Success and student business: NGU edition
Alyssa Waller, Staff Writer
Here are prespectives from students who own businesses as well as advice from our fellow students and advice and tips from professors here at North Greenville University.
Dr. Martin Jones, assistant business professor at North Greenville University, said a student business is an idea or a concept that would allow students to sell goods or services and receive a financial return. Jones also said there is no hard definition as to what a business is; he said the economy gives a lot of freedom to entrepreneurs.
He said businesses can take different forms such as selling something as simple as printed t-shirts or as complex as a new kind of invention. He said some businesses that have done well include businesses that sell face masks and plastic screens. Jones said students can make money by landscaping in the immediate vicinity, for neighbors or others in the community.
Students can also create and sell artwork, whether that be paintings, woodworking pieces, t-shirts with designs, or journals with a personal touch on the cover. A student who is great in academics could start a tutoring service.
Jones said the sky is the limit when it comes to business. He said to just find a need, identify it and come up with a concept or idea and see if there is a customer base for that product. He also discussed the importance of accountants and how taxes are mandated by federal and state law.
Jones shared some advice for students who want to start a business: have some sort of concept for which type of business to start and to do a little bit of research, even ask people about a potential product they want to see. If the need is there and the price is correct, identify the need.
He said some legal advice he would give is to google and make sure the name of the business is not taken. He used an example of buying used books with the name Used University Books — if it is in use, the owner may have registered it as a trademark.
Sydney Hickert, senior broadcast media major at North Greenville University owns a wedding photography business called Sydney Jane Photos. Hickert started a few years ago by helping a husband and wife who needed someone to be their second shooter, which she did for a couple of years until she decided to branch out and make her own schedule. She has currently been doing wedding photography for three years.
Hickert said she has to delegate and be disciplined. She uses a planner to plan out every hour of every day and lay out her priorities. She has a queue of when albums are due, which are aligned based on engagement sessions and weddings. She also weighs out all of her priorities first, then puts school and photography in between editing times.
Hickert said the advice she would give to other students who want to start a business would be to just start. She said students will not get any closer to their goals if they wait to start. She advised students who want to start a photography business to get a camera and start taking photos of friends and family for free to build a portfolio and a network.
She also advised students to not get discouraged by the little things because every step is a learning step. She said if entrepreneurs are not passionate about their businesses, they will fall out of love with them and burn out. She said those who feel burnt out should not drop responsibilities; instead, she advises not taking on any new projects and stepping back. She also advised to not put identity into one’s business.
Hickert said while it is good to get inspiration, it is not good to try to be like others because God blesses each of us with different artistic talents. She said if needed, journal about the business or ideas and stay in prayer.
Hickert said a big lesson she learned was networking through Facebook groups. She said it is “Community over competition.” She added if one is genuinely nice to people in a chosen field, people will recommend that person and get involved in a community of fellow creatives.
Hickert said, “It is not the tool that matters, it is your skill.”
Abby Nix, junior broadcast media major at North Greenville University owns Abby J. Nix Media. Nix does videography and video editing, which she has been doing since the summer of 2020. She said she fell in love with filming weddings and wanted to do more.
Nix said her advice comes from Will Wright who said, “We are there to represent Christ first, make sure they enjoy their wedding and we get the video last.”
Nix said it is important to not downgrade others, but to let the work speak for itself. She said one should place both the client and the product above money, and the money will follow.
Larry Bateman, part-time instructor for the college of business and entrepreneurship at North Greenville University, said he considers it a privilege to be able to teach and interact with the students at NGU. Bateman teaches classes including operations management, project management and introduction to business.
Bateman said he loves interacting with his students and investing in them as emerging leaders. In his classes he emphasizes when he uses the term “entrepreneur,” he is referring to someone who is innovative and a creative problem-solver.
Bateman said he believes Scripture tells us we are created in the image of God, which includes recognizing one of God’s attributes is creativity. Bateman said each of us has a level of creativity that can be expressed through art, musical abilities and designing things ranging from cars to buildings.
He said he believes an undergraduate student can start a business that provides a product or service that meets the needs of others. He said entrepreneurs need to start with having a clear definition of the product or service they intend to provide and what needs will be meet for individuals.
Bateman said when clarity of a product or a service is provided, one can develop a business plan that includes some of the following: research for market size, resources needed and projected income and expenses.
He said it would be good to seek wise counsel of others, whether it be family, friends, professors, or even the businessmen and businesswomen in church. He said it is important to have a project calendar that covers everything from development to introduction. He shared a prayer from “Guerrillas of Grace: Prayers for the Battle” by Ted Loder called “I Claim Your Power to Create:”
“O Ingenious One,
It is not only creation,
but creativity that awes me.
It is a wonderous, fearsome thing
that you share your power to create.”
*Featured Image: Photo courtesy of Unsplash.com
