Entrepreneurs share their experiences in the “Learning to Entrepreneur” Seminar

entrepreneurship seminar 1 

The activity seeks to continue creating spaces for participation and motivation for young students, microentrepreneurs and the community of the Coquimbo Region, through the presentation of entrepreneurship experiences, many of which have achieved international notoriety.

More than 250 people gathered in the Gabriel González Videla room of the Regional Administration to participate in the VIII Seminar “Learning to Entrepreneur”, an event organized by students of the School of Commercial Engineering, attached to the Faculty of Cs. Social and Economic Studies of the University of La Serena, and which is part of the fifteenth version of the Business Ideas Fair to be held this July 3 and 4 in the Plaza de Armas of the regional capital.

The objective of this event is to continue creating spaces of participation and motivation for young students, microentrepreneurs and the community of the Coquimbo Region, where, through the visit of highly relevant exhibitors from the world of entrepreneurship, it is intended to help open a window to the outside on the real possibilities and efforts necessary to build a path towards the success of the undertaking of the different regional projects.

Regarding the importance of this meeting that brings students and microentrepreneurs closer to the experiences of successful entrepreneurs, the Rector of the University of La Serena, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, pointed out that “contact with these leaders is the ideal instance to help in the professional and business training of young students and micro-entrepreneurs in the country,” adding that it is also an instance to promote the exchange of ideas, transfer experiences, generate networks and strengthen ties with the environment.

entrepreneurship seminar 2In this eighth version, the Seminar was attended by prominent speakers who addressed entrepreneurship not only from an economic point of view, but also as a contribution to social development, among them: Natalia Moncada, executive coordinator of Jump Chile, the university contest most important entrepreneurship in the country; Gustavo Ramos, from Start Up Chile and uSound, an integrative application that allows people with hearing problems to join with the rest of the community; Erwin Andia, director of Forex Chile; and José Ignacio Oñate, founding partner of Pro+Spirit, who has specialized in motivation, entrepreneurship and leadership, supporting people, entrepreneurs and businessmen to generate extraordinary achievements for their businesses and their lives in general. 

“A first success factor that we detect (in young people) is that they have a vision and a dream that they want to fulfill (…) and they really take it seriously. The second thing is that they have a super healthy relationship with results, in general they take success and failure more lightly, with more self-compassion and self-recognition than older generations (...) they have an attitude toward failure and success that says 'I'm going to enjoy it, regardless of whether I fail', they allow themselves to make mistakes. Another factor is activity, they are much more active in terms of leaving the country, seeing other realities and seeing what they can (…) they are more open-minded. Furthermore, they live the adventure more than the struggle, that is, they take things from an adventure, they want to live the adventure now," said José Ignacio Oñate, who highlighted that young people from the regions are much more open to living the adventure of entrepreneurship. and that “there is more culture of entrepreneurship than in Santiago, where the success culture is still appreciated.”

In this sense, Gustavo Ramos pointed out that people must lose the fear of undertaking, “there is no excuse for not undertaking, how it is done along the way, as long as it is clear what (…). If you have already started, focusing on entrepreneurship is part of what is necessary for success. And the most important thing to achieve success or recover from failure is a good team.”

entrepreneurship seminar 3Meanwhile, Erwin Andía, from Forex Chile, stated that "entrepreneurship is not forming a company, but rather it is an attitude, it is believing that extraordinary things can happen and holding on to that dream (...). The fear of failure is the big problem for people, not to dream big." The speaker exemplified the above, pointing out that "when the conditions were not there (in the company), we believed in a future, a future based on technology, on access to the market financial and we clung to that vision, and along the way the conditions in relation to technology changed, and from one moment to the next there was a strong expansion of our company.”

The general coordinator of the XV Business Ideas Fair, Miguel Zuvic, highlighted the good reception that the speakers had by the attending public, which indicates that there is a willingness to learn on the part of the local community. "The idea is that the exhibitors promote an entrepreneurial attitude, that they take entrepreneurship as an attitude towards life and that they promote an entrepreneurial culture, which applies to all areas of life and not just to a business idea," said the ULS student. 

While the coordinator of the “Learning to Entrepreneur” Seminar, Jorge Ponce, explained that this year they sought to unite two poles relevant to entrepreneurship: the productive development of the region and life entrepreneurship, and that was reflected in the exhibitions. of the invited speakers. 

The activity was attended by the Rector of the ULS, Dr. Nibaldo Avilés, the governor of Elqui, Américo Giovine, the dean of the FACSE, Mg. Jorge Fernández, the director of the Department. of Cs. Economics and Business, Dr. Luperfina Rojas, the director of the School of Commercial Engineering, Mg. Erico Wulf, directors, academics and students of the ULS, as well as representatives of public and private organizations that support this initiative and the general public.

entrepreneurship seminar 4XV Business Ideas Fair

It should be noted that the XV Business Ideas Fair includes the exhibition of more than 50 business ideas belonging to students of Commercial Engineering at the ULS and other majors, micro-entrepreneurs in the area and students from various educational establishments. These ventures - explained Miguel Zuvic - “are focused on the work axes of the Productive Development Corporation, that is, we look for the best ideas that generate value in the community and the region.” 

The Business Ideas Fair is the largest activity in the area of ​​entrepreneurship developed by students throughout the country, and is conceived as a meeting point between the world of university entrepreneurship, schoolchildren, entrepreneurs, and the community in general.