Senior David Polanco is the heart and soul of the University of Scranton’s nationally ranked entrepreneurship program. At age 21, most people cannot say they are either a CEO or a founder of a company, but David can proudly say that he is both. Read on to learn more about this Campus Celebrity’s astounding accomplishments.
Name: David PolancoYear: 2015Major: PhilosophyMinors: English, EntrepreneurshipHometown: Queens, NY
What extra-curricular activities have you been involved with on campus?
- Treasurer of Urban Beats Crew
- Vice President of digital media for Wayne House Designs (the business of the Entrepreneurship-Mentoring Group)
- Facilitator and member of Scranton Emerging Leaders
- Helped start The Office of Multicultural Affairs’ Project Voice
What drove you to study entrepreneurship?My dad started a business while I was in high school. So that was my first exposure to it. My plan was to go to law school. That’s why I am also studying English and Philosophy because I was eventually going to law school. I realized that wasn’t the path I wanted to take. I got the same email everyone else gets about the entrepreneurship program and I decided why not, I need another minor, so I signed up.
So look at you now, you have some exciting news; you just opened your own business?!Yes! ThunderFox Marketing Group is a digital marketing and brand consulting company. We help people promote themselves and their businesses online.
Where did you come up with the name for your business?It’s actually a nickname from high school. I think I gave it to myself. I tell myself that is what my friends call me; there are maybe four people that actually call me that. Hopefully more people start calling me ThunderFox because it’s a pretty cool name.
Do you believe it takes a certain type of person or do you think anyone could become an entrepreneur?I think anyone could be given the tools to start their own business. It is not as hard as people imagine. I do think it takes a certain type of person to put in the right commitment and dedication to make their business actually succeed and to be a successful entrepreneur. Yeah I think it is a certain drive, if you’re okay with the status quo then you probably wont do well at entrepreneurship because it’s basically taking your world and giving it a 180 flip to make your dreams come true.
And you talk about tools, where did you find those tools for your business?So this has been a long time coming. I’m a senior now, so I’m in my second year of the entrepreneurship program and like I said, my dad opened his own business. Watching him go through the process of starting it was my first sort of education on it. Then, through the Scranton program I learned about business plans and the entrepreneurial mindset and hearing a lot of guest speakers in my entrepreneurship classes really helped. Because they come in and tell you how they started a business, what they do and what they look for. Initially, I had an internship at a start-up called Kuhcoon founded by Andrew Torba, a Scranton entrepreneurship alumnus. He’s been around to guest speak for my classes and has had his business for four years now. He’s been going through the entrepreneurship process and I’ve just been there pretty much every step of the way. He’s really taught me a lot about the marketing part. He taught me how to market your service or product on social media, like Facebook ads. So just seeing tools that other entrepreneurs use and then using those tools and messing around with those tools on my own time. Finally I found a marketable talent that I am really good at: promoting things on the Internet. Then I had all those tools to eventually put it into an actual business.
So it is evident that you receive inspiration from your dad and Andrew Torba. Are there any other sources that you receive information from on a daily basis?My mom was calling me last night and said she forwarded your business information to 850 of my friends. I thought is was great that I didn’t even ask her to, yet she was sending it to every person she emailed in her life. So I think just family in general, for example, my sister telling me she’s proud of me. Stuff like that keeps me going and energized. I worked closely this summer with Dr. B on another business that didn’t get off the ground.
What was that?That was a non-profit called Street Light Youth Nation. I wanted to build an online platform to connect with successful entrepreneurs and business leaders to give them almost like a big brother service to help to prove to them that there is more to life than their surroundings. I really was passionate about it, but I could not get the right development for the website that I needed and forming a non-profit is really hard. It could take years to get through all the regulations because of how strict the government’s regulation process is, because you don’t want a bozo taking the money to pocket it. It is still something I want to do in the future even though it did not work out this summer. Dr. B was the chairman of the board. He really pushed me. He pointed out when something wasn’t working and why something wasn’t working. He also made me think about when and why I was doing something and kind of set the stage for ThunderFox to succeed. I had this laser focus that I have learned from this experience.
Wow, that really proves everything happens for a reason as cliché as I sound.
How do you manage your time being a student here, all those other things you’re involved with and thunder fox, how do you possibly do that? Do you have a planner? What’s your secret?Time management is not my strong suit; it has always been an issue with me just because when I’m passionate about something I pour everything I have into it so I’d spend five hours doing one thing and forget about the other thing I had to do. I do have a little notebook in my pocket where I write down the important things, I have little lists that kina keeps me organized. My iPhone is my best friend, that’s where I keep all my events and meetings. I’m doing something I love to do so its not really work to me…its simply fun stuff. I am still getting used to juggling the business and all. I just have to make it work!
Where do you plan to see yourself within the next year, 5 years and 10 years with this business?Next year I’ll be graduating but I definitely want my business to keep growing. We actually just made our first sale on November 3. It was our first 20 dollars, so that was pretty cool. Right now, we have one active client and two more upcoming clients whose accounts start in spring semester. By next year, I want to build my client base and have about 20 – 30 clients to work with. I want to have a team of interns that I am building right now. Even after I graduate I want them to have a base here in Scranton. I want it to grow to all over the east coast, all over NYC, and New Jersey. Small businesses are coming to me for my marketing services and just keep helping artists and entrepreneurs to show people all the cool things my clients are doing.
I heard you went to Rwanda this summer; can you speak a little about that experience?A little bit? Rwanda was crazy! I went with the entrepreneurship program. Wayne House Designs, the entrepreneurship-mentoring group’s business, donates all of their proceeds to the Akilah Institute for Women. So the main purpose of the trip was to go there and meet the people we are benefitting. We met all the women and other female entrepreneurs over there that we were supporting and they were really cool. They have the same dreams and aspirations as we do. It was amazing because some of the schools there have no running water in the capital. So it was more modernized as we went up into the mountains and the villages. Running water was a luxury. They were passionate, happy, and driven. They had the same qualities that we see here especially in entrepreneurs. It was cool hearing what they wanted to do. They wanted to start hotels and public transport systems. All these awesome things that inspired me because I am more fortunate than they are and here at Scranton I have more resources than they will ever have in that country. That kind of inspired me because if they can dream and then work to make their dreams happen, then what is my excuse?
What do you think your strengths are?There is a quote from Albert Einstein, “ I have no special talent I am only passionately curious” and if Einstein said that he had no special talents then I don’t really think I do either. I just think I am really passionate. When I find something that I love, I give it my all and I pour my heart and soul into because I want to see it flourish. Even if its dancing with urban beats I just want to show people I put in the work, the time and energy and its fun for me. So when I’m passionate about something it will get done and it will be to the best of my ability. The curiosity part of that quote is true for me because I like learning new things not necessarily in a school setting, but just going out there and trying things. I found out Thunder fox offers web development and I wanted a website one day so I made one myself and I spent the money and time trying it. Now I know how to design websites and I can do it for other people and I gained all these skills that people see with the marketing. I really just try it out, find an interest and work until I’m good at it.
Lastly, if you could describe your life in six words what would it be?Passionate, curious, NYC, opportunity, love, family.
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