffino spoke next. Ruffino’s diverse professional background in real estate, entertainment location management services, awards show production and reality television concept development makes him an expert self-starter and model entrepreneur. Ruffino spoke on self-worth, and encouraged attendees to create their own value by developing ideas and skills, and making a plan that they can stick to. He also added that the early phases of entrepreneurship may not be very pleasant all the time, but that eventually you’ll get to doing what you love. Corporate America, said Ruffino, works nicely for those who require structure and self-discipline, not to mention a competitive salary. But, he added, in the corporate world, you’ll never make as much as what you give to the company is worth.

Next to speak was Patrick Peters, who founded Appsulting, a startup that connects app developers to consumers in innovative and constructive ways. Peters says he always knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur because he knew he never wanted anyone but himself to determine his self-worth. He began his professional career in a corporate job at the Institute of Research where he gathered the knowledge he knew he could eventually take to the entrepreneur world. He then followed his vision to build his first app, which led to his very own company.

Finally, the audience heard from Lisa Hendrickson, president of FutureLAB Media an award-winning serial entrepreneur and award-winning serial entrepreneur. While some people run to corporate employment for job security, said Hendrickson, it’s not a great idea – you can get laid off in a corporate job, ut as an entrepreneur, you can’t – you only count on yourself. Hendrickson, who is already onto building her eighth company, is always trying to discover where the money is and where the opportunities are. Putting to work some of the lessons she learned while working in corporate America, Hendrickson creates companies as if she is creating worlds – always keeping in mind her employees, their happiness, and her companies’ bottom lines. Entrepreneurship, she said, can change the world, and there’s no reason to be stuck in a corporate job where you can’t have vision and you can’t instigate change.

Our fascinating presenters left attendees with quite a bit to think about, but one thing’s for sure – everyone learned something about the way they work in the world, and maybe a few people were moved to try something new! We’d like to thank all of our presenters, our sponsors, FreshDirect, Pelzer’s Pretzels and Hint Water.

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