Gone 'Viral': Alumnus heads successful startup
It’s a classic startup story: Two college students develop a business with an idea, 几百美元, and a hard-core work ethic. Today, the firm is thriving.
在这个故事中, one of the main characters is Zach Medina, a 宾州州立大学阿宾顿分校 graduate, who is now the chief operating officer at Viral Ideas, a video marketing production firm he co-founded.
Medina and his business partner, 大卫Feinman, trace their friendship and their roots as entrepreneurs back to high school when they started honing their entrepreneurial skills by hosting large-scale teen dances and sweet 16s.
Medina maintained his focus on developing business ideas when he enrolled at 阿宾顿.
在白天, 我会去上课, and at night and in between I would work on my business,他说.
Medina and Feinman, who attended Temple University, kept in touch.
“We were living the college life trying to understand our next move,“麦地那, who earned a businessdegree, 解释.
Almost three years ago, they were introduced to a man at a Temple event who said he wanted to be their client. With their own $250 and a three-month advance from this first client, they officially hatched Viral Ideas.
"We didn't have a name, business cards, a website, nothing," Medina said. "We raced out of there and realized that this could be an actual business, and we put everything in order. This really launched Viral Ideas to where we are today.
"Every day after that I woke up early, went to office, and went to class," he continued. "It was nonstop work mode for two straight years."
Today, Viral Ideas takes Medina up and down the New York to Washington, D.C., corridor for meetings with clients ranging from Fortune 200 companies to mom-and-pop firms.
"We help people discover their 'why' and share it through video," Medina said of the Viral Ideas mission.
Zach Medina '16, chief operating officer, Viral Ideas.
来源:澳门威尼斯人官网
With any successful venture there are people and experiences along the way that provide support. 在麦地那, key courses and people at 阿宾顿 helped form him, especially classes focused on entrepreneurship.
"Standing in front of class and trying to sell a product was hard enough, but you have to learn how to do it properly, and this experience really brought that forth,他说.
麦地那赞扬了 就业中心 & Professional Development at 阿宾顿 and urged students to take advantage of their services, especially mock interviews.
"I'm a big advocate of mock interviews,他说. "You should use them every single year while you are in school. There's no pressure of 'am I going to get this job?'"
Jeremy Lessard, assistant director in the 就业中心 & Professional Development, is Medina's contact at 阿宾顿 when Medina returns to talk to students.
"His enthusiasm is really impactful," Medina said. "He is down to earth and tells you how it is. He inspires you, and I appreciate that from a mentor."
