Month: April 2021

Madeline Yancey, 2021 Outstanding Student in Entrepreneurship

kathy_carrBaylor Grad

“Entrepreneurship is the perfect blend of
flexibility, autonomy and excitement.“

–Madeline Yancey

Let’s just say you grew up in a home with a great color divide. Mom supports the green and gold and dad supports burnt orange. What could possibly sway you one way or the other? For the 2021 Baylor Entrepreneurship Outstanding Student, Madeline Yancey, it was Baylor’s focus on God, the beautiful campus and the option to major in entrepreneurship that had her flinging green and gold.

Homeschooled just outside of the Dallas metroplex, Madeline grew up surrounded by an entrepreneurial spirit and she was encouraged to find ways to incorporate her creativity into business. Ultimately, she chose to major in Entrepreneurship at Baylor because she felt entrepreneurship gave her the flexibility to be both analytical and creative. 

Initially she was a little apprehensive jumping into entrepreneurship, after all no one wants to start a business and have it fail. But Madeline credits her Baylor Entrepreneurship professors with providing her with an edge that she feels will increase her chances of success. She says, “Even though there’s always the chance that a business idea won’t succeed, there are so many resources that can positively impact the potential for success and actually limit the damage if the idea isn’t successful.”

Madeline isn’t sure of the exact path she will take after Baylor. She hopes to work a while to gain business experience, while leaving the door wide open for starting her own business. She shared that while she does have a few business ideas percolating, she’s keeping those top secret for the time being.  Rest assured, any new business will absolutely have a creative flare.

As Madeline puts it, “Entrepreneurship offers flexibility, autonomy and excitement.”

For more information on Baylor Entrepreneurship, please visit our website at baylor.edu/business/entrepreneurship/.

Shane Trevino and Andres Cruz Maldonaldo, College Truckers of Baylor

kathy_carrOso Launch

“A great idea will never be anything more than an idea
if you don’t have the willingness to execute it.“

–Shane Trevino

LinkedIn has been around for a while now. Most professionals probably even have a profile of some sort. It’s a great networking tool that, when properly utilized, can aid in various roles of the job-search process. It can certainly be as useful as you make it. For those with a profile that hasn’t been updated in five years, it’s obviously not so useful. 

Two incoming Baylor freshmen knew exactly how to use LinkedIn and it paid off big. Shane Trevino and Andres Cruz Maldonaldo connected through LinkedIn. Shane was interested in launching College Truckers and wanted to bring someone else on board. He connected with Andres and explained the vision for bringing College Truckers to Baylor. It didn’t take long for Shane and Andres to realize that a great partnership had indeed developed. After a talk with College Truckers CEO and Founder Max Schoenfield, the vision became a reality with College Truckers of Baylor.

College Truckers of Baylor launched in the spring 2021. College Truckers is unique in that it is led by students who provide a service for students. By students…for students. The company provides moving, storage and shipping services for college students across the country. Students will pack up their belongings with supplies provided by College Truckers. College Truckers will then pick up the packages to store what should be stored and ship what needs to be shipped. It’s that easy. 

The funny part about all of this is Shane and Andres actually grew up less than three hours from each other. These two Texas boys were both raised in a home environment that fostered and encouraged an entrepreneurial spirit. And both credit their parents for providing the underlying foundation that helped them pursue the dream of owning a business. Shane and Andres each decided to attend Baylor because of the high academic standards in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business, which will undoubtedly provide invaluable tools and assets as they operate a business as student entrepreneurs. With such spunk and entrepreneurial drive, we can’t help but think that College Truckers of Baylor will be jam-packed with success. #SicEm

Getting to know Shane Trevino
Hometown: Spring, Texas
Major: Pre-law | Professional Selling and International Business
Entrepreneurial Spirit: I had a front-row seat watching my parents operate in the Houston-area Mexican restaurant industry. I have always wanted to learn about running my own business whether it was selling lemonade or washing neighborhood cars. My dad taught me the value of a dollar and how to take action while my mother taught me to have an optimistic outlook and to find the good in every situation.
Why Baylor? I chose Baylor for its rigorous academic program, the strong sense of community and its Christ-centered teachings.
Favorite thing about Baylor? I have the privilege to represent Baylor as the mascot, Bruiser. To be able to represent a prestigious university and uphold the University’s core values has been a real honor.
Advice for future student entrepreneurs? Set yourself apart by being action focused. A great idea will never be anything more than an idea if you don’t have the willingness to do something about it. 

Getting to know Andres Cruz Maldonaldo
Hometown: Originally from Monterrey, Mexico, but moved to Conroe, Texas at 8 years old
Major: Business Fellows | Professional Selling, Finance, Management Information Systems and Philosophy
Entrepreneurial Spirit: My dad has always helped me look for hobbies that would help me learn and grow. He helped me to always see the value in my used toys or hobby supplies so I could flip and reinvest in other toys or hobbies. Eventually, I started to see the value in my local community and I started a small, power-washing company.
Why Baylor? With two older brothers studying at Baylor, I was familiar with Baylor’s culture and academic excellence. Ultimately, the Business Fellows program drew me in. The program offered something no other university could provide.
Favorite thing about Baylor? The idea that Baylor students can tailor their entire degree in a way that helps them achieve future goals is by far one of my favorite things about Baylor. Combine that with the warm and welcoming environment found campus-wide, I can only expect to have an all-around amazing college experience.
Advice for future student entrepreneurs? Don’t be afraid to take action and be decisive in moments of uncertainty. You have to have confidence to achieve your dreams and be a creator of value who make the world a better place. 

Website sign up: https://bit.ly/3ue1nxp
Facebook: @CollegeTruckersStorage
Instagram: @collegetruckers

For more information on Baylor Entrepreneurship, please visit our website at baylor.edu/business/entrepreneurship/.

Denitia Blount, Oh My Juice

kathy_carrBaylor Grad



“You have to always try to find ways to set yourself apart.“

-Denitia Blount

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to go green. Rip the proverbial bandaid off and commit to have Green Mornings. You may be asking yourself how one can achieve Green Mornings. It’s rather simple actually. You stop by Oh My Juice (OMJ) and order the most deliciously beautiful Green Mornings smoothie. And, yes it really is that green.

If you haven’t heard of OMJ, it’s a fabulous juice bar nestled within the bustling River Square Center in the heart of downtown Waco. Truth be told, it’s Waco’s first juice bar. The Baugh Center blog originally talked with Denitia Blount of OMJ back in 2016. Long story short, OMJ started out at the Waco Farmers Market and quickly became a market favorite. Locals just couldn’t get enough of the fresh-made juices, but there was a problem. Locals also wanted juice every day. So much so, OMJ moved into the River Square Center with a brick and mortar location. 

During the first couple of years OMJ grew quickly, almost uncontrollably quickly. Denitia explains that at times it felt like they were simply holding on by their fingernails. After the initial rush, growth became more manageable. Denitia confessed in a recent Confessions of an Entrepreneur talk, “For every one thing I’ve done right, I’ve made a thousand mistakes.”

There have definitely been growing pains. Business continued to grow, but the OMJ space did not. Learning to make a consistently good product quicker and in larger quantities became a priority. Actually, it became a necessity. When other competing businesses popped up downtown, Denitia looked at it as an opportunity for OMJ to step up its game. Denitia has always had confidence in the OMJ products, but she also tries to combine that with a great customer experience. She stresses, “You have to always try to find ways to set yourself apart.”

With an exceptional product line and a cool customer vibe, OMJ adjusted to growth and the growing pains actually subsided a bit. Locals became regulars. OMJ may not be the place where everyone knows your name, but the staff certainly knows if a regular wants to cut the bananas or add extra blueberries.

Business was growing and progressing relatively smoothly, but early on in 2020 talk of Covid-19 became more widespread. Needless to say, March 2020 was a game changer for a lot of folks. OMJ was no different. Denitia chose to take those sour lemons and make lemonade, or shall we say juice. OMJ had already been looking for a way to provide curbside service for customers. The mandated lockdown moved that to the top of the to-do list. OMJ even took the leap into the world of delivery service. Curbside worked out smashingly. Delivery, however, had a few hiccups. It took a few fails to get into a good delivery rhythm. 

As OMJ got into a groove with the new socially-distanced business standards, 2021 came in with the promise of a new tomorrow, a fresh start. Waco even had enough snow in early January to build a respectable snowman or two. It was a new beginning. In early February there was the potential for even more snow. Excitement for a possible snow day was quickly squashed with what has been termed as Snowmageddon. Waco was literally frozen for five days. Roads were impassable. Businesses were closed. Classes were cancelled. Electricity blackouts became the norm. And then frozen plumbing pipes started bursting around town.

When Denitia received the call that the OMJ alarm system was going off, her initial thought was that someone had snuck into the shop trying to find a place to stay warm. Not in her wildest imagination did Denitia expect to drive up to OMJ and see water pouring out of the shop windows and doors. Broken pipes. OMJ was completely destroyed. The walls and ceiling had 99% water saturation. Water seeped into the top sliding freezers, ruining all of the frozen food. The electronics and fresh produce all had to be replaced. OMJ was forced to close its doors.

While the repair and remodel work is expected to be complete before summer, Denitia is not one to just sit around. After all, the people of Waco still need OMJ goodies! OMJ went back to its roots by selling juices at the Waco Farmers Market. And for the month of April, OMJ will have a spot inside of the Baylor SUB serving up fan-favorite smoothies, acai bowls and juices. 

Summer 2021 looks to be a busy one for Denitia and the OMJ staff. Not only is the original River Square Center location expected to open back up, but a second permanent location is also expected to open as well. The second OMJ will be located in the shopping center at the corner of Highway 6 and Highway 84.

If anyone has mastered the art of turning lemons into…juice, it’s Denitia and OMJ.

Just in case you need even more convincing to make your mornings Green Mornings, here are the top-three reasons: 1) #ShopLocal, OMJ is a locally-owned business, 2) Denitia Blount is a Baylor grad and 3) Green Mornings is so stinkin’ good! Oh and just for kicks a fourth reason is you will be able to show your BU spirit by walking around campus with a super-cool Green Mornings smoothie — that is until you drink it all.

Indeed, OMJ certainly found a way to set itself apart. #SicEm

To watch Denitia’s Confessions of an Entrepreneur talk, please visit http://bit.ly/COE_OMJ.

To read the 2016 Baugh Center Blog on Oh My Juice, please visit http://bit.ly/2dKOIx4.

For more information about the John F. Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship & Free Enterprise, please visit our website at baylor.edu/business/entrepreneur/.