Raised in Atlanta, Vickie Gibbs knew she wanted to run her own business from an early age. Growing up, she knew her parents had trail-blazed their own path by being the first in their families to graduate college. Gibbs’ own entrepreneurial spirit led her to earn a degree in electrical engineering at Duke—where she was one of just four women in the entire program—before earning her MBA at UNC.
Now the executive director of the Eship Center at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, Gibbs was the guest of this week’s Pete Meets… podcast episode. Gibbs imparted many tales from her time working at several tech startups and also at MTV/Viacom, co-founding three businesses and even starting a men’s clothing store.
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Three highlights
— Although Gibbs’ men’s clothing store nv was forced to close in 2009 in the wake of the Great Recession, Gibbs doesn’t regret the time she spent on it, instead focusing on how much she learned from the process. [27:20]
— Why does Gibbs prefer startup life to the corporate world? “When you’re in a startup, in general, everyone’s in it together. So you are really doing it as a team. You’re all rowing together. Everyone’s motivated. It’s like a little family.” [39:37]
— One of the greatest challenges when it comes to accomplishing the Eship’s Center’s goals concern fundraising, Gibbs said. Learn how the Eship Center hopes to be a resource not just for UNC students but the entrepreneurial community across the Triangle. [46:02]
Listen to the full podcast here, and don’t forget to subscribe!
Or if you’re more of a visual learner, here’s the video:
