19 Oct

Entrepreneur, Publisher, Marketer : Ken Freirich ‘90

Ken Freirich graduated from Skidmore College in 1990 after successfully launching the Saratoga Entertainment and Business Guide. While the book of coupons was a great success, it was only his first of many entrepreneurial ventures.

I just returned from a weeklong stay in Saratoga Springs where I attended Skidmore College as an undergrad. This past weekend was Celebration Weekend, where alumni are invited to return to campus to celebrate their alma mater and the influence it has had on their post-graduate lives. As a recent graduate, I took the opportunity to reconnect with current students, check-in with professors and network with past alumni.

Fortunately, during my visit I was able to attend a few events the college offered. One such lecture was on “Entrepreneurship and Intrapreneurship,” presented by Ken Freirich, a Skidmore alum and current Executive Vice President of Health Monitor Network.

Freirich has been named the first Skidmore College Entrepreneur in Residence, His obsession with innovation and entrepreneurship began when he was only a sophomore in college. He saw a need to provide current students information on the offerings of the surrounding community and businesses, while at the same time, realizing that local events, bands, stores and other organizations needed a more efficient way to market to Skidmore students. Freirich’s Saratoga Entertainment and Business Guide provided the solution.

During his speech, Freirich encouraged the lecture’s attendees to use the Skidmore alumni network to navigate their future career path. “Learn from their experiences,” Freirich preached. He continued on to state five characteristics to become successful in life, regardless of your passion:

  1. Motivation
  2. Belief in Oneself
  3. Persistence
  4. Creativity
  5. Flexibility

In conclusion, Freirich encouraged the audience to pursue their passions. Whether a students dream was to create their own business from scratch and become an entrepreneur, or if they wanted to contribute to an established organization and use their creativity and innovation to be a successful intrapraneur; Freirich stated “to achieve success, one must find a solution and remove all barriers that stood in the way.” He concluded by stating:

“Entrepreneurs find a way to make things happen and succeed.”
– Ken Freirich, Health Monitor Network