Being an entrepreneur is another way for students to make money and have a change in their pockets to survive during semesters. Students can create a product, sell clothing, or more. There are many different ideas students can pursue to make money for themselves as an entrepreneur. But what if students wanted to go beyond? Go on to create a big-time business for themselves that can benefit each student when they graduate from college.
But to create a business, students must understand the basics around it. Mercy University’s CEO Club was created to achieve this goal.
The CEO Club is a business club that any student from any major can participate in and is a way to help students become entrepreneurs. CEO Club President and Mercy Graduate Denisa Ademaj started in the CEO club as a marketing manager, helping students in need. She worked her way up to becoming the president of the club—a significant step to success. Ademaj sees the club pushing students’ businesses further to success by involving investors and building the network connections the club offers.
Ademaj said, “The CEO Club is for everybody!”
Students who already have the idea of becoming an entrepreneur can join the club to gain information on officially starting their business and wanting to teach ready students, providing them the skills and encouragement to start their business. Without a business already in the making, Ademaj encourages students to get involved in the CEO Club so they can learn how to start a business after college. Students who already have a small business can join the club to gain more insight.
With the insight and skills provided at club meetings and events, the CEO club aspires to ensure students wait for the perfect time to reveal their fully prepared business to the world.
Being a Mercy graduate, Ademaj is currently finishing her master’s degree. She is currently working on her own business a —women’s fitness center located in the Westchester area. With Ademaj’s accolades, she wants to inspire students to do the same. She is studying her interests and turning it into a business.
Ademaj said, “We want to teach ready student entrepreneurs. We want to give them those skills. Many members in the past, we had many graduate students, and students have already had their businesses started. All they need is a push! Connections that we can give them.”
Ademaj has had the CEO club travel around different states. She said, “I traveled worldwide, having many events and entering entrepreneur competitions.”
She added, “In the past, we had done Chicago. It was a large conference. Our organization is partnered with the global collegiate entrepreneurship organization. Once members sign up with us, I immediately put them in a membership of the global organization. So, they have connections globally. We have events globally. We work with so many people around the world.”
The CEO Club has had their organization go around the world to attend competitions to compete for the business that stands out the most but, most importantly, gain knowledge from the competition. The competitions bring students together. Students can learn from one another about each business to figure out their flaws “with actual CEOs as judges that can help them.”
The club offers more benefits that help students:
- How to build a business
- How to organize yourself
- Communication Skills
- Attending events
- How to be a leader
- Career Services
- Workshops
- Building Connections
- Resume Building
Before Ademaj became involved with the CEO club and worked her way into becoming the president, Ademaj had always had the mind of an entrepreneur. She created art paintings and art-related content and took requests from students and others to paint anything students had in mind.
She began earning money from her art services. She created another source of income for herself. However, the significance to Ademaj was the experience of starting a business.
The most critical part of the CEO club is team building. Having a team with the same goals for success for a business can help others overall. With Ademaj’s team win, the CEO club always helped her when needed.
The CEO Club is always looking for new members to join their team. She said, “We are always welcome to new members.”
The CEO club wants students to be successful no matter what they have on their minds. Creating a business is a hard but rewarding career path many students can take. Having the CEO club around students can shape them into successful entrepreneurs.
A few CEO club members will soon be attending a women’s summit for entrepreneurship, empowering women and highlighting their upcoming businesses and an example of an event the club provides that promotes success in students.
According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, there are over 31 million entrepreneurs in the U.S., which is about 16 percent of the workforce. Nearly five million new businesses were registered in 2022, an increase of 42 percent from pre-pandemic levels. About 66 percent of small business startups are profitable, as small businesses employ over 61 million people in the United States. Thirty percent of all entrepreneurs say that their main motivation is passion.
And passion is the theme of the CEO Club, which is always looking for more Mavericks to chase their dreams.
