Babson Entrepreneurs Resolve to Achieve, Get Inspired, and Aspire in 2019
The end of one year and the start of the next is the perfect time to reflect and to resolve. Entrepreneurs are no stranger to the practice of evaluating progress and setting stretch goals.
So, the Blank Center, the Lewis Institute, and the Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership asked a group of Babson entrepreneurs what they hope to accomplish in 2019. Read on for their resolutions (and nonresolutions, too).
Build Community, Connections, and Culture
“As an entrepreneur, continuously examining how to measure and define success is crucial. One of the goals I am most proud of achieving at ButcherBox in 2018 was building a solid foundation in terms of our company culture. We’re scaling at a rate that I’ve never experienced before as a CEO, so the most important thing in 2019 is to maintain that culture we worked so hard to establish. Our team at ButcherBox and SmoothieBox is one of the most hard-working and dedicated groups, and I hope we can set a great example for the next generation of Boston entrepreneurs, business leaders, and difference makers.” – Mike Salguero MBA’09, Founder and CEO, ButcherBox
“As president of eTower for 2019, my biggest resolution for the next year is to surround the community with resources and mentors to help take each one of our residents to the next level. A lot of times, entrepreneurs are stuck simply because they don’t have the right people around them to ask for help, and our biggest goal will be to increase partnerships with professional organizations that can hopefully solve that problem.” – Sumukh Setty ’21, President, eTower
“My biggest aspiration for 2019 is to continue to build lasting relationships in the food ecosystem. These relationships will be the foundation to La Conexión’s growth plan and success. Focusing on pop-ups, we will form partnerships that will complement our 2019 goal of spearheading a Latin food–focused, open-air market in the city of Boston. This market will educate the public about the diversity in Latin cuisine by fostering cultural exchanges, providing an authentic experience and building community across race and income levels.” – Melissa Castro MBA’19, Founder, La Conexión
“As an entrepreneur, one of my biggest resolutions for 2019 is to improve my financial literacy as it relates to the business, and an aspiration is to grow our community of Friends in the Fight by at least double!” – Emily Levy ’16, Co-Founder and CEO, MightyWell
Work Smarter
“For 2019, I would like to integrate habits into my daily/weekly living rather than resolutions. As I transition out of my college experience, I am resolving to be more iterative in my approach to how I can set up the needed structure, organization, and disciplines in order for me to effectively work toward my entrepreneurial goals.” – April Chen ’19, Co-Founder, Gentle
“In 2019, I aspire to make the transition of working on my business instead of in my business by adding additional resources to my team.” – Jennifer Pierre MS’16, Founder and CEO, Melanites
“While building my own company in the WIN Lab, working on my MBA, trying to excel in my full-time job, and training for my fourth half Ironman, 2018 taught me tremendous lessons in personal and professional growth. In July, I was humbled by a new corporate entrepreneurship opportunity. For 2019, my biggest goal is to strengthen my entrepreneurial operations skills through the success of building a new organization within a large corporate entity. I believe wholeheartedly that this experience will directly impact my ability to build my own company and bring my vision into reality.” – Joia Spinelli MBA’19, intrapreneur and Manager of Field Clinical Engineering, Abbott
Solve Problems
“Entrepreneurs solve problems. It’s what we do. There can be no larger problem globally today than the dearth of leadership. Hence, my aspiration is to scale impact through exerting influence and entrepreneurial thinking to positively affect my country: South Africa. My desire is to be a leader who demonstrates integrity, professionalism, and compassion by creating novel solutions to challenges, thinking beyond the formal with a future-oriented lens.” – Craig Wing MBA’10, partner, FutureWorld
“Having recently sold my business, I am starting 2019 with a clean slate, giving me an opportunity to address new challenges. My biggest resolution is to start my journey toward solving the global warming problem. The world is facing a huge crisis in terms of environmental degradation and sustainability of the current way of life. However, the environmental considerations has to be in sync with aspirations of millions of Indians who want to live better lives, which often comes at cost of higher carbon footprint. Finding a solution for the same is going to be challenging and interesting.” – Dhairya Gupta MBA’08, co-founder, AllizHealth
Inspire and Get Inspired
“Keep pushing boundaries and keep challenging myself to see the first impact of my startup. I want to celebrate the first couple of women who will feel confident and empowered because of their unique style that is powered by Shay Jaffar. I want also to get to know more inspiring and amazing people who will enlighten me and [whose] stories and energy will help me continue moving forward.” – Shaymaa Gaafar MBA’19, Founder and CEO, Shay Jaffar
“My 2019 entrepreneurial resolution is to mentor and support more budding female entrepreneurs.” – Prabha Dublish ’18, Co-Founder and President, Womentum
Resolve to Not Resolve
“Surprisingly, I don’t make resolutions, rather I pick a word that becomes the word for the year. Sometimes, when we resolve to do a particular thing, the desire wanes and the metrics for success are never realized, but picking a word helps me to reflect on how my actions and circumstances have affected a bigger goal. My word this year is health. As this year comes to a close, there have been so many reminders that personal wellness is not something to take for granted. I have seen so much transparency and solidarity around how we can support each other, I’d like to make 2019 about physical, mental, spiritual, and financial health.” – Janai Mungalsingh ’08, manager and curriculum designer, Babson Youth Impact Lab
“I fundamentally hate the concept of New Year resolutions. Nothing changes once the clock hits midnight. You were the same person at 11:59, and next year will simply be a continuation of your previous goals. I believe setting new goals is a must, but not just because it is a New Year. In fact, that is why I believe most New Year resolutions do not actually last—simply a new year is not enough of a reason to change a lifestyle. Instead of setting resolutions, I encourage people to understand what they truly want to change and why. From there, build a plan of action like a Gantt chart to track your progress and repeatedly check in with your goals and assess what needs to be done next.” – David Zamarin ’20, Founder and CEO, Detrapel
Posted in Community, Entrepreneurial Leadership
