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How to Be a Superstar in Business

What Is College Really?

Move Your Career Ahead at Mach Speed

Let Your Dreams Take You Anywhere

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Many of the highest paying jobs with the strongest growth projections are available to those with a degree in one of the many business fields. Perhaps this is why some of the hottest stars on television are business men and women who have turned their education and experience into mega-fortunes. Let’s pick up the remote control and visit a couple of these top business professionals and their programs.

The Next Big Idea... Yours!
Every weeknight successful men and women appear on a popular program called The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, hosted by the chairman of a major marketing firm, Deutsch, Inc. Each guest shares an amazing story of how they took a simple idea and turned it into a million (or billion) dollar empire. Regardless of the size of their venture or their product line, the successful entrepreneurs Deutsch interviews generally share one dominant trait: their education and experience in business gave them the tools they needed to launch their dream.

Actually, whether you want to start your own business or prefer a high paying career in an established company, a degree in a business related field will give you a solid foundation for your future. Perhaps the most common and practical degree is accounting. In general, accountants are trained to ensure a business is running profitably and efficiently, that financial records are accurate and up-to-date, and all taxes are paid in a timely manner. The average annual salary for accountants is approximately $51,000 with some earning nearly $90,000.

There are, of course, many other equally valid options for a business career. The following summary will give you an idea of the innumerable possibilities:

1. Promotions Managers develop marketing programs that combine advertising with consumer incentives like rebates, coupons, and contests. Their average annual salary is approximately $63,000.
   
2. Sales Managers design and supervise a company’s sales strategy by creating sales campaigns, monitoring customer needs, and helping the sales staff meet their goals. Their average annual salary is approximately $84,000.
   
3. Human Resources Managers serve in a variety of functions depending on the size of the company they work for including employee recruitment, compensation and benefits management, oversight of equal employment opportunity policies, and employee training and development. Their average annual salary is approximately $81,000.
   
4. Chief Information Officers are responsible for an organization’s technological performance with duties that range from hiring and managing computer specialists, making decisions about equipment and software needs, and helping the entire management team understand how to maximize the use of technology as a key tool for corporate growth. Their average annual salary is approximately $117,000.

As part of your business degree, you should also consider taking elective courses in the social sciences, which will help you deal effectively with others; computer science, because the business world today operates on the latest information technology; and the language arts, which you will need to write a business plan, letters to your customers, or a press release. Like with anything else the more you learn today, the better your chances are of succeeding tomorrow.

The Next Starring Role... Yours!
Raised in Columbia, South America and Miami, Chef Ingrid Hoffman has a new show on the Food Network called Simply Delicioso where she prepares Latin dishes that are as beautiful to the eye as they are delicious to the palate. But Ingrid is more than a great cook; she’s first and foremost a business person who owns a restaurant, started an event planning company, publishes a bi-monthly column in a chain of Spanish daily newspapers, and will be releasing a cookbook in 2008. This places her alongside other celebrity Food Network chefs who also happen to be savvy business people like Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse, Paula Dean and Ina Garten who own and manage restaurants, catering businesses, and/or retail products.

So, what does this tell you? Well, if you have an artistic flair to match your business acumen and don’t mind the high excitement of working in a hot, pressure-packed, and noisy environment then you might consider becoming an executive chef. Top chefs receive formal training at independent cooking schools or culinary art programs at two and four-year colleges. They also must have business training since they are in charge of purchasing and operations, making sure that budgets are maintained, and scheduling and managing personnel. Executive chefs earn up to $27 per hour depending on where they work.

Of course the Food Network is not the only channel to showcase the growing craze in discovering life’s finer pleasures. The Travel Channel and a wide variety of leisure related shows on virtually every cable and network channel prove Americans love to relax and enjoy life. This means careers in hospitality are abundant and represent one of the fastest growing segments of the economy—another great field to use business savvy!

If, for instance, you have management skills and enjoy subjects like math and computer science then consider a career in hotel management. Managers oversee the entire operation of a lodging facility and are responsible for expenditures and room rates, housekeeping, all dining functions, and guest services operations. Most hotel managers hold at least an associate degree; however, many have earned a bachelor or graduate degree in hospitality management. While salaries vary widely, the typical hotel manager earns between $28,000 and $51,000 per year with some making over $72,000.

At the top of the hospitality career pyramid are the city, county, and state directors of tourism. Tasked with making sure the region they serve becomes or remains a popular destination for families, conventions, conferences, and groups, the director of tourism generally works for a region’s tourism commission and under the director of economic development. Generally a bachelor or master degree in public or business administration, communications or marketing, or recreation or tourism is required to gain one of these coveted positions. Because salaries vary widely based on the type and size of community or region a director of tourism serves, it’s difficult to give a national average. However, earnings of $35,000 and above are common.

So, as you can see every day on your local cable and network channels, launching a business career in one of the many traditional business, entrepreneurial, or hospitality fields can help you achieve the “Superstar” feeling that only comes from lasting success.

Sidebar: Do you have what it takes to become an entrepreneur?

Entrepreneurs generally have the same traits and personalities. From Oprah Winfrey to Donald Trump to Martha Stewart to thousands of less-famous business owners, entrepreneurs share a passion for creativity, are ambitious and energetic, and are willing to take a risk.

Susan Ward, a partner at Cypress Technologies, an IT consulting business, identifies five resources you must have if you are going to succeed as an entrepreneur.

1. Be fully committed: You won’t succeed if you aren’t willing to work long hours for very little money while you establish your business and your reputation.
   
2. Be a “Type D”: You must have Desire, Drive, Discipline, and Determination in equal measure to establish a permanent business. You must have each trait to reinforce the others.
   
3. Be knowledgeable: A good idea and the proper attitude are not enough. You must have an educational foundation in various business disciplines to have any real chance at success.
   
4. Be well funded: To start a business you will need money to cover your start-up costs, operating expenses, and salaries until you have sustaining income.
   
5. Be accountable to a support system: Most successful entrepreneurs are married. This is because you need someone (or a group of “someone’s”) to give you emotional support and provide trustworthy advice.

Sidebar: Food Network’s Dinner Impossible Gets Help From Two-Year College Culinary Students

Each week on the Food Network, Chef Robert Irvine is given a cooking task that seems almost impossible to accomplish. Which is why his show is called Dinner: Impossible. Chef Irvine is up to every challenge—due to his unflappable British disposition, his training which began at the age of 15 in the Royal Navy, and the many heads of state and internationally famous celebrities he has cooked for. He is also a business executive who founded The Irvine Group, a company that is involved in all facets of food related media development.

In a recent episode the Chef’s challenge was to feed the attendees at the Pennsylvania Governor’s Inaugural Gala. Needing some extra hands, the culinary students at Harrisburg Area Community College (HACC) in Pennsylvania were called upon to assist. “Our culinary students have built an excellent reputation for quality and service and they loved the experience of working on a Food Network episode.” said Chef Timothy Harris, instructor for culinary and pastry arts at HACC. Hats off to the talented culinary students at HACC—great job!

Chef Irvine is a great example of combining the art of culinary skills and business savvy to create a winning career. If you are interested in pursuing culinary and business careers, check with your local two-year college on programs offered.

Sidebar: If you want to be a small business owner, your local two-year college can help!

Wilson Technical Community College, NC, teaches a small business management class which focuses on all the challenges that confront entrepreneurs. The class includes instruction on business startups, operations, market research techniques, feasibility studies, site analysis, financing alternatives, and managerial decision-making. Students gain hands-on experience by working at a business in their chosen field and spend a semester in the Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning (REAL) program that is designed to help students start their own small business.

“As a small business owner myself, this is the best program I have seen for giving prospective entrepreneurs...a grounding in the realities that they will face as they start and run their businesses,” says Mark Corbett, Wilson’s certified REAL instructor. “The experiential methods used in this course give students the types of experiences that are normally only learned in the ‘school of hard knocks’.”

Note: The REAL program is offered through many institutions nationwide. Check with your local two-year college to see if they offer this innovative program or a program in entrepreneurship.

Sidebar: Spotlight on Business Careers:
Meeting Professionals — Event Planner

Almost $100 billion is spent each year planning meetings, conferences, trade shows, and special events sponsored by corporations, government agencies, non-profits, and other organizations. Typically a meeting professional coordinates the needs of their client or the company they work for with the convention center or hotel where they will be holding their event. Some schools are responding to this growing industry by offering a Certified Meeting Manager (CMM) certificate.

Movin’ On recently spoke with Chelsea Hutchinson, Senior Catering Sales Manager for the Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, in Atlanta, Georgia.

1. Chelsea, what first drew you to a career as a meeting professional?
My desire to be a wedding planner first drew me to event management.... This seemed like the perfect field to utilize my creativity, attention to detail, and organizational skills. After a few years of selling and servicing social events in both a university and hotel setting, I began to diversify taking on corporate meetings and events. When I joined the Ritz-Carlton, I had the opportunity to focus solely on selling corporate catering events, and I have a Meeting Specialist who plans the details of the events. While I no longer help brides envision flowers and towering cakes, I have found ways to use my creativity through proposals and site visits and have been able to focus on building relationships with new and existing clients.

2. There’s probably no such thing as a typical day for you. What are some of the more unique projects you’ve undertaken?
One of the things I enjoy most about this field is that there is no such thing as a typical day. While bidding on an event in honor of a president from another country, I planned a special site visit for the Consulate. The guests were greeted with music from their country playing in the ballroom, and throughout the meeting our Chef, Rooms Executive, and other staff from their home country stopped by to greet them. After the site inspection, the guests joined me for high tea, where we served elegant pastries in patriotic colors garnished with a handmade flag made of crystal sugar. My clients were sent home with goody bags keeping with the patriotic theme, and were so blown away they decided to host their event with us.

3. Give us an idea of the educational requirements necessary to gain an entry level job as a meeting professional with a hotel, resort, company or college?
A bachelor degree in Hospitality or Hotel Management is ideal, in addition to hands-on experience through internships or previous work experience. Candidates with a degree in the field are always looked at more closely than those who do not have that degree.

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