Realize your POTENTIAL
Roberto EnRicco Ramos
2015 Business Administration Alumnus
Business Development Representative, Groupon, Chicago, IL
Hometown: Rochelle, IL
Quick Career Bio
I am currently a business
development representative at
Groupon. My main goal is to cold
call organizations to see if there is a
fit for their business to be featured
on the Groupon platform. Groupon
is a great customer acquisition tool.
My main objective is to go through
a process with merchants to gauge
their costs, capacity, current customer
traffic, and business goals. Once
I’ve gone through this process with
merchants we determine if there
is a fit. If there is a fit, I structure a
campaign that will be beneficial to
both the merchant and Groupon.
Describe your future-self,
10-20 years forward.
Many people look at money as a
measure of success. While money is a
factor, I think my definition
of success goes a little
deeper. In 20 years, I
need to be able to look
back on those years and
know that I did everything
What words of wisdom would
your future-self share?
I can share some now. Never
outshine the master. Robert Greene
says this in his book “48 Laws of
Power.” In the past, I haven’t been the
best at listening. This is one of the
most important things to learn – the
skill of listening. I listen to my mentors,
family, managers, etc. And I hope
that I can build enough credibility
in business so that I will be able
to share words of wisdom in the
future with young business minds.
What makes NIU Business
uncommon?
I saw the value in attending NIU’s
College of Business when I was there.
However, I feel like I see the value even
more now that I am in the business
world. What makes NIU’s College of
Business great are its intense programs,
like the undergraduate cross-discipline
business classes UBUS 310 and
UBUS 311. These classes create a
mental discipline. UBUS 310’s valuable
content and UBUS 311’s real world
application both make NIU Business
unique. UBUS 310 simulates the
business world because a lot of things
come at you at once and at times you
don’t have a lot of time to register
it. The business world is demanding
and there are no “due dates.” Due
dates are “right now.” UBUS 311
helped me build my confidence
when I speak in front of people. It
also simulates real world meetings,
which are constant in business. The
mentors at the college are probably
the biggest thing that makes NIU’s
business college uncommon. People
like Dennis Barsema – his level of
achievement and success and the
fact that he teaches at the college,
that students can actually talk with
him on a regular basis and learn from
him, well that’s not something that
happens at other schools. All of the
mentors and great staff at the college
have taught me to be humble. NIU’s
business college builds great business
minds. It also builds strong character.
What did you learn about
yourself at NIU?
Going into NIU, I actually had some
doubts about whether I could pass.
I’m the first in my family to graduate
from college, so at first, the idea of
a university was very intimidating. I
didn’t know what to expect other than I
expected the material to be challenging.
And I wasn’t sure if I was “smart
enough.” However, I learned more and
more that I could do anything I put
my mind to. NIU’s business school is
extremely demanding and challenging,
and I realized that if I can get through
it, that I could put myself in the same
NIU Business…Where the Classroom Meets the Business World | 2
Northern Illinois University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution. Produced by authority of the State of Illinois. www.niu.edu 46312 10/15
I could to reach my full potential. If I
can look back and know that I didn’t
leave anything on the table, then
that to me is success. My dream
situation is to operate independently
in 10 years. I’d like to make a living
through my own business and have
a team under me. Entrepreneurship
runs in my family, so I have that
entrepreneurial spirit. In 10 years, I most
likely will be a full time entrepreneur.
Tell us your “Why?”
I’ve always been a go-getter. Multiple
things motivate me, but the main thing
that motivates me is potential. I feel
like I have the potential to reach a high
level in business. If I don’t give it my all,
I feel like there will be a lot of potential
wasted. I also am motivated to be an
entrepreneur. I find this to be one of the
aspirations that set me apart from other
students at NIU. Because I don’t have
aspirations to “climb the ladder”…I have
aspirations to actually build the ladder.
Northern Illinois University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution. Produced by authority of the State of Illinois. www.niu.edu 46312 10/15
position mentally to get through
anything I want to in life. I learned
going through the business program
that I am indeed made for business.
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