By Adam LoBelia
From Wall Street to “The Apprentice,” the popular vision of the business world is that of a cut throat, winner-take-all war. For Carolyn Kepcher and the audience packed into Monroe Lecture Hall, business is much more than simply sealing the deal and making money.
Kepcher, who is the chief operation officer and general manager of the Trump National Golf Club and is featured prominently on the reality show “The Apprentice,” spoke on the lessons she’s learned from rising up in the business world and facing the challenges of being a wife and mother.
“People want and need to be respected, led, organized and for decisions to be made,” she said about the importance of people skills in business. Her lecture, titled Carolyn 101, offered many pieces of advice on working in the often turbulent world of business.
Kepcher, who says she started in the business world at age 12 by selling bottles of Avon water to her father’s co-workers at his office, had her first real experience in business as the manager of the Briarcliff Golf Club, which at the time was bankrupt. Her big break came when Donald Trump inquired about the property.
“When he drove up that property in that limo, I wanted to run away,” she said, describing her initial reaction to Trump’s larger-than-life persona. Not only did she not run away, she sold the property to him and was thus integrated into Trump’s company.
Her next experiences helped her understand what is expected in a business environment. Her first manager under Trump was an indecisive man, who made a “truly wonderful and motivated staff lose energy in months.” The next manager, she said, used his position of power to intimidate those under him. Kepcher found working under him to be bad for both business and for herself.
She was determined to take a stand, even if it possibly risked her job.
“If I was going to leave Trump, it was going to be because of me, not someone else,” she said. She convinced Trump to get rid of the new manager and offered her the job in his place. She accepted and has held it ever since.
She also described her experience appearing on “The Apprentice.” She originally thought the idea was “hokey.” Despite her initial disapproval of it, Trump invited her to be on the show.
As she grew into the role, she gained an appreciation of what the show had to offer in its portrayal of business.
“Everyone wants a job, everyone wants to better themselves,” she said. “It’s a show everyone can relate to on some level.”
After her lecture, she took questions from the crowd. A common theme among the questions was how she was able to balance her work life with her home life. She credited her ability to raise her two kids to her “fabulous family and work staff” and her husband cooperates with the child rearing.
Another major concern offered by students was what it took to enter the work force. Kepcher strongly supported the notion of students continuing college to get their Master of Business Administration degrees and at the same time getting jobs in business for the experience.
“I’m a huge fan of people who work in restaurants,” she said. “It’s a great foundation for sales.”