The Center for Career Development and Academic Exploration, along with the Department of Geography and Sustainability, hosted a Lunch and Learn on the afternoon of Wednesday, Oct. 18. The event focused on the career journey of entrepreneur Nicholas Sokol, who is creating ways to boost productivity yield and quality of crops with algae fertilizers through his company Algaeo.

According to Sokol, algae is agriculture’s best-kept secret. It is an organic fertilizer that is easy and quick to grow, improves soil health, supports plant growth and reduces the need for potentially harmful synthetic fertilizers. After looking into ways to try and improve the health of the environment, Sokol landed on algae growth as his contribution.

“I started looking at other technologies and other resources that I could tap into,” Sokol said. “Something that was easier for me to handle, something that I could get a prototype for, something that was working that I could show to people. That was how I came across algae.”

Algae not only is a great organic fertilizer, it also is a very effective carbon dioxide absorber. Absorbing excess carbon dioxide is vital to combating global warming.

“We have calculations that basically show that for every 55-gallon round barrel drum of algae that’s fully grown, we absorb one ton of CO2 from the atmosphere,” Sokol said. “Algae are very efficient at capturing carbon dioxide, four times more effective than trees are actually because of the high growth rate. They grow so fast, they’re small, they don’t require as much nutrients and it’s a lot easier to store them.”

Algeao not only sells the fertilizer but gives farmers the option of buying the hardware that produces that fertilizer, setting the company apart from its competitors.

“We differentiate ourselves from others by basically saying that you can buy our system and produce your own site,” Sokol said. “You don’t have to have it shipped in. You can customize it to fit your needs, and you’re good to go.”

When it comes to building a consumer base as a small business, it is never easy, Sokol stressed. While there are other ways to go about it, networking and getting your name and product out there trumps all. For people who might be introverted or shy, that process can be difficult and scary, but Sokol made it clear that it is a necessity and it does get easier the more you do it.

“After you do it enough, you come to realize that most people are looking for alternative solutions, and the worst answer I’ve ever gotten is ‘no’,” Sokol said. “It’s one of those things that you just have to do, and after you do it enough, you become comfortable with it.”

There are several skills that are important for an upcoming entrepreneur. Sokol laid out that for him, communication skills are more important than technical skills.

“Soft skills are the most important, and when I say soft skills ,I’m talking about how to be approachable, how to talk and communicate with people,” Sokol said. “Not just intelligence with book smarts but also emotional intelligence, that you can look at people and understand what body language or facial expressions they’re giving off to help you understand their needs.”

Sokol also stressed the importance of confidence, eye contact and writing skills for communicating through email. Organization is also key to help you become a successful entrepreneur.

While soft skills are arguably the most important, that doesn’t mean that the technical skills are meaningless.

“Technical skills make you much more competitive in the market. If you are familiar with a particular piece of technology or hardware that is niche or not well known or not easy to learn, that sets you up,” Sokol said.

For people interested in geography and sustainability, there will be a geography and sustainability career mingle on Wednesday, Oct. 25 from 3-5 p.m. The event will be on Handshake, allowing students to set up one-on-one meetings with professionals in the field.

UT senior career coach Alexis Andershock stressed the opportunities within the center for career development and the fact that students can always schedule appointments.

“We have current experts in industries that can sit down with you and talk about what your interests are,” Andershock said. “Let’s think up some key words for you in your job search because it’s going to be way more than just geography or sustainability.”