The first ever Stevenson Enactus Small Business Showcase will be held on the Owings Mills Campus on Friday, September 14, 2018 from 1 pm to 5 pm. This project is the brainchild of the Stevenson Enactus Leadership team, and will showcase the many student run small businesses that exist on campus.
The Enactus team has identified over 25 student entrepreneurs who are already running their own small businesses while in school. The showcase will provide vendor space for each of these students to promote their businesses and sell their products and services. The event is planned for the Residence Quad, with the Rockland Banquet hall as a rain location.
Interview with the Enactus Leadership Team:
1. How did the idea for the Showcase come about?
The idea behind the event was sparked by a simple question. How can we best promote Stevenson Enactus, the community, and specifically the individuals we choose to represent? Our President started with a SWOT analysis that included the idea of a entrepreneurs “farmers market style” showcase. He pitched it to his board and continued to grow the idea with a close ally, the Marketing Strategist, Sharahya Saviour. The idea was always to bring in another group that could help push our initiative. We partnered with 47House to help execute the mission.
The showcase gives local and out-of-state entrepreneurs the chance to build brand awareness, build capacity within their own businesses, and overall move the business forward. We wanted to stick closely to the core of ENACTUS (through an entrepreneurial track we can make a better world for all of us.) Why not focus on a group that lacks a resource and needs a stable platform to pivot their business in the right direction?
2. How did you discover so many student entrepreneurs on campus?
All of our vendors are not student entrepreneurs however the ones that we have connected with were found from previous events that have been hosted at Stevenson that have featured vendors. For example, the campus has held a few conferences in the past that have had featured student vendors outside of the conference. We also reached out to student via social media, we plan to seek more student entrepreneurs at the university’s involvement fair.
3. Can you give me some examples of some student entrepreneurs who will be exhibiting?
Sk Optimum Organics, is a organic skin care line that is run by, Sharahya Saviour. Evolve offers personal training, nutrition & group fitness services, that is run by Tyler Didra. Kamosé LLC offers all natural body/hair products & children’s books, that is run by Krystal Alexis. RG Artistries offers canvas paintings and posters, that is run by Raven Gillis. These are a few examples of some of the student owned businesses that will be featured.
4. What do you hope to accomplish by having the showcase?
We hope to spread more awareness of student owned businesses and Enactus. We also hope to start our mission of providing the resources for student entrepreneurs’ businesses to be successful
5. Have you thought of making it an annual or biannual event?
If this event is as successful as we hope then we will make this an annual event.
6. Is there anything else you’d like the world to know about this event?
We are happy to be in the position to provide an event that directly provides a helping hands to students, specifically student entrepreneurs. Our goal at Enactus is to engage in entrepreneurial projects that make a difference in the world and where better to start than with millennial entrepreneurs?