'Apprentice' winner to give talk

By: Samie Hartley

Posted: 3/6/07

Randal Pinkett, season four winner of NBC's "The Apprentice," will be on campus tonight to share his thoughts about starting a business while still in college.

Pinkett, who is passing through San Jose to promote his new book "Campus CEO: The Student Entrepreneur's Guide to Launching a Multimillion Dollar Business," will discuss how he started a business while he was still a student. The presentation, the kickoff for the West Coast portion of his book tour, will take place at the Barrett Ballroom in the Student Union at 7 p.m.

Tahnee Hoggard, a freshman majoring in child development, said she doesn't watch shows such as "The Apprentice," but she thinks students should attend Pinkett's lecture.

"If he won, he must know what he's talking about," Hoggard said.

Jamila Manuel, a junior majoring in finance, said she would attend Pinkett's presentation, but she won't be on campus.

"I would go since I am a finance major," Manuel said. "He was on 'The Apprentice,' so he knows what is like to start a business. I would go to hear about his insight on the business world."

Pinkett said he is looking forward to visiting San Jose State University.

"I know the school, and the entire region in fact, is filled with ambitious entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs," Pinkett said. "I hope to share my experiences - building a successful business while maintaining a focus on schoolwork and subsequently winning 'The Apprentice' and working for (Donald) Trump - and hear about students' ventures."

Pinkett's book was released last month, said Kelly Fusion, marketing manager for the San Jose and Santa Clara Kaplan Center, the book's publisher.

Fusion said Pinkett will address topics covered in his book such as the keys to maintaining a healthy balance between work and school, the things students should consider before starting a business and the seven myths about entrepreneurships.

According to an excerpt from Pinkett's book, a young entrepreneur doesn't have to have a lot of money to get a business going and his or her grades don't have to suffer in the process.

Victoria Grantham, Pinkett's communications consultant on behalf of Kaplan Publishing, said Pinkett was able to balance work and school while maintaining a high grade point average and graduating from college debt free.

According to Pinkett's Web site, he got his entrepreneurial start by selling compact discs and cassette tapes out of his dorm room as part of MBS Enterprises, a business he co-founded.

That business evolved, and he founded MBS Educational Services & Training in 1997 when he was a student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Eric Lee, a senior majoring in marketing, said Pinkett is an inspiration to young entrepreneurs.

"Simply put - he has been there," Lee said. "He has risen to the top and is a testament that dedication and right purpose can get you everywhere. He is a tremendously driven, successful and accomplished individual."

Lee, who has a copy of Pinkett's new book, said Pinkett's speaking engagement is sponsored by San Jose State's Entrepreneurial Society, an organization Lee is a member of.

"The Entrepreneurial Society is a student organization dedicated to nurturing a human network of exceptional, disciplined visionaries, young professionals and the business leaders of tomorrow," Lee said.

Pinkett's speech is part of the Entrepreneurial Society's Eminent Speaker Series, Lee said.