May 2024

May 2024
Chad Goldsmith

(BBA, Entrepreneurship, ’13)

Q & A:

1. What was your favorite class, who was your favorite professor, or what is your fondest memory of Hofstra?
   It’s definitely hard to choose a favorite class over the course of 4.5 years studying. I think the most valuable class was the two-semester-long Entrepreneurship class with Professor Hayes that involved writing a business plan, pitching it to Capital One, and using real investment dollars to practice running said business. Technically, that is the first food-related business in which I had a management position, as our group chose an on-campus food delivery service.
   
   My most impactful professor was Victor Lopez. Taking a required introduction to business law, I honestly expected the class to bore me. It did not. He was intentional in how he engaged with each student to help find practical applications for situations of interest. I made a point to sign up for an additional class he taught and appreciated everything he had to say in it.
   
   With over four years of fond memories, it really is difficult to choose the fondest. That being said, I would like to give two examples, from my first semester and last. I took an introduction to ceramics as a requirement my first semester and really put my all into it. The professor nominated me for the end-of-semester art show and actually put all of my pieces from the semester into it. I was so proud! The last two classes I took were as a study abroad in France the summer post-graduation, also to fill requirements. I was strongly disinterested in taking those classes to begin with, hence putting them off. Going to museums in Paris and eating my way through the city ended up being some of the fondest memories of my life. A couple of years later, those memories translated into a significant help furthering my career in food.
2. In one word, how would you describe Hofstra?
   Ambitious.
3. What was your first job after graduating from Hofstra, and what was the most valuable thing you learned there?
   I had started in a supervisory position at a country club a year prior to graduating from Hofstra and stayed in that position until I finished a culinary management program afterwards. It was a great position, as it taught me a large amount of what has helped progress my career in this industry, from floor management to catering and administrative duties, and the hours were flexible enough to proceed with school while working full time.
4. What is your field of specialty, and how did you come to work in the industry?
   My field of specialty is food & beverage. I started working in restaurants and catering when I was a teenager and had always known it was the career I wanted to pursue. I used school and on-the-job training to progress through different positions in the industry to help propel my career.
5. How has your degree helped you?
   My degree in entrepreneurship from Hofstra was invaluable to my career opening my restaurant, Tootles & French. At one point in an entrepreneurship class, I spent nearly the entire semester writing a business plan and eventually proved that the plan would fail. That was a turning point in understanding how much work needed to be done to even analyze if a business could succeed before starting from the beginning on a new plan. I wrote several business plans for Tootles & French that proved to be unsustainable before developing the business model that was viable enough to come to life.
6. What is your favorite part of your job? What’s the least favorite part of your job?
   Having my own business is so rewarding; picking a favorite part would be nearly impossible. I’m in the only industry in the country that gives me the opportunity to manage an entire supply chain. I design my own products, bring in the raw materials, manufacture and package them, retail and market it all out of the same building. If I had to pick a least favorite, the only thing I could think of is the hours!
7. What is the single most rewarding/exciting experience in your career thus far?
   The single most rewarding and exciting part of my career thus far was the grand opening of Tootles & French. Experiencing the fruition of a lifetime of dreams, studying, perseverance, and work was, and still is, surreal.
8. What advice would you give to Hofstra students?
   Take different classes that are not related to your major. Use the opportunity of being at a university with so many offerings to learn more about yourself and the world, not just the one thing you plan to spend the rest of your life doing. I ended up taking so many extra classes just to try new things and have zero regrets. You’ll be surprised how much you want to learn when you find out how much you don’t already know!