Understanding Wofford’s entrepreneurial ecosystem
Being a full-time student, staying involved in Greek life, keeping a part time job and running a business may seem like an unattainable goal for a college student, but at Wofford, some students are engaging in all of these activities daily. Currently, there are around 20 startups and small businesses on Wofford’s campus, ranging from the social venture She’s Here Campaign which sells bracelets, handcrafted by Massai women, to help girls in Tanzania get access to menstrual products to the innovative start up Tech Shelf, which sells wireless phone charging stations designed specifically for dorm rooms and offices.
A typical week for founder of the She’s Here Campaign, Ella Patrick, ’20, includes meeting with team members to establish goals for promoting the campaign through social media as well as strategies for selling bracelets and She’s Here mugs. She added, “Our team likes to meet during meals on campus, so we can work and save time.”
Jeremy Powers, ’21, founder of Sky Shutter Media, a video and editing service which specializes in creating drone footage, explained that he tries to schedule his classes in the afternoons on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, so that he can meet with people and do work for his business in the mornings. Juggling running a business on top of being an involved student is no small feat. Grant Mays, ’21, co-founder of Tech Shelf, said, “If I have a lot [of] homework or tests during the week, I end up having late nights working on either Tech Shelf or school work.”
Wofford entrepreneurs demonstrate both their passion for making a difference and dedication to expanding their ventures. Patrick recounted the importance of helping girls break the cycle of poverty through reaching their educational goals, saying, “An educated girl adds to a country’s GDP, and staying in school is essential for lifting her, her family and her community out of poverty.” Powers said of his business venture“I plan on continuing to grow my business next summer, and then taking it up full time after I graduate from Wofford.” Mays said of his future goals: “I would love to be able to grow Tech Shelf into a company with several employees in the next few years and be able to increase sales to a point where my partner, Duncan Williams, and I can see a real standing profit for the company.”
All entrepreneurs interviewed attributed their success to the resources available from The Space, such as free printing, loans and mentorship as well as the support of the LAUNCH program. Entrepreneurial Programs director Tyler Senecal said of The Space’s programs: “we provide a whole host of resources to support student entrepreneurs; from our staff supervising independent interims; to the Summer Entrepreneur in Residence program, to our annual pitch event we host each spring, the Terrier StartUP Challenge, which offers $10,000 in prize money.”
