We interviewed three Southern Methodist University students and compiled a list of four additional entrepreneurs around the US for our viewers to draw inspiration.
Southern Methodist University
Each of the SMU entrepreneurs were participants and winners of the 2019 SMU Big iDeas pitch competition. The Big iDeas pitch competition is an annual SMU business competition where you pitch your idea, in hopes of getting exposure and seed money.
Q1: Why did you start this business?
Surya: "I have always been interested in the environment. The thing that got me into making this business is the Green New Deal Legislation that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is trying to pass. Right now, the Trump Administration is working with Jair Bolsonaro to burn the Amazon rainforest, and the only way that I think we can help is by actively trying to market to students to make greener choices and rebuild the Amazon rainforest using afforestation methods."
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Brinn: "It was important to be active in my community. During the spring semester of my sophomore year, something gave, and it was an opportunity to stop and slow down. I started going to therapy and was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. I began to think about how many others who looked just like me were suffering in silence. I started looking more into mental health and self-care and got the idea to start a business that helps encourage the talk of mental health and self-care in the Black community. Women, specifically Black women, sacrifice so much of ourselves, our time, and energy for other people that we begin to neglect ourselves."
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Seun: "This idea was founded by my team at Google CSSI where we had to craft a web application to present to Google engineers. My group took all the struggles we've had in the past year and come to conclude that they all had something to do with college, so we decided to try and solve these issues."
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Brinn: "It was important to be active in my community. During the spring semester of my sophomore year, something gave, and it was an opportunity to stop and slow down. I started going to therapy and was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. I began to think about how many others who looked just like me were suffering in silence. I started looking more into mental health and self-care and got the idea to start a business that helps encourage the talk of mental health and self-care in the Black community. Women, specifically Black women, sacrifice so much of ourselves, our time, and energy for other people that we begin to neglect ourselves."
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Seun: "This idea was founded by my team at Google CSSI where we had to craft a web application to present to Google engineers. My group took all the struggles we've had in the past year and come to conclude that they all had something to do with college, so we decided to try and solve these issues."
Q2: Any advice to people wanting to start their own business?
Surya: "You aren't going to win everything, but every small win matters."
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Brinn: "Believe in yourself and your product. Learn how to promote your brand through social media engagement. You can learn or find people who will work with you to perfect things, like graphics and product shots. Have set hours that you work on your business. Starting out, I made a separate checking account for business income instead of a whole new bank account."
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Seun: "Know how to advertise your product and which platforms to advertise it on."
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Brinn: "Believe in yourself and your product. Learn how to promote your brand through social media engagement. You can learn or find people who will work with you to perfect things, like graphics and product shots. Have set hours that you work on your business. Starting out, I made a separate checking account for business income instead of a whole new bank account."
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Seun: "Know how to advertise your product and which platforms to advertise it on."
Q3: Any useful resources you can recommend?
Surya: "This TedTalk by Adam Poswolsky and the US legislation - ask yourself: what can we do to make the world a better place?"
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Brinn: "wholesalesupplies.com - for bottles, jars; Google Sheets - helps with keeping up with income, expenses, and inventory; Canva - making beginner-level graphics; MailChimp - send out emails to keep clients in loop; Honey - Chrome extension that will save you money. It searches for coupons on various sites, so you get the best deal."
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Seun: "The SMU Big iDeas competition and the SMU Incubator."
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Brinn: "wholesalesupplies.com - for bottles, jars; Google Sheets - helps with keeping up with income, expenses, and inventory; Canva - making beginner-level graphics; MailChimp - send out emails to keep clients in loop; Honey - Chrome extension that will save you money. It searches for coupons on various sites, so you get the best deal."
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Seun: "The SMU Big iDeas competition and the SMU Incubator."
Q4: Contact information?
Surya: "My personal email is: [email protected]."
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Brinn: "My personal email is: [email protected]. My business email is: [email protected]."
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Seun: "My SMU email is: [email protected]. My website is CollegePlus.us."
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Brinn: "My personal email is: [email protected]. My business email is: [email protected]."
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Seun: "My SMU email is: [email protected]. My website is CollegePlus.us."