Columbia Business School Entrepreneurship Program

I’ve recently had the honor of speaking to a group of Columbia Business School (CBS) students in an Entrepreneurship class for Founders. I’m grateful to Austin Cohen, the CBS professor who invited me to speak at his class. Austin is an Adjunct Professor at CBS and Founder & CEO of FlexIt Inc. 

The story of how I connected with Austin is instructive in how networking and follow-up can lead to productive relationships. I spoke at Alliance Bernstein, the asset management firm, and one of its leaders, Tom Miele told me he thought I should meet Austin. When someone you trust offers a new connection, you follow through. 

Tom was gracious enough to host us at his office, and not long after connecting, Austin asked me to speak at an Accelerator class he was running at CBS over the summer. I spoke and did some coaching segments among small groups that were well received.

I subsequently got invited back to a meeting with Austin and the co-professor with whom he shares teaching responsibilities. We agreed I’d return in the Fall Semester as a Guest Lecturer on Entrepreneurship and afterward offer to do some coaching for the class. Students in the class are all Founders. It’s an exciting mix --- international students, students who have been in business and are returning for their MBA, and students who are still in the workplace.

I prepared a deck for the Entrepreneurship Class, in which I make several key points:

  1. Transform Your Vision into Success 

    1. The Power Mindset plays in your success. 

  2. Value the Importance of Having a Vision for Your Business –

    1. Where your Vision and your WHY connect

    2. Clip of John McEnroe interviewing Aaron Rodgers before his first season with the NY Jets. Aaron Rodgers talks about the Power of Believing. (Notice I mentioned the power of mindset above):

      1. “I believe in the power of manifestation, the desire of the heart into reality. First, you gotta believe it!”

      2. “Once we start believing and playing it right, everyone else starts believing.”

      3. “It creates an unstoppable wave of energy that we’re gonna take it to the top.”

  3. Talk about your Vision … Your Vision will Inform the Creation of your Goals and Plan of Action. This is not new; here is one of my favorite quotes by Napoleon Hill: “A Goal is a Dream with a Deadline.”

  4. Narrow your Goals - Utilize SMART Goals. I was truly surprised by the number of students coming in from jobs at the big consulting and finance companies that needed to become more familiar with SMART Goals.  SMART is an acronym for:

    1. Specific

    2. Measurable

    3. Achievable (This is where you create your Action Plan)

    4. Realistic (It's not about playing small; it IS about stretching yourself to play big and reach reality.)

    5. Timely (Schedule, think Napoleon above)

  5. Be your own Super Hero

    1. Take a stand and be the powerful leader you are. And Practice, Practice, Practice.

    2. Body Language - solid stance, arms, power of eye contact, pause, when to take a breath,

  6. Practice Business Etiquette

    1. Remember, You’re at a Meeting for Business, not Food or “Drinks.” I can’t tell you how many meetings over lunch, cocktails, or dinner I've attended when I just lightly sipped or nibbled because I ate before or after. I was there for business!

    2. Use a “What Can I Do: Attitude:

      1. When Faced with any Challenge… Adopt a “What Can I do?” Attitude. I do it myself and teach it daily. 

      2. There are challenges in everything we do, and we can be stumped, derailed, or waylaid. When you ask yourself, “What Can I Do?” it puts you into action. 

  7. Don’t Forget to Formulate Key Takeaways and Action Next Steps!

    1. Always, Always, Always Get the Follow-up Scheduled after the Initial Connection.

Each Founder prepared a mini-pitch for their business. Many questions and a healthy discussion of key pointers ensued:

  • Always ask, "Who is the Target Buyer/User/Audience?

    • Narrow your focus to the Key Players:

      • 80% of a company's revenue is generated by 20% of its customers.

      • Pitch to their specific interests and needs

  • Three-Second Rule: Remember you have less than three seconds to capture the target's attention

    • It doesn't matter if the pitch is written, spoken, on social media, in your marketing, in a newsletter, or a video.

  • Everything is sales:

    •  What is the problem you are tasked with solving?

    •  How important of a problem is it to the receiver?

    • Ask these questions and you will always know where you are in their priority list. 

First, Last, and Always, REMEMBER:

  • The Money and Success are in the Follow-Up!

"Ivy is a true pleasure to work with; she always goes above and beyond and puts her all into everything that she does. Whether it be spending time collaborating with client management teams or coaching business school students, Ivy has been an utter professional in everything that she does, she has brought lightyears of wisdom into conversations and she excels at strategy, leadership, communication and presentation."

Austin Cohen, Professor – Columbia Business School / Founder & CEO of FlexIt Inc.

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