José Calero had a very successful sales career and the day after he retired he decided that he was going to start his own business. Almost two decades later he has a thriving business, called LapWorks, and he was gracious enough to sit down with Cal State Fullerton students at our most recent CSUF Startup Wednesday seminars to discuss entrepreneurship and sales. What follows are notes from John Bautista, who was one of the Cal State Fullerton students who attended this talk.
CSUF Entrepreneurship: What was the speaker’s message?
John Bautista: “Never give up.” “This was not hard work for me, this was ‘joy work’”. Mr. Calero spoke to students and would-be entrepreneurs about his journey: about how he started, what he was before he became an entrepreneur, what the last 19 years were for him as an entrepreneur. He mentioned his struggles, his successes and he shared wisdom to the students on how to excel as an entrepreneur.
What impressed you the most about the speaker?
Mr. Calero is a very charismatic man and he knows how to grab the attention of the room and use it to his benefit. When Mr. Calero stated that he can “sell anything”, I believed him. What strikes me is that he does not come off as someone who is “cocky” but as someone who is confident in his own abilities.
How can entrepreneurs (or anyone else) use this kind of information in their own lives?
The entrepreneurial life… is a very busy life. Know the difference between working harder and working smarter. Use every opportunity that is given to you. Don’t waste any resource that can help get you (or your business) where you want to be.
Thank you John for the excellent notes and a special thanks to José Calero for donating his time to give this talk. José is also a valuable mentor for CSUF Entrepreneurship students in the classroom and José has donated a substantial number of his laptop desks to the Center to give out to attendees at events and competitions. If you have not received one yet, make sure to attend one of our upcoming events.
CSUF Startup Incubator
Entrepreneurs who are accepted into the CSUF Startup Incubator work with our entrepreneurial experts over a six month intensive launch period that includes: access to office space, quarterly investor pitches our entrepreneurs can participate in, free events, a dedicated one-on-one coaching relationship with one of our more than 700 startup experts, and so much more! If you are ready to learn the right way to go from concept to launch, please go to this page or contact a CSUF Startup Incubator representative at csufentrepreneurship@fullerton.edu.