One of the most random but fortunate connections I have ever made is with a woman named Caroline. I was at a summer cook-out with one of my new neighbors at the time, a man named Nick who would go on to become a good friend of mine and the founder of their start-up, VirtualU. We were in Blacksburg, VA, and I had little to no idea that a network of entrepreneurs and a culture of start-ups existed in this little college town with a football problem.
Over the past two years, and getting to know Caroline, we intentionally practice the principles behind Keith Ferrazi’s Never Eat Alone, which I talk about often on this blog. We all have to eat – why not do it with someone you care about? Someone you can connect with? Someone you can build a relationship with? One of my most fond memories, aside from those traveling the northeast United States to meet with other student entrepreneurs through the Kairos Society, include a dinner we shared over wine at 622 North, jotting down ideas for our respective career paths on the table; an almost legible to-do list of what we needed to chat about…eventually.
This morning, as I relaxed on social media trying to get caught up on Facebook messages and notifications from the past few weeks, I came across an amazing article about some of the progressive issues Caroline is tackling. For example, one is a surge of women taking on the role of “entrepreneur” today’s society.
This College Student Tracks Your Body As You Workout And Lose Weight
Caroline is not just an entrepreneur, she knows how to network with the best of them. And, like those that I love, she doesn’t just network for networking’s sake – she networks intentionally. She’s also a connector; a passion we both share. Many meetings I’ve had with other student entrepreneurs have been a direct result of Caroline taking the time to connect us. Therefore, I do the same and try to connect her to people, ideas, and companies of interest.
Most people don’t know that entreneurship kind of began as a pet hobby of mine. Over the past year or so, as I student Higher Education/Student Affairs, entrepreneurship is evolving into something that I think about daily. What will my job after graduation be? Will it be something that I think about on the side? I’m not really sure, but I’m always grateful to be surrounded by driven, eager, young entrepreneurs like Caroline Pugh.
For more about Caroline’s company, VirtualU and their line of VFit body scanners, check this out.
