An Entrepreneurial Pioneer
As a young entrepreneur, James Zhang has been soaking in what he learns in the classroom as well as the skills he gains from student organizations because he knows first-hand the worth of the information. How has James been applying these talents to starting up and running his own businesses?
About Me
I am a Finance major with an Accounting concentration as well as a Physics minor. Many people ask why I chose two areas of study that are so far apart. Strangely, I actually find finance and physics to have many common grounds. They both have a heavy math component and require a quantitative mind.
I have owned two different businesses since I got into W&M and both of them have been virtual. The companies utilized the web to serve as a B2B connector across the globe. I also recently finished an internship with a major airline catering company where I worked in the finance department. It felt great to apply knowledge acquired in the classroom to the real world.
Highlights
Being a part of great student organizations and meeting other brilliant minds, in my opinion, is the highlight of my business school experience. I have learned as much, if not more, from the clubs and my peers as I have learned within the classroom. The clubs also are great places to apply and experiment with the knowledge acquired in my classes. For instance, investment club sparked my passion for the financial market and finance academy helped me to connect with successful alumni.
Defining Moment
I really enjoyed the foundation semester. Though it was stressful at times, it provided me with fundamental knowledge for all aspects of business. It opened my eyes to many fields that I had never considered to be part of a business's daily operations. Actually applying that knowledge acquired in the foundation semester to my businesses is also extremely gratifying!
Future Plans
My ultimate goal is to open my own business. My Individual Program of Study (IPS) will aid me in this since it is necessary for owners to have thorough knowledge in both finance and accounting department in the early stage of a startup. In this aspect, my major and concentration will give me a significant edge up. Furthermore, I am taking classes in the field of entrepreneurship, which would definitely help in achieving my ultimate goal.
