Robert J. Khoury Leads Finance Internship Advice Seminar For Students

On February 21st, Robert J. Khoury, the successful CEO of Agile Rainmakers, a Chicago-based business development consulting and advisory firm, came to Princeton to give a Finance Internship Advice seminar. Over the past decades, Khoury has grown as a business executive and an expert on finance internships. 

Addressing those unsure of their future paths, Khoury recommended seeking guidance in any form available. “There’s a little something out there that you can find that'll help you out … it might be a book, it might be a person, it might be something else.” He emphasized that students can find inspiration in unexpected places, so it is important to keep an open mind. 

Early in his professional journey, Khoury worked at a trading company where he was responsible for recruitment. Under his leadership, they grew from 62 people to 100. Khoury then managed real estate expansion projects, and eventually, he built and sold a recruiting company during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Throughout his career journey, Khoury has consistently prioritized integrity. “Integrity, integrity, integrity,” he said. “Do what you say.” This means sticking true to your promises. If you cannot deliver on a promise, then communicate immediately and explain what you can provide instead, he advised. This integrity ensures that trust and reliability underpin your business relationships.

Looking forward, Khoury is excited to continue building Agile Rainmakers, and particularly to continue training interns. He is in the middle of writing a book series on intern management, including intern mentorship and intern parenting. “I'm looking forward to that happening and then culturally shifting the whole conversation around internships,” he said. 

Khoury also offered advice for the entrepreneurs in the audience. “The single best thing you can do is just start,” he said. “Don't wait to get it all right. If you want to be an entrepreneur, you're going to have to do a failure.” He urged the audience to accept the inevitability of rejection. “There are plenty of entrepreneurs out there that have had five or six failures and then they hit it,” he said. “Everyone's like, ‘wow, overnight success story.’ That is not the reality.” 

Entrepreneurship doesn’t always have to start on a grand scale. For instance, he said, you could approach a family member in a business and say “Hey, I'm a social media expert, but I'm going to help you grow your business. And you give me 20% of the increase.” The journey of entrepreneurship will reveal who your true friends are. “You notice who’s a real cheerleader.”

Khoury also emphasized the indispensable role of sales skills in all business endeavors. In particular, he recommended reading Tom Hopkins’ How to Master the Art of Selling. “Sales is a discipline. Sales is not let's go have a drink and I'll pat you on the back,” he explained. “You study it like anything else and master it, and then you're unstoppable.” 

This seminar also addressed the competitive nature of the current internship market. “Morgan Stanley, two years ago, 45,000 people applied for an internship. 700 got it,” he said. “It's harder to get an internship than it is to get into Princeton.” Yet, Khoury advised to remain optimistic, continue applying, and not get discouraged by rejection. He also emphasized the importance of in-person experiences over remote ones, since these allow you to make connections and diversify your network. 

Finally, Khoury offered strategies for being a valuable intern and employee. He encouraged proactive problem-solving – “If someone asks you for something, you come back with two solutions. Because oftentimes the first solution you come up with is the easy one that didn't require any thinking.” He reminded interns to remain open to learning: “Sometimes it's hard for somebody to contribute to you, because you think you already know it all. You gotta set that aside and allow yourself to be mentored.”