ASU’s Entrepreneurs@ASU kicked off its entrepreneurship series Monday with a speaker from a pharmaceutical company.

Tyler Metcalf, president of Entrepreneurs@ASU, said the goal of the events is to connect students who are interested in entrepreneurship with professionals in the area.

Michael L. Babich, president and chief operating officer of InSys Therapeutics, spoke about how he became an entrepreneur and his career from working in the finance industry to the pharmaceutical industry.

The biggest difference in transferring from the corporate world to being an entrepreneur is being held responsible for every single aspect of the company, Babich said.

“You will never know everything,” he said. “The biggest mistake you can make is making [mistakes] by yourself.”

Always ask different people for their input and thoughts, Babich said, stressing the importance of making group decisions.

“Just because you are not the boss doesn’t mean you can’t share your ideas,” he said. “You need to be aggressive but do it respectively and get your ideas heard.”

When pitching a business plan the most important thing to remember is to be realistic, Babich said.

“If it sounds too good to be true than it probably is,” he added. “Make sure you know your model and numbers inside and out.”

Metcalf said the speech inspired him.

“Mike Babich’s speech furthered my will to be my own boss,” he said. “Innovation and entrepreneurs add value to the economy.”

More universities need to take a cue from ASU President Michael Crow and support entrepreneurship among their students, faculty and community, Metcalf said.

Accounting and supply chain management junior Erick Torres said members of Entrepreneurs@ASU have a lot of opportunities.

“If you have an idea and you are eager, you can pursue it,” he said.

Entrepreneurs@ASU was established two years ago. This semester, Metcalf took over as its leader.

“I took the helm this semester,” Metcalf said. “I asserted myself and really wanted to get involved.”

Metcalf said he hopes the club will be able to facilitate workshops and conferences later in the semester.

Reach the reporter at taylor.rose@asu.edu.