Theatre production company owner Daryl Stewart, CFO of Greenwich Capital Ben Carpenter, and construction business owner Carlos Farinhas’85 provided seniors with insight on the journey of entrepreneurship in the Conlin Auditorium, January 23.

Advancement Officer Farad Lowther’10 collaborated with these businessmen to give students the opportunity to learn about working in the real world.

“In school, the focus is only on academics, so when student graduate most are not prepared for the real world which consists of taxes, networking, and how to get a job,” Mr. Lowther said. “Bigs is important because it teaches students about responsibilities before they leave for college.”

For an hour and thirty minutes, students asked these businessmen questions ranging from how to start a business to what is the best strategy to thrive in a competitive market.

Mr. Carpenter, who wrote “The Bigs,” a book that instructs young people on choosing a career, starting a business, and finding a great job, emphasized the importance of following one’s skills and interests when starting a business.

“If you have a good idea, you want to put it forth,” Mr. Carpenter said. “People that are the happiest professionally are the people that are good at their job.”

“Business is so competitive that you need every advantage,” Mr. Stewart said. “You have to know who you are, put your mark on it.”

Moreover, Mr. Farinhas’85 provided his perspective on businesses.

“Business is business,” Mr. Farinhas said. “To be different you have to find a niche, find something that makes you different.”

“As someone who is interested in getting a degree in business, the Bigs seminars acted as a blueprint for my future,” senior Jamal Kareem said. “Hearing these businessmen’s experiences provided me with the additional knowledge as to how I am going to go about with my future endeavors.”