More than 500,000
new businesses are started up every year. Among Ithaca College alumni
who run their own businesses are midwives and morticians — and practically
everything in between. And the entrepreneurship isn’t limited to business
majors. In every issue of the Ithaca College Quarterly, "Class
Notes" includes mention of graduates who are taking the plunge into
business ownership or who are celebrating milestones in the progression
of their self-started businesses. In the past year alone, the ICQ has
profiled Jason Wildman ’91, who started up an eyewear company; audio
producer and broadcaster Rudy Paolangeli ’54; stuffed-animal creator
Elizabeth Porter ’85; and financial-planning company head Todd Taskey
’86.
There are scores
more, more than we could cover in many a special issue. Our alumni are
running so many fascinating entrepreneurial ventures, it was very hard
to narrow it down to a few for this special issue.
Half of all new
businesses fail within five years. Many don’t last even that long. What
makes certain businesses succeed in such a tough environment? There
are probably nearly as many answers to that question as there are successful
businesses, but there is at least one thing they all have in common:
entrepreneurs with vision, smarts, drive, and tenacity. We hope you
enjoy reading about these seven.
