The staff at the College Experience has the privilege of being exposed to the many talents of students.  Therefore, we know to never underestimate the breadth of their potential and are attempting to infuse as many new skills as possible.  One of these skills includes entrepreneurship, or the ability to run one’s own business.  Included are some photographs from the Entrepreneurship class led by longtime staff member, Fern Pivar.  Fern has been seasoned by a lifetime of business experiences including working with Jim Henson in the Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) and she is working with some of our freshmen students to launch an organic dog biscuit business.

Creating a business is not something that happens overnight, and our students are taking it one incremental step at a time.  The first major decision we had to finalize is whether our business should be a not-for-profit or a for-profit business.  Fern helped the class understand the pros and cons of both examples.  Eventually, the class decided the business should be a not-for-profit just like Living Resources, in hopes of making enough money to invest back into the business and donating the profits to a worthy cause.  We are currently in the process of choosing a catchy name with a visually appealing logo, and we have a large pool of talent at our disposal.  On Fridays, the students work in one of our house kitchens to bake the biscuits with natural ingredients.  We have optimism this product is going to give pet owners another option beyond the generic dog biscuits at supermarkets that contain preservatives and artificial ingredients.

 

The Entrepreneurial class will eventually take the students out into the community to sell the biscuits at dog shows and various other events honoring the role that domestic cats/dogs play in our lives.  The students will hone their social and business skills that will ultimately give them more of a chance when it comes to winning internship opportunities as seniors next year.   One of our students’ greatest personality traits should consist of knowing they have something to offer whether it is working for a boss just like many of us do as adults…or even starting something on their own based on their innate and developing skills.