1st Decade Look Back- Where are they now?
Meet Yana! Yana Averbukh, a graduate of GCSEN’s first class hosted by Marist College School of Business, under the leadership of then-Dean Larry Singleton, in July 2015.
After graduating from Baruch College in 2012, she had several jobs in the field of retail operations, including stints at Chanel, Assouline Publishing, and Elie Tahari, before founding her own firm post-GCSEN in 2016: Green Retail Consulting. Her company uses technological advancements to improve areas from merchandising and supply chain optimization to digital marketing and website development, providing their clients a competitive edge to successfully navigate the changing retail landscape. They’ve been very successful in this mission. In fact, Yana says, ”My business doubled last year, which allowed me to apply and get accepted into an accelerator, Entrepreneurs' Organization Accelerator (EOA), that will be a catalyst for future growth.”
What was it like, going from corporate jobs to starting her own venture? ”Switching from corporate jobs to becoming an entrepreneur was a big leap of faith. I had no role model to follow in my family and had to overcome the fear of losing monthly paychecks, as well as the uncertainty of building a business from scratch. Having key individuals, such as Professor Caslin, support me during my journey helped me to overcome numerous challenges and keep going.”
Yana is also a Product Advisory Board Member at LinkedIn and a member of our Advisory Board at GCSEN. She has much to say about her time at GCSEN-
“My experience with GCSEN has been pivotal in helping me believe in the future success of my business. Professor Caslin's belief in me and support of my goals was essential in the beginning phases of my journey as an entrepreneur.”
Yana’s mentorship from GCSEN CEO Mike Caslin has been crucial to her journey – “Professor Caslin has unique insight into an individual's strengths. When I was in between corporate positions, he stepped in and offered me an opportunity to help him with the initial build out of GCSEN even though I did not have direct experience related to the project. Despite this he was able to see the skillset I brought to the table and figure out how to utilize it, while supporting me in my career transition.”
We love watching and supporting Yana’s journey to ever greater entrepreneurial success and wish her all the best in the future!
