SpeakerPost Spotlight: Gaye Tomlinson

"I am very motivated to share my life and professional experiences with students, so that I can bring some insight into the world of entrepreneurship, which is the most scary, grueling yet rewarding career path there is."

You've been giving back to the academic community for several years now. What motivates you to be a guest speaker?

During my MBA, I appreciated every professional who came to our campus and shared their experiences with us, providing a real-world view. Their advice and insights have always been priceless for me. Now, after so many experiences, I feel like it is my turn to be the source of information and hopefully inspiration to bright minds.

How do you prepare for a speaking engagement?

Depending on the topic of the conversation, I do a lot of research and add my personal experience. I like statistics because it gives people a true insight of what is going on. Then I add real life stories from my experience as well as from other people in my professional network. I try to be as thorough but as easy to understand as possible. I believe simple, clean presentations are always the best format since students remember them easily. I also make sure my talks are as interactive as possible, because I am always curious about what people already now or think about the topic we are discussing. I also always try to leave time to discuss what their take-aways were from my talk and if my talk have changed or improved their knowledge base or point of view.

What advice would you give business owners who wish to commit to education in some way?

Be open to sharing. Be open to look into yourself and see your successes, failures, biggest learning moments and your “I wish I had…” moments. As our own careers mature, I think it is very important and rewarding to give back by sharing our life and professional lessons and Aha moments with young minds, so that they can maybe make one less mistake and get to their goals faster due to our insights. I would also suggest the business owners to talk about the subject matters that they really care about, since they will be their best and most passionate then.

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Born and raised in Turkey, Gaye Tomlinson, has been living in the US for 20+ years. As an engineer, Gaye worked in one of the world’s most prominent biotechnology companies before receiving an MBA degree from Cornell University. Since then Gaye has been a serial entrepreneur, creating a branding, a renewable energy and very recently an ultra-luxury travel company within a 15-year span. Gaye’s renewable energy company , Vaha Energy, received the Best Solar Company in Orange County Award for 3 years in a row and installed solar panels for high profile clients such as Safeway/Vons, LA Lakers and The Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange. (vahaenergy.com).