Society president Claude Mokbel (Western Sun photo by Austin Swartz).

By Austin Swartz/Western Sun entertainment editor

If you’re a self-driven individual who likes to capitalize on good investments  then the Golden West Entrepreneur’s Society could be the perfect club to help you grow your venture. The young club strives to improve the essential skills every entrepreneur must have, all while sharing experiences with like-minded individuals who are hungry to elevate their current talents.

“I would like to see the Entrepreneur Society grow as a platform for students to launch and explore new ideas,” said Claude Mokbel, president of the group. To promote the ideas of students, the club is planning a “Shark Tank”- like event filled with judges from different entrepreneurial backgrounds to critique business pitches and to not only choose who is best, but to also help improve those who aren’t as good as they could be. The event is planned for late April in the Student Center and anyone is welcome to join and is encouraged to have a unique business plan.

Often times a student may have a lot of insight on a specific subject that doesn’t get put to use outside of class and those skills are exactly what Mokbel wishes scholars would take advantage of. “Through collaborations between students and faculty, we are looking to provide mechanisms for the student to practically apply the knowledge they are learning in school while on campus and out in the real world.”

It’s not just talk either. Through workshops intended to help expand each of the club member’s understanding of the business world as well as teamwork in assisting fellow entrepreneurs make smarter organizational decisions, every asset available to the future business owners is put to good use. As club adviser Bern Baumgartner said in one of his business classes, taking advantage of any given opportunity is what will make an entrepreneur successful.

These skill-building workshops are possible due to the several connections the club has to a diverse range of entrepreneurs who will come onto campus and give their insight and experience on how they became prosperous. Ideas about many skills ranging from self-promotion and giving a pitch, to how to build a successful business plan and everything in between will be offered.

This society isn’t just for those who want their company started today and have every detail planned out. Vice President Jim Krausen wanted to emphasize his ambitions for the club, “The Entrepreneur Society’s goal is to bring together anyone whom has an inkling of entrepreneurial spirit and to create an environment where that spirit can proliferate.”

Building upon the potential that each member brings into the group to not only benefit the school but to set up each member for success outside of Golden West is the club’s ultimate objective.

The organization’s meetings are held every Thursday at 1:10 p.m. in the CIELO building (former KOCE offices), near the Fine Arts building.