Fredonia alumnus Louie Maher recently gave a talk to students about the ‘real world’ of business and marketing entitled, “What They Don’t Tell You.”
The event was sponsored by Fredonia’s Business Club as well as Golden Key International Honor Society.
Maher connected with the audience and gave insight into the field. He is currently the CEO of the marketing company Brandmint, and is launching a new business called Brass on Nov. 1 in Rochester, N.Y.
To start, he related to the students by recapping his college experience at Fredonia, noting that a person does not have to be a straight-A student in order to succeed in business. He also spoke briefly about each of his business ventures and their successes and failures, reinforcing the point that you need to fail in order to succeed.
With his success, Maher stressed the importance of giving back to charity. He started the Just Breathe Foundation which raises money for local Cystic Fibrosis patients. He also sponsors a charity event called “Puck Cancer,” a beach hockey tournament held on the sands of Lake Ontario Beach in Rochester, raising funds to fight cancer.
To conclude his talk, Maher left the students in the audience with four pieces of advice: “always focus on personal growth,” “complaining will never help you achieve your visions,” “visions are better than goals because goals limit you” and “learn so you do not fail.”
