Kevin Tucker, owner of SOLitude Lake Management in Virginia Beach, VA, donated his time to his alma mater, James Madison University, to speak to a venture creation class through the Center for Entrepreneurship at the College of Business along with a group from the Net Impact program.
Kevin described to the students how he used his management degree from JMU and time spent in Harrisonburg, VA in starting his business and becoming and entrepreneur.
“I have a passion for the outdoors, especially water. That’s one reason I started this business,”
Kevin told the students. “Overall, my experience at JMU was wonderful, and prior to having a child, I thought JMU was one of the best things that happened to me.”
He recalled that in the first few years of his business, he did everything. “Ingenuity and hard work can help you succeed even if you don’t have much venture capital,” he says.
He advised the students to think big, think about where you want to be in five years, ten years, and twenty years. He also reminded the audience that relationships are key, noting “We focus on maintaining strong relationships with our clients. We don’t compete on price; we take care of our customers.”
Kevin left the group with this thought: “If you stop innovating, I don’t think you have a chance.”
