Online student contest draws entries from across campus
MURFREESBORO — MTSU
sophomore Theresa Daniels admitted she’s “not used to giving a lot of
speeches,” so the idea of pitching her business concept in front of university
business professors made her “a tinge” nervous.
But the chance of winning cash to support her business
brainstorm — to help others like her with Asperger’s syndrome learn valuable
life and job skills — was one she couldn’t pass up.
“This was totally new territory for me,” Daniels said after
her presentation inside MTSU’s Business and Aerospace Building, “but once I
started, it was fairly easy.”
Daniels, a Nashville resident, earned a $500 prize for her
third-place finish in MTSU’s first Student Business Idea Competition, held in
conjunction with the university’s observance of Global Entrepreneurship Week
Nov. 15-22.
The competition offered $2,500 in cash prizes: $1,200 for
first place, $800 for second and $500 for third. The Wright Travel Chair in
Entrepreneurship in the Jones College of Business and the MTSU-Tennessee Small
Business Development Center sponsored what organizers hope will be an annual
contest.
Dr. Patrick Geho, state executive director of the Small
Business Development Center, said organizers wanted to get students thinking
about entrepreneurship. Daniels, a university studies major, was among dozens
of MTSU students who dipped their entrepreneurial toes into the real world
through the university-sponsored contest.
“The whole idea was to engage all of the colleges,” said
Geho, adding that 47 ideas were entered online and seven finalists chosen.
“We had two colleges represented among the winners, and of
the whole group, we had every college in the university represented.”
MTSU senior Wes Compton of Chattanooga won the top prize for
his business software idea to prevent cyberbullying by alerting parents to
potentially harmful keywords and phrases in their children’s online
communications. The software would flag the communications before they’re
published on social media.
Compton, a business management major, said pitching his
concept to the judges made him “a little nervous” and that “lots of good ideas”
were being pitched, but he stuck to what he had practiced.
“Actually, I ran out of time and didn’t get to my last
slide, but fortunately, it was good enough,” said Compton. He added that some
of his $1,200 top-prize winnings will go toward graduate school.
The rules allowed any full-time adult MTSU student to submit
one or more original business ideas online for a chance to pitch a concept in
person. MTSU professors then vetted the ideas to determine the ones with the
greatest potential. The only exception: No proposals could be a franchise or an
existing business.
The contest entrants had to state why their concepts were
great business ideas. They also were asked to name and briefly describe the
business, propose a location, and describe potential customers and how to reach
them.
Second-place winner Ryan Egly of Lawrenceburg, Tenn.,
described his $800 idea as geared toward small businesses — “kind of a
small-business social media management firm.”
The senior organizational leadership major, who plans to
graduate next May, said he learned about the contest from one of his
professors.
“It’s a great idea. This competition is definitely needed,”
Egly said. “Even if I hadn’t won second place, I have gained so much from the
experience of being able to articulate an idea into a presentation.”
Daniels’ business idea, “Theresa’s Twists: Pretzels with a
Purpose,” took third place for its café/coffee house concept that would provide
job opportunities and social outlets to those with Asperger’s, a form of
autism. Daniels created a brochure for her presentation that included her
business’ mission, logo and website.
“The pretzels will be unique, like the people with the
disability,” said Daniels, whose parents came to campus to support her effort,
which has been in the works for the past year.
The finalists impressed the four-judge panel of MTSU
professors, Geho said.
“The competition was very fierce. They were not only on a
clock, but they had to be on their best game,” he said.
Geho said he hopes to gather financial support for the
competition from area businesses. They can benefit, he said, because a contest
like this teaches students “not only to go into business for themselves but to
also be a more valued employee, because they are aware of the process of
business development.”
Top winners could eventually become a client of the
Tennessee Small Business Development Center, which offers expert counseling,
training resources and professional referrals to small business owners and
prospective owners at offices throughout the state. The TSBDC has offices
across the state, with the local office located inside the Rutherford County
Chamber of Commerce on Medical Center Parkway.
Next year, Geho said, his office will offer training earlier
in the semester for students who want to enter the competition but are
unfamiliar with preparing business pitches.
For more information about small business resources and
training, visit the Tennessee Small Business Development Center’s website at www.tsbdc.org or call 615-898-2745.
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