Brook T. Smith Launchpad hosts its first annual Women in Entrepreneurship Symposium

This spring, the Brook T. Smith Launchpad hosted its first annual Women in Entrepreneurship Symposium. This event included panels, networking opportunities and guest speakers, all aimed at empowering women entrepreneurs and exploring new opportunities.

“Showcasing successful Women in Entrepreneurship, a traditionally male-dominated field, is vital if we want to show our Clemson students what they can achieve if they put in the hard work and believe in themselves. Confidence is key, and these guest speakers and panelists show them that. Clemson students are lucky to have a place like the Brook T. Smith Launchpad to foster these types of connections,” Lori Trudell, assistant professor of management at the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business, co-chair of the Women in Entrepreneurship Symposium.

The student entrepreneurial experience

The day started with a panel featuring student entrepreneurs who have created, scaled and/or launched businesses during their college experience. Each talked about their experiences building their companies while also being students at Clemson. Some of the lessons they’ve learned along the way include the importance of mentorship, determining when it’s best to outsource and utilizing the resources you have at your disposal.

• Isabella Bianchini, a business management junior, Operant Technology
• Saylor Koon, a finance junior, LINKED! Permanent Jewelry LLC
• Ava Gallo, marketing senior, Lease the Look

Taking a corporate route first

The next panel began by explaining the potential advantages of taking on corporate roles prior to committing to an entrepreneurial venture full-time. These panelists provided insights into some of the benefits, including more chances to network with a variety of professionals, opportunities to develop skills that are needed in entrepreneurship and the ability for your corporate job to be a silent investor.

• Mary Jones ‘20, founder of Swim Lessons with Mary
• Jade Pruett, founder of HelloSEO
• Kimberly Byars ‘92, Sales and Marketing Manager at BMW, Founder of Affluent Affairs

The lifestyle business option

The third panel shared how each of their unique lifestyles coexists with their entrepreneurial ventures. They encouraged audience members to figure out what work-life harmony looks like to them and shared the importance of finding confidence in yourself and the power of being authentic.

• Angela Gardner, founder of Women Talk Construction and Director at Hill Electric
• Nesha Cornett, founder of Love Neesh Art
• Danielle Michel, CEO of CheckMate Tax Advisors
• Lacey Hennessey ‘99, artist and founder of LaceyDoes.com

Keynote speaker

Kasie Whitener ‘99 was the featured keynote speaker of the Symposium. Currently, she is a managing partner at Clemson Road Consulting, a clinical assistant professor at the Darla Moore School of Business, an author and a morning show cohost at Capital City Media. When talking about her entrepreneurial journey, she talked about the challenges she faced in building her businesses and how setbacks often led to unexpected opportunities.

Finding co-founders and advisor/support

Building a supportive network as an entrepreneur is important in building long-term success. These panelists shared how they found people who believed in their ventures and supported them along their entrepreneurial journeys. They spoke about the importance of protecting yourself on the front end as an entrepreneur, identifying your personal beliefs and values, aligning them with your company’s, and always being willing to learn from others.

• Jessica Lalley ‘90, founder of Voices to Connect
• Elena Arecco Bridgmon ‘99, co-founder of LUMO
• Jessica Celia, branch manager at Loan Depot
• Melody Morgan Fox, serial entrepreneur

Finding funding

When beginning an entrepreneurial venture, raising funds is a crucial step. This panel wrapped up the day by addressing the different ways an entrepreneur can allocate the capital needed. Each panelist shared a different experience, with many using a variety of methods, including loans, grants, pitch competitions, crowdfunding, venture capital corporate partnerships and bootstrapping. The panelist spoke about the importance of having a solid business plan when looking for funding opportunities and remembering that the type of funding used is unique to each entrepreneurial journey—it’s not one size fits all.

• Rozalynn Goodwin, founder of GaBBY Bows
• Michelle DiMaio ‘01, CEO of Tetramer
• Samantha Barnett, business services officer at Truliant Federal Credit Union

 

About the Brook T. Smith Launchpad

The Brook T. Smith Launchpad serves as the Entrepreneurship Hub of Clemson University. Located in downtown Clemson within the President’s Office, this 9,000 sq. ft. space offers a wide range of educational, networking, and support opportunities for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members. The Launchpad is open to individuals and teams from all these groups. It provides access to dynamic, world-class resources, both physical and virtual, as well as financial and human support to assist anyone within the entrepreneurial ecosystem.