Category: Student Entrepreneurs

Baylor Entrepreneurship Helps Student Business Owners Dream Big with Oso Launch

kathy_carrOso Launch

 

“You have to be burning with an idea, or a problem,
or a wrong that you want to right.
If you’re not passionate enough from the start,
you’ll never stick it out.“

-Steve Jobs

Dictionary.com defines an entrepreneur as a person who organizes and manages a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk. To take a leap of faith knowing that risks are unavoidable, substantial and even catastrophic requires a huge amount of passion.

But is passion enough? What if the rainy-day funds run dry or simply weren’t there to begin with? What if a speed bump becomes a bonafide road block? What if a big dream is overshadowed because of a lack of experience and know-how? 

The complexity of risks can be daunting to student business owners and could even change the direction of their journey. Without a doubt, student business owners have an abundance of passion. While that passion is important and absolutely necessary, the risks can be overwhelming when trying to juggle an entrepreneurial spirit with the demands of a collegiate student.

The Entrepreneurship department at Baylor University serves as a bridge-of-sort that helps students with dreams of owning a business become successful entrepreneurs in their own right. The Baylor Entrepreneurship department is dedicated to the study, teaching and practice of new business creation. With more than forty years of experience, the department is an academic leader, consistently ranking as a top-ten program nationwide. 

Realizing that incoming freshmen who aspire to be entrepreneurs are a captive audience for the next four years, it became evident that this was an untapped group that could benefit from the expertise of the Entrepreneurship department. Oso Launch was designed to provide this niche group of incoming freshmen with a program that could provide guidance, mentorship and networking for the next four years. Through Oso Launch, students not only build an entrepreneurial foundation with unique challenges in a learning environment, but they also have the opportunity to raise much-needed capital.

The program is now in its second year and has proven to be an engaging and fun platform for students to network with both peers and alumni who share a common interest in entrepreneurship. Eleven students were chosen to participate in the Fall 2020 Oso Launch freshman cohort. Each student will receive a Spring 2021 semester award of $500 upon completion of required program milestones.

The second-year, sophomore cohort is made up of twelve participants who have continued with the program. The Fall award will be up to $250 matched against capital raised during the semester. The Spring 2021 semester award will be up to $350 matched against capital raised, but is also dependent on the completion of required program milestones.

Three students from the sophomore cohort will be selected as pre-incubator participants. The 1846 Business Incubator was created with the purpose of helping student entrepreneurs develop feasible, sustainable and profitable businesses. The focus of the program is to work with early-stage student businesses through entrepreneurship programming and education, hands-on support from faculty, a network of mentors and office space in the incubator. The Fall award for pre-incubator participants will be up to $250 matched against capital raised during the semester. The Spring 2021 semester award will be up to $500 matched against capital raised. 

Shaun Limbers is the Associate Director for the Baugh Center and also oversees Oso Launch. He explains, “There really isn’t another program like Oso Launch that offers support for entrepreneurial students from the first day they step foot on campus; this is an exceptional program designed with exceptional students in mind.”  

With Oso Launch, Baylor Entrepreneurship helps student business owners turn passion and big dreams into the reality of successful entrepreneurship.

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

A Tour of the Waco Entrepreneurial Ecosystem with Baylor Entrepreneurship

kathy_carrStudent Entrepreneurs

 

Steve Jobs once said, “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” A dream, a passion and a deep rooted why are certainly necessary to start a successful business, but how in the world does a Baylor student with dreams of entrepreneurship continue to persevere and get back on the proverbial horse time and time again?

That’s where the Baylor Entrepreneurship department, cloaked in a green and gold cape, swoops in to save the day. The Baylor Entrepreneurship department is dedicated to the study, teaching and practice of new venture creation. The faculty and staff are devoted to encourage, support and help those student business owners who dare to take risks. Who dare to persevere. Who dare to be entrepreneurs. Even if it means stepping outside of the classroom.

Join Baylor Entrepreneurship on a virtual Tour of the Waco Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and explore the outside-of-the-classroom, entrepreneurial resources that are available to Baylor students.

Melissa Pardun of Maker’s Edge Makerspace
Maker’s Edge is a collaborative workspace established with a goal to combine thinking and doing around the idea of offering space, tools, mentors, training and STEM outreach. Maker’s Edge is about getting people to explore things they really wouldn’t be willing to explore on their own. The whole point of coming to a place like Maker’s Edge is that you feel free to fail so you feel free to try again. A partnership with Baylor University allows students to be part of Marker’s Edge for free. 

John Passavant of Startup Waco
Startup Waco exists to serve entrepreneurs. The simple act of walking into Startup Waco expands business owners’ networks. Often when starting a business it’s not what you are doing but who you know can help you get from one step to the next step.

Gib Reynolds of Baylor University 1846 Business Incubator
The 1846 Business Incubator was established with the sole purpose of facilitating student startups. We take Baylor students with raw ideas and give them resources to launch companies before they graduate. Call to Action: if you have an idea, you’re curious about pursuing entrepreneurship, you previously started a company or you’re actively trying to start a company now send an email to Gib_Reynolds@baylor.edu.

Andrew Telep of Baylor University Experiential Libraries Commons (ELC)
Located in the garden level of Moody Library on Baylor Campus, ELC has digital fabrication tools and laser cutters available for use free of charge.

Q&A Session

Q:  John, what is the most exciting thing available for up-and-coming entrepreneurs in Waco?
A:  There’s a lot of opportunity. Waco has unbelievable resources available and provides a great environment to test ideas.

Q:  Melissa, do you have suggestions for introductory projects, things students can try?
A:  When most people come into the space they come in for one thing, usually a class requirement or something like that. They don’t actually have the mindset of “making.” We encourage students to come in and take as many classes as possible. There isn’t a tool available that doesn’t have a training class.

Q:  Gib, what type of businesses have you seen students start?
A:  Baylor students are creative. We’ve had a wide spectrum of ideas. It’s not just one kind of business that works here. Just start something. If there’s something that you are passionate about or interested in, learn by doing. Just do.

Q:  Melissa, how do you balance ambition and school work?
A:  It doesn’t take a lot of time to have a great idea. It takes time to bring the idea to market. Baylor has so many resources, the opportunities will naturally fall into place. Connect with the right people and you can make it happen.

Q:  John, how do you balance ambition and school work?
A:  Allow yourself to be pulled into something rather than being forced into something. The journey starts by taking that one step.

The Baylor Entrepreneurship department is helping to shape the future one dream, one passion and one why at a time.

Visit the Tour of the Waco Entrepreneurial Ecosystems video link at https://bit.ly/32GAeIz.

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

Bradley Heidebrecht, Long Run Solutions, Inc.

kathy_carr1846 Incubator

 

“Patience and perseverance are the key towards results.“

-Bradley Heidebrecht

Imagine walking to the bike rack and your bike is gone. Now, imagine looking at this inconvenient and frustrating event as life changing. Is it really possible for something so annoying and relatively small to actually be considered life altering? According to Baylor student Bradley Heidebrecht, it is possible. Yes, something so small can definitely make a big impact. Yes, a million times!

Originally from Southlake, Texas, Bradley moved to Waco to attend Baylor in Fall 2019. Bradley’s parents both studied business and he followed in their footsteps and enrolled as a pre-business major. While neither parent studied entrepreneurship, they encouraged Bradley to follow his passions and pursue entrepreneurship throughout his college experience. 

Adjusting to freshman life on campus had its ups and downs, but Bradley immersed himself in all of the freshman traditions that Baylor has to offer. Meeting new friends, football games and hanging out at Common Grounds made the transition a little bit easier. Bradley also made a point to plug in with Oso Launch and the 1846 Incubator. Oso Launch and the 1846 Incubator are programs designed to foster an environment of teaching and learning for students who own, operate or are launching their own businesses.

When Bradley’s bike was stolen early in the fall semester, it was kind of an eye-opening, ah-ha moment. He questioned why there weren’t better security systems in place. He did everything right. He secured the bike on a rack with a u-lock, but someone was still able to easily saw through the lock and steal the bike. To Bradley, this was actually a blessing in disguise. 

Bradley started researching and found that smart bike racks were nearly non-existent. Ah-ha! What a cool opportunity to create a solution to a real and very personal problem. Bradley made good use of the 1846 Incubator white board. He says, “Without that white board, I wouldn’t be where I am today with my company.” He also connected with Shaun Limbers, Assistant Director of the Baugh Center and advisor for Oso Launch. With Shaun’s mentoring and open-door policy, Bradley felt confident to continue down an entrepreneurial path.

And ah-ha! The blessing in disguise…  Long Run Solutions, Inc., a smart bike rack company with a mission to integrate secure infrastructure solutions for micro-mobility devices while protecting the safety of riders. According to Bradley, Long Run Solutions, Inc. “replaces the typical bike rack with a smart bike rack that has a built-in locking mechanism and alarm sensor.” 

The overall vision of Long Run Solutions, Inc. is to place the product on college campuses nationwide, in front of apartments and outside urban businesses. There have been a few challenges with developing the company quickly enough and securing adequate funding. With such a high-tech product, sampling is extremely important but is also very expensive. COVID-19 also tossed in a couple of challenges. Meetings just weren’t the same without the infamous 1846 Incubator white board. However, software development wasn’t directly affected. Currently, Long Run Solutions, Inc. is developing a website, an app with Apple Wallet features and a software application.

With all of the economic uncertainties involving COVID-19, there are concerns with the official company launch in the Spring of 2021. But Bradley continues to be optimistic. He says, “Patience and perseverance are the key towards results.” 

Sic’ Em, Bradley!

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

 

Zach Morrow, Flourish

kathy_carrBaylor Grad

“Be passionate about your startup and have a higher driver than financial returns.”

-Zach Morrow

At a young age, Zach Morrow knew he wanted to serve others. He found joy in serving. Afterall, he grew up a missionary kid so the idea of serving others was somewhat home-grown.

Like a lot of young boys, Zach ventured into mowing lawns in the summer. He started in seventh grade mowing a neighbor’s yard, and during the next six years that neighbor’s yard grew into a bonafide lawn-care business with more than 40 yards. The “sweaty work” that his dad encouraged him to do paid off as Zach gained the invaluable know-how of a hard, work ethic.

Thus an entrepreneur was in the making.

With mom, two sisters and a brother-in-law all hailing from sic ‘em bears country, it wasn’t an outlandish idea to think Zach would follow the same path. Zach not only followed the path, he blazed it. Jumping in full-speed-ahead, Zach served as freshman class treasure, junior class president, a Robinson High School YoungLife Leader and countless club memberships. As Zach puts it, “Anything I wanted to do, I was able to accomplish.”

Zach was kind of like the Hulk, an untouchable hero type. But if you remember, the Hulk had a dark side. He was literally powered by rage. During this time of accolades and success, Zach’s mindset shifted from ”sweaty work” and serving others to one with a focus on success and making money. His goal was to make money – the most money – he could in life.

But it was during Zach’s junior year at Baylor when there was a pivot in ideals, goals and aspirations. Zach unapologetically admits that God humbled him, and he describes this time as his faith journey. He explains, “I didn’t realized during this difficult time that God was actually clearing my plate for something greater than I could have ever imagined.”

A few months before Zach’s final semester at Baylor, he befriended two students from the University of Pennsylvania. The three had a mutual passion to promote human flourishing through business. But what exactly would that look like? They explored the idea of a microfinance business model to support entrepreneurship in developing countries, but very quickly realized that was too difficult for college students to successfully launch.

Then the trio shifted gears to the idea of using round-up technology to help non-profit organizations in fundraising efforts. The idea was well received by the non-profits, but it became clear that the needs were pressing and immediate. The collegiate trio realized that this idea needed to materialize sooner rather than later.

Not wasting any time, Braden Fineberg, of the University of Pennsylvania side of the partnership, built a simple platform and app over the course of one weekend. With due-diligence they tested the app and it worked.

And Flourish began, turning pocket change into global change.

Flourish offers a micro-donation and donor analytics platform where non-profit organizations collect electronic pocket change from debit and/or credit card transactions of donors. For example, a $3.50 latte at the local coffee house will be rounded to $4.00. Flourish collects the $.50 round-up change. The donor selects how to allocate the monies and the non-profit of choice receives the pocket change.

Internally, the goal is to have 50,000 donors signed on to Flourish. That would translate to about $1 million directed to non-profit organizations each month. Zach says, “I know that God has been preparing my heart to serve others through business since I was a child.”

Zach experienced his share of growing pains while getting to the point of Flourish, but he came out more resilient and determined than ever. And the professors at the business school noticed. During Zach’s final semester at Baylor, he was recognized as the Outstanding Student in Entrepreneurship at the Baylor Hankamer School of Business Senior Appreciation Banquet.

Coming full circle with the “sweaty work” lessons from his dad, Zach has learned that it takes the right team from a utility perspective to utilize sweat equity. And even more important than the ultimate team is passion. Zach sums it up, “At the end of the day, even the greatest opportunity can leave someone lifeless and unmotivated.”

Zach certainly still has a superhero quality, but maybe not so much on the dark and Hulkish spectrum. Perhaps there’s more of a Captain America-esque aura about him, but with a sic ‘em bears kind of flare.

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/.