GaelVentures invited Bryan Uribe, CEO at Yofii, Inc., to speak to students on Feb. 7 about starting his own business and pursuing a career in entrepreneurship.

Uribe is an Iona alumnus who graduated in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in international business management and in 2015 with a master’s in marketing.

After Iona, he worked in software sales, but then decided that he wanted to explore other interests.

“I was in a weird spot towards the end of my tenure at my first job,” Uribe said. “I was like, ‘Man I want to do something interesting,’ and that was when I took a product management course.”

While taking this course, Uribe gained the knowledge to build the project for his company, Yofii, Inc.

“I asked myself, ‘What is the biggest problem I can fix?’” Uribe said. “That’s how I got my idea for Yofii.”

Yofii, Inc. is a financial management application that helps users avoid debt. According to Uribe, seven in 10 Americans are struggling financially and three of those seven people don’t know how they’re going to get out of debt. Yofii’s goal is to target this nationwide issue.

Not only did Uribe talk about his business, but he also gave students advice on how to start their own companies and be successful.

“Know who you are,” Uribe said. “Understand what drives you and why you want what you want. If you don’t have a strong ‘why’ you’re not going to win.”

Uribe emphasized that being an entrepreneur comes with challenges.

“If you’re going into entrepreneurship and you want to be a CEO, it is your responsibility to learn every aspect of the business,” Uribe said. “You need to know accounting, finance, legal, tech…and marketing.”

He also said that when you own your own company it’s great to be your own boss, but you’re held accountable for all of failures and mistakes, regardless of who made them.

“I woke up this morning, had cereal, watched TV for half an hour and then went to work,” he said. “I have the liberty to do these things, but if something happens it’s on me. Even if I’m not the one who made the mistake, it’s still on me.”

Uribe also stressed the importance of having a reliable team and shared what he believed to be the determining factor in choosing who to help run a business.

“Don’t find people like you,” said Uribe. “You need people that can bring different things to the table.”

Uribe also gave students advice on how to improve their communication skills by explaining how to get the most out of networking.

“The biggest thing is not to talk about yourself,” Uribe said. “It’s really powerful when you’re not talking and just listening. I just ask a lot of questions and engage. You’d be surprised at how much you can learn.”

Before ending the speaker event, Uribe encouraged students to work hard and prove themselves.

“If you think you’re amazing, go show me,” said Uribe. “I don’t believe it.”