Student and entrepreneur Brandon DeFeo is a Business Management major and Graphic Design minor at Farmingdale. Brandon started his company Rudy’s Tees in June 2017 and hasn’t looked back since. He appreciates being able to connect with professors and counselors that give him the resources to learn about materials more efficiently. He is involved in multiple entrepreneurial activities, but Rudy’s Tees is his main focus.
He says, “Growing Rudy’s Tees and participating in other startup companies is where I find my purpose in life. Having a goal of being self-employed after graduation requires a lot of work, planning and drive.” Aside from his studies at Farmingdale, he works full time at Caffe Portofino in Northport Village.
Brandon is an avid fan of Lori Greiner, an entrepreneur and investor on the show “Shark Tank.” In Brandon’s opinion, being an entrepreneur is one of the most challenging yet rewarding professions.
In March 2016, Brandon competed at the regional level of the New York State Business Plan Competition. He and his partner Gary Cohen presented their plan for “PinPoint,” an online social networking business designed to help improve the college experience for students. Brandon and Gary found the experience to be enlightening and informative.
Role models help shape the path in people’s lives, and Brandon looks up to his father who is a major influence in his life. He always says,
“Failure is a part of success. You cannot succeed unless you have failure.” This motto has stuck with Brandon and keeps him motivated to achieve his dreams. Steve Jobs is another role model of Brandon’s. He sees him as someone who can simplify a complicated problem and make it appeal to everyone. For student entrepreneurs, the best advice Brandon can give is to stay focused and make sacrifices.
Brandon handles his workload by prioritizing all tasks and looking at one thing at a time. Another quote that rings true to him is David Allen’s, “You can do anything, but not everything.” This comes back to prioritizing and making sacrifices. He suggests that you have to realize you can’t do everything at once and that you have to sacrifice some things to make it all happen. Follow Rudy Tees on Instagram @rudysdtees.
