The Studentpreneur Show

On this episode of The Studentpreneur Show, we hear from Debra Zerr, a Missouri State University junior and young entrepreneur that has been working on her business to sell her costume and wedding dress designs. Debra's business is Corner of Sunshine, and is being worked on as a website to sell her products and currently holds her place for her travel and style blog. Taegan and Debra talk about what it's like to work in an area that is extremely time consuming and hands-on, Debra's plans for making an impact in the fashion industry, and why college has been an important step for her entrepreneurial success. 

On this episode of The Studentpreneur Show, we hear from Bri Flasch, an Instagram influencer, photographer, videographer, music artist, and owner of Flasch Fashion. Bri has accomplished many things with her platform on Instagram, including getting chances to be an ambassador for Adobe, an intern for Google, and the photographer/videographer of a popular local restaurant in her city of Minneapolis. She discusses with Taegan how entrepreneurship runs in her blood, as her family members have all had some experience with it, and that she plans to do more with her current partnerships and businesses in the future once she graduates this May. Be sure to check out all of her profiles and shops!

On this episode of The Studentpreneur Show, we hear from Carrie Berk, the famous author and TikTok star. Carrie discusses her experience with entrepreneurship since the age of 8, when she was first published. At only 17, Carrie is figuring out where to go to college, how she will manage her busy life with school, and how to keep building her brand. Her website Carrie's Chronicles is a style empowerment website that focuses on fashion, healthy living, exercise, and reflects well to a broad range of audiences. Carrie's TikTok and Instagram pages show her having fun as a teenager that is doing the most with her experience in business, writing, and even acting. She is also staring on a new Brat TV series, Stage Fright. 

On this episode of The Studentprenuer Show, we hear from Nick Nelson and Maverick Lopez, co-partners of a branch of Aruza Marketing at Texas Tech. Aruza Marketing is a pest control company that offers summer internships for college students in North Carolina. Nick started at Aruza first, then recruited Maverick and started working together as a team, generating $600,000 for Aruza in a three month period last summer. The pair discuss with Taegan what it has taken for them to succeed, how they recruit individuals and run their branch, and explain the very strict schedule they keep in order to stay on task. 

On this episode of The Studentpreneur Show, we hear from Kent Heckel, a young man that dropped out of college after getting the offer of a lifetime for his work with his personal YouTube channel. 

Kent started his channel when in high school and was doing daily vlogs. During his junior year of college, he got an internship creating video content and decided from there that he wanted to leave school and pursue content creation. He now owns AntiSocial Friends Club and works with all kinds of creators from Logan Paul to Jim Gaffigan. 

Be sure to check him out!

On this episode of The Studentpreneur Show, we hear from Francie Ruppert, the owner of SaferSit, a Cincinnati-based company that focuses on connecting families with good babysitters. Francie and Taegan talk about growing a business over time, the value of having a great business partner, and how your very own community can help support your business and help you grow. Fancie started the business while attending high school and by the end of her high school career, she was managing 40 peers that worked for her babysitting business. Now, five years since launching the business, SaferSit will finally get its own app and be accessible to even more parents and families in Cincinnati. 

On this episode of The Studentpreneur Show, we hear from Sam Lister, the owner of BLNK Slate Media. BLNK Slate Media focuses on creating social media content for businesses, and Sam is a young man that started this while in high school and believes that is all the education that he will ever need. Taegan and Sam discuss the ongoing debate of if college is necessary, using resources you already have access to, and benefits of starting a business while in high school. Make sure to check out Sam Lister's information below!

On this episode of The Studentpreneur Show, we hear from Kennon and Amber from CarGo. Started Cape Girardeau, Missouri, CarGo is a food and alcohol delivery service, as well a ride share service. Kennon works within the company and is the head of the branch in Springfield, Missouri, and Amber is a Missouri State senior that does sales and is a driver. The great thing about CarGo is that it is a local business that supports other local businesses. Taegan, Kennon, and Amber all talk about what CarGo does, why they decided to focus on local restaurants, why they chose small cities, and how far they plan to expand. Be sure to give this episode a listen and check out their website and app!

On this episode of The Studentprenuer Show, we hear from Kyle McNail, a Red Bull Student Manager at Missouri State University. Taegan and Kyle talk about his journey getting started with Red Bull, why he was attracted to the company, and some events/charities that Red Bull is involved with. There are amazing benefits to getting involved with companies like this that allow flexibility for college students and give them a better opportunity to network. Be sure to give this one a listen!

On this episode of The Studentpreneur Show, we hear from Cody Blatt, the creator and owner of Ilixer, a powdered food brand that is made out of real food. Cody describes his product has being perfect for those that are wanting to get healthier, remain their healthiest, or people that are always "on the go" like busy parents and business professionals. Taegan and Cody discuss what it means to know your competition, know your product, and know your customer base. Make sure to give this episode a listen to hear more!

On this episode of The Studentpreneur Show, we speak with Jamika Martin, a UCLA graduate since 2017 that is the owner and creator of ROSEN Skincare. ROSEN is an all-natural skincare brand that is gentle enough for the skin, but hard on breakouts and acne scars. Jamika creates all of the formulas for the products herself and tests them on herself, so the products are cruelty-free. Taegan and Jamika talk about how ROSEN got started, the issues with the current "clean" skincare products that exist, and the importance of fitting the product price to the target market's budget. This episode is great for anyone interested in natural products and living a cleaner life.

On this episode of The Studentpreneur Show, we hear from Breezy Baldwin, a current University of Central Florida student that created and owns Hovr*, an app that helps riders and drivers complete long-distance carpooling. The app's usage is centralized in central and south Florida, as well as southern California. Breezy talks about what inspired her to create the app, how it works, the benefits, and her plans to expand later down the line. Be sure to give this one a listen if you love to travel!

*The name of the app has changed to Hovr*

On this episode of The Studentpreneur Show, we hear from Professor Steve Diasio, who came up with the Finger Puppet Learning Framework, an idea about teaching through peer-to-peer learning. Steve uses this framework in his own college classroom and hopes to spread it across the world, getting teachers and school districts to teach K-12 students by playing. He explains why this type of hands-on learning is beneficial and how everyone plays to learn for the first few years of life. 

Links:

On this episode of The Studentpreneur Show, we speak with Missouri State senior, Secoy Hodges. Secoy is a classmate of Taegan and a respectable young man. Taegan and Secoy discuss the trials and tribulations that pushed Secoy to become a community leader, a motivational public speaker, and a business owner. His story is heartbreaking and powerful, and he shares how he was able to make his future take off with a life full of obstacles. 

Websites and Involvement:

On this episode of The Studentpreneur Show, we hear from Sharon Wilson, a lawyer and professor from Villanova University Law School. Taegan and Sharon discuss when entrepreneurs need to speak with lawyers, some legal issues that can come up when running a business, and how to work with trademarks and patents. This episode is very important for anyone and everyone that considers starting their own business or is currently doing so. Make sure to check this out!

On this episode of The Studentpreneur Show, we speak with Jason Goodman, a current business owner and Cornell student. Jason worked on this idea to develop a delicious and healthy snack while in a product-development class with other Cornell classmates. They were able to create Grabanzos, a crunchy, chocolate covered snack. Taegan and Jason discuss how to deal with retailers, what you can do as a business owner to encourage communication between employees, and the importance of curiosity when starting or working with a start up.

On this episode of The Studentpreneuer Show we spoke with Connor Weinstein, who is the Ambassador Program Manager for Blue Planet Eyewear, about the ambassador program for the company and who can be involved.  Blue Planet Eyewear is an eco-friendly sunglasses and eyeglasses company and they are based out in California. Check out how to become an ambassador on their website (under the BRAND tab). 

On this episode of The Studentpreneur Show, we hear from Rachel Benyola, creator of KOVA. KOVA is a helmet meant for biking, scooters, roller blades, and more. Not only is it stylish, but it also does a great job of protecting your brain and it's fold-able, making it super easy to bring with you once you reach your destination. Rachel and Taegan talk about changing majors in college, going a different route than expected, and being what Rachel called "a proud doctorate school drop-out." Give us a listen!

On this episode of The Studentpreneur Show, we speak with real estate agent Travis Sly. He is local to the Springfield, Missouri area and has a wide range of knowledge about what it's like to be your own boss and how the housing market works. Travis is only 21 years old and is on his way to accomplishing great things with Better Homes and Gardens as his realtor agency. Follow Travis' story and advice with the links below!

Instagram: trav.sly

Facebook: Travis Sly Homes, Better Homes & Gardens Realtor 

On this episode of The Studentpreneur Show, we speak with Sarah and Taylor from Banzo Foods. They have currently launched their first product known as Yippea!, which has peanut butter and Nutella substitutes for people with nut allergies. We hear their story of how the company started, their experience so far with going to farmer's markets to sell their products, and the effects they have had on their customer's lives. Feel free to check out their website below, or if you live in Ohio to check out some farmer's markets around Columbus!

On this episode of The Studentpreneur Show, we speak with 17-year-old Riya Shah. She created MyFetalLife at 15 to help pregnant women figure out how to handle Braxton-Hicks contractions, show the progress of their baby's growth throughout the pregnancy, and so much more. We dig into the background of why she started the company and how she, as a high school student, learned how to run a business by taking a course at the University of Louisville. 

On this episode of The Studentpreneur Show, we speak with Kareem DeSilva, a PAT co-founder. PAT is a smart city consulting firm. That means the firm does different things to work with the city and government to improve the city as a whole. PAT is based in Memphis, Tennessee. We discuss the things that PAT does to improve Memphis, the technology that is required, and how Smart Cities are the next big thing.  Check them out!

On this episode of The Studentpreneur Show, we speak with the brilliant Weida Tan, a college student and business owner from Birmingham, Alabama. Weida runs a company called Fledging LLC, and the company creates electronics for everyone. You can find products from Fledging LLC on Amazon, Ebay, and other user-selling platforms, all for a fair price. Weida talks about how he is able to make and sell his products for much cheaper than that of Apple and Samsung. Be sure to check them out!