Category: Business & Innovation LLC

Abby Lane, Chérie Lane

kathy_carrBaylor Grad

“The hardest part is deciding to just go for it.“

-Abby Lane

When will English Lit ever be used outside of the classroom? Seriously, it’s not like everyone just walks around saying, “Spring is the time of year when it is summer in the sun and winter in the shade.”

Or what about calculus. For the love… There’s simply no way to incorporate calculus into any real-world situation.

Yup, the age-old ponderings of students everywhere as they suffer through seemingly useless classes along the journey to a coveted diploma.

It makes one wonder if there is any way a class could possibly be so transformative that it completely challenges the life-long trajectory of a student.

Well, actually, yes it is very possible. Just ask Abby Lane.

Abby grew up in Spokane, WA. Her mom ran a Christian Montessori school, and her dad was in banking. So, she knew a thing or two about business. As a matter of fact, Abby started her own jewelry business when she was just seven. Now, this wasn’t the classic elastic band and plastic bead jewelry. This was the real deal. Abby took jewelry classes. She had a website, business cards and order forms. This kiddo meant business.

Not one to sit still for long, Abby progressed from jewelry to participating in Your Journey Project her junior year of high school. And in her senior year she was part of Women in Entrepreneurship. Abby definitely had the proverbial entrepreneurial spark.

But when it came to picking out a college, there weren’t necessarily any family traditions to uphold. Abby’s dad went to UNLV and her mom went to Iowa State. What was overwhelmingly clear is Abby wanted to leave snowy winters behind her. Baylor was just one of the many universities that Abby considered. Deciding factors in favor for a move to Waco were the warmer climate (toodle-oo, snow!), Baylor’s Christian foundation and the renowned reputation of both the Hankamer School of Business and Baylor Entrepreneurship.

As a freshman, Abby lived in the Business & Innovation Living Learning Community in Brooks Flats and enrolled in BUS3301 Entrepreneurship Living & Learning class taught by Professor Shaun Limbers. This was Abby’s first collegiate introduction to entrepreneurship. That entrepreneurial spark was lighting up for sure. Abby decided on a triple major with Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Supply Chain. During the next couple of years, Abby was active on campus by participating in SING and FM72. But an especially pivotal moment came during her senior year in Professor Jim Key’s ENT4322 Entrepreneurship Capstone class. It was during this class that Abby pitched a business idea as her senior capstone project. It was also during this class that Chérie Lane became more than just a capstone project.

Chérie Lane is an online specialty apparel and accessory boutique with an array of classy, timeless and sparkly pieces that will surely spice up any special occasion. By the time Abby graduated, Chérie Lane was still in the very early stages, so Abby began working full time for an oil and gas company. Chérie Lane was still a priority, but momentarily a side gig. Two years later during the summer of 2024, Abby quit her day job to commit full time to Chérie Lane.

Abby put her marketing skills to work by creating video and reel content for social media. However, influencer marketing was expensive. Lacking the capital to pay cash for an influencer, Abby gave an influencer a $20 dress. After just one online photo of the influencer wearing the dress, Chérie Lane online orders exploded. Abby received 750 orders from that one photo.

Abby continues to do a bit of influencer marketing, but she feels that customers want to do business with a person and not an entity. With that in mind, she is actively engaged in a VIP Facebook group that is steeped in authenticity. Abby has big plans for Chérie Lane, and she is enjoying every step of the way.

While the journey with Chérie Lane hasn’t always been easy, Abby explains, “The hardest part is deciding to just go for it.”

Charles Dickens may have had the beauty of sun and shade with spring, but we have beauty of style and sparkle with Chérie Lane. Sic ‘em, Abby!

Lee Grumbles, B&I LLC Faculty in Residence

kathy_carrBaylor ENT Professor

“Don’t be in a hurry, but instead enjoy the process,
embrace the failures and use it all to fuel your growth as an entrepreneur.”

-Lee Grumbles

What do you do when life just kind of happens and you’re a little slow reaching your goals and dreams? For Lee Grumbles it’s a go-to Bible verse that carries him during trying times. Lee says, “I lean on Philippians 4:6 when stress and anxiety try to get the best of me.”

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
~ Philippians 4:6

Lee grew up in Houston, Texas. He completed his undergraduate work at Texas A&M. Lee spent most of his corporate career working in the commercial banking and finance industry. While working, he also earned an MBA from Sam Houston State University as well as a PhD in Business Administration from Oklahoma State University. For 17 years, Lee was a vice president in commercial banking and mentored countless new bankers in areas such as B2B sales, risk assessment and portfolio management. By all accounts, a very impressive resume.

However, Lee’s goal was always to transition to academia, but “life” just kind of happened. Married with two children and a fortieth birthday around the corner, Lee realized it was time to just go for it.

Lee was initially drawn to Baylor University because of Baylor’s mission of integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment. However, after meeting with the Entrepreneurship Department and experiencing its unique culture, he was hooked.

Lee started his new career in academia as a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Baylor Entrepreneurship Department in the Fall of 2020 and taught Small Business Management, New Venture Finance and Entrepreneurial Finance. 

The amount of behind-the-scenes work required with academia was a bit of a culture shock for Lee, but he soon learned to take full advantage of evenings and weekends to keep on track and not fall behind. Lee feels his years of mentoring new bankers actually prepared him for his role in academia. He explains, “I believe those experiences were extremely valuable in giving me an understanding on how to effectively work with my students.”

In the Fall 2022, in addition to teaching Lee took on the role as Faculty In Residence at the Business & Innovation LLC housed in Brooks Flat Residential Hall. In this new role, Lee serves as a resource for students to help them navigate a new life at Baylor, but he will also work as a mentor to these students as students explore business and innovation from a faith-based perspective.

While Lee knows firsthand that life happens and it’s easy to lose track of time, his advice to students is not to be in a rush. He shares, “Don’t be in a hurry, but instead enjoy the process, embrace the failures and use it all to fuel your growth as an entrepreneur.”

Lee didn’t rush and he is right where he’s supposed to be. Sic ‘em, Lee!

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

ENT Buzz | Bradley Norris

kathy_carrBaylor ENT Professor

Bradley Norris, Director Technology Entrepreneurship

 

WHO IS BRADLEY NORRIS?

I earned my undergrad in computer science and math from Indiana University Bloomington and my Master of Science in management at Purdue University Krannert. My wife, Laura, and I have three wonderful kiddos. I have been on staff at Baylor for fifteen years now, and have loved every minute of it.


WHAT DO YOU DO AT BAYLOR?

I am the Director of Technology Entrepreneurship and I serve on Baylor’s new Lab-To-Market team, a partnership between the Vice Provost for Research and Hankamer School of Business. This fall I will start a new journey also serving as the Faculty-in-Residence at Brooks Flats, home to the Business & Innovation LLC. My wife, youngest child and I will move into the dorm in August. To have the opportunity to live on campus and mingle with students outside of the classroom is so exciting.


WHAT’S SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT WORKING IN THE ENT DEPARTMENT?

I’ve had the privilege to work on real-world class projects including local Waco companies like Bankstons and Butter My Biscuit to NASA’s Neil Armstrong Flight Research Center to a billion-dollar pharmaceutical startup.


WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BAYLOR TRADITION?

Baylor Homecoming is amazing! I especially like the parade. The floats that the students work so hard to make are incredible.


WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A NEW ENT MAJOR?

Always make time to check out guest speakers. Baylor, the business school and the Entrepreneurship department all bring in an incredible roster of speakers who come to campus for you. Be there to learn, to appreciate and to meet!

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

 

ENT Buzz | Brooklyn Bolton

kathy_carrBaylor Grad

 

Brooklyn Bolton, Program Director Business & Innovation LLC

 

WHO IS BROOKLYN BOLTON?

I graduated from Baylor in 2015 with a BBA in Business Fellows, Math and Economics. Shortly after graduation I married my Line Camp crush, Aryn, and we moved abroad to work with college students in East Asia. It was such an amazing experience and I knew that God was calling me to work with college students on a professional level. I started my job at Baylor after we moved back to Waco. Aryn and I now have two cute kiddos. Eden is 2 and Judah will be 1 this month. They are the biggest (little) blessings and we are so grateful at how God has guided our journey.


WHAT DO YOU DO AT BAYLOR?

I oversee the Business & Innovation LLC. It’s basically my dream job. I get to work with entrepreneurially-minded, undergraduate students in the residence hall. I work directly with our student leaders to create programming that promotes student engagement outside of the classroom. Each year (who am I kidding, each day) looks a little bit different. We have dodgeball tournaments, Bible studies, golf lessons, guest speakers, pancake parties…you name it! My office is in the residence hall, right in the middle of student activity. I am an ambassador-of-sort for the Entrepreneurship department. I find joy in connecting our students to people and resources/programs that the Entrepreneurship department offers.


WHAT’S SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT WORKING IN THE ENT DEPARTMENT?

I love this department so much that it’s really hard to choose. If I had to pick one thing that stands out, I’m pretty sure it would be when we dared Gib Reynolds to do a backflip on one of our prospective student campus tours. He was in a suit!  In true entrepreneurial fashion, he did not back down from the challenge.


WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BAYLOR TRADITION?

Homecoming! Aryn and I got engaged at the Homecoming bonfire during our senior year. Now that we are local alumni, we host our college friends in our home during Homecoming. It’s always such a fun weekend.


WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A NEW ENT MAJOR?

Live in the Business & Innovation LLC!  Am I allowed to say that if I run it? But seriously, the LLC offers so many resources and connections for our residents. Another great program that is open to non-LLC students is Oso Launch. We have some amazing faculty and staff that have created an awesome program for freshmen students to start and grow a successful venture.

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

 

Hannah Franzen, Business Growth Strategist at Towny

kathy_carrBaylor Grad

“All of your passions can work together.”

-Hannah Franzen

Baylor grad, Hannah Franzen recently came back to campus as a guest speaker for a Business & Innovation LLC lunch-time talk.

As guests munched on salads from the local Mix Café, Hannah shared a story of growing up overseas and coming to the United States to finish out her high school studies. Since both parents were proud Baylor graduates, it wasn’t a far-fetched idea that Baylor would become Hannah’s college of choice. And because of her passion to aid development within communities, Hannah focused her concentration on entrepreneurship and economics.

While at Baylor, Hannah jumped in full throttle by participating in the Business Excellence Scholarship Team (BEST) Program, the CASE Competition and the New Venture Competition. Hannah was determined to go for all the opportunities she could. Admittedly, not every endeavor was a stereotypical success, but Hannah kept-on-keeping-on with the philosophy that failure is just simply information.

After graduation, Hannah traveled to Mongolia and worked with an anti-trafficking nonprofit. She then came back to the states and took on a leadership role at a San Diego church for a couple of years. Hannah explains, “Life doesn’t always look like you think it will look.”

As Hannah was trying to figure out what exactly her journey of entrepreneurship and economics would look like, she heard about Towny from a friend. She was intrigued by the company mission. Soon after, Hannah landed what she now refers to as “her dream job” with Towny.

Towny is currently in five US markets, with future expansion on the horizon. According to its website, Towny is on a mission to highlight the local businesses that cook your food, sell your unique clothes and wash your car. These are the businesses that you may have never previously noticed.

Towny is a consumer marketing app for locally owned businesses and banks. The idea is that Towny will provide a method for local businesses to regularly communicate sales and promotions with consumers. Consumer purchases not only support local businesses but also add up with a rewards program.  

For Hannah, Towny is a platform she can use to follow her passion to help build development within communities. Hannah’s philosophy is actually pretty simple… in order to be an entrepreneur, you have to learn from entrepreneurs. And the best way to learn from entrepreneurs is to talk to the business owners. As Hannah explains, “Every business has a story to tell.”

Hannah loves that she is able to help existing small business owners and at the same time bridge the gap between an old way of running a business with brick and mortar with a new way of running a business with technology. She believes you truly can connect the old with the new.

This is what Hannah’s journey of entrepreneurship and economics looks like right now. She takes pride in that she is helping to develop local communities one small business at a time. Hannah emphasizes, “If you think you have something valuable to offer, you probably do.”

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

 

Student Entrepreneurs, Sugar Lips

kathy_carrBusiness & Innovation LLC

“I’ve learned that everyone is capable of more than they think.”

~ Kaitleigh Booth

In 1969, The Archies released a little ditty with a snappy beat and sweet lyrics. You may remember, the chorus…

Sugar, ah honey honey
You are my candy girl
And you’ve got me wanting you

Don’t you think this song is the perfect personification of a sugary-sweet kind of product line? Maybe something that’s made of sugar and honey. You know, maybe something called Sugar Lips.

We think so too!

You may be wondering to yourself, what in the world is this candy-inspired sensation called Sugar Lips.

Sugar Lips is the brainchild of Baylor freshman Lauren Evans. During the fall 2016 semester, Lauren was enrolled in Entrepreneurship 3301 (ENT 3301) in association with the Entrepreneurship Living-Learning Center.

While taking ENT 3301, Lauren and her fellow classmates read The One Thing by Gary Keller, Founder of Keller-Williams Realty International. The students were then assigned to teams and each team was asked to build a business. Thus, we introduce you to Sugar Lips.

Sugar Lips is a student-made lip cosmetic that exfoliates lips with cane sugar and moisturizes lips with honey and olive oil. The Sugar Lips mission is to create a high-quality and all-natural lip scrub at an affordable price that leaves customers with soft and supple lips.

All it takes is a quick “lip scrub” Google search to realize that lip scrubs are the latest must-haves for beauty routines. But what makes this sugary phenomenon so special?

According to Kaitleigh Booth the Chief Marketing Officer for Sugar Lips, regular lip exfoliating allows popular matte lipsticks to go on smoother and last longer. 

Kaitleigh also points out that there are a couple of things that set Sugar Lips apart from other popular lip scrubs. First, Sugar Lips is made up of all-natural and organic ingredients, hopping on the trendy, organic-beauty-products bandwagon. Fewer processed ingredients equates fewer irritations and adverse reactions. Second, Sugar Lips solves the unpleasant problem of dry and chapped lips. And third, Sugar Lips is right here on campus.

Initially, the Sugar Lips team goal was to acquire an “A” in the class. According to Mary Abrahams, faculty advisor to the Entrepreneurship LLC, Sugar Lips was definitely a successful startup business. Mary explained that the students pooled together their own money to fund the initial investment of $104. In the end, they were able to pay back their individual investments as well as make a profit.

It didn’t take long for this student-business team to realize that Sugar Lips may just be the start of something sweetly spectacular. Maybe, just maybe, they could expand Sugar Lips beyond the Baylor community. The team looked bigger…bigger as in the popular Saturday morning Waco Farmer’s Market.

This group of like-minded, budding entrepreneurs has big dreams, but there are some hurdles. Sugar Lips is considered a personal care product, meaning it is a cosmetic and subject to FDA rules and regulations. Before Sugar Lips can proceed with any expansion goals, FDA approval is a required.

Until then, the ladies of the Baylor community will enjoy being their best version of a sugar-sugar candy girl…with smooth lips.

Sugar Lips
Partnership with Chinaberry Boutique
Chief Executive Officer: Lauren Evans
Chief Financial Officer: Tristan Dunn and Jurong Chen
Chief Marketing Officer: Kaitleigh Booth
Research Development: Samantha Treadwell
Manufacture: Taylor Mitchell
Sales Manager: Toi Tennessee

For more information about Free Enterprise at the Baugh Center, please visit our website at baylor.edu/business/freeenterprise/.