Prof. Hales laid down a solid foundation that every entrepreneur should know when
starting a company to kick off the meeting. Some key points included funding your start-up, selecting
partners, understanding the laws, and which business structures to avoid. Prof. Hales went on to explain
the three different businesses that he had started and some key learning experiences that he received
during the duration of these ventures.
Chris White of Gamer Graffix, an industry leading gaming accessories provider was next
to speak. Chris began by laying out Gamer Graffix products all over the room for the members to see. Chris
started with the story of how he began as an entreprenuer. Chris explained that anyone can do it if they do what
they enjoy doing and have a strong drive and determination. Chris made a point to explain that failing is not a
negative if you learn from it becase it makes you a stronger and smarter entrepreneur. Chris was quoted
saying "knock me down!" "I will get up so fast and everyone better watch out!" Here he is referring to the
passion and determination that he has had throughout his journey as being an entreprenuer in dealing with adversity.
He explained to the students that not eveything will go smoothly and you have to get up quick when someone or
something knocks you down. Chris was born in RI and when he was in High School he started his first business
(car detailing shop). Chris went on to sell his business by the time he was 22 and moved on to other ventures, which
led to the creation of his industry leading company Gamer Graffix…which produces and enjoys and 90 percent market
share in Game Skins for products like Xbox, PSP, laptops. His company has licensing deals with several large brand
names such as Scarface, The Office, Pokemon, Transformers and many more.