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Student Spotlight: Terrena Huisman

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Terrena HStudent Spotlight: Terrena Huismanuisman is a third-year Entrepreneurship major in the Bachelor of Commerce Co-op program who recently completed her Certificate in Entrepreneurship through the Entrepreneurial Skills Program offered by the Norman Newman Centre for Entrepreneurship.  During her first co-op, she realized two things: working in an office was not something she was going to enjoy long-term, and there were no local providers of custom swimsuits in Halifax.  With her entrepreneurial spirit, she decided to seize this opportunity, and the inception of her business, Terrini’s Bikinis, began.  Terrena describes her experience:

“This experience taught me dedication and self-motivation – skills that are needed to make a business successful.  Communication and organization are absolutely key, as well as focusing on developing a brand image.  Managing social media accounts and client relations is a very time-consuming process and has taught me the importance of being fully committed.  Running a client-based business involves being available 24/7 and a typical nine to five co-op experience does not expose you to the value of having your own business.  The personal growth and things you learn about yourself while building a business are unparalleled and are transferrable to many other aspects of your life.

An entrepreneurial work term is an excellent opportunity for students to take risks that would otherwise be daunting in the real world.  I would encourage every Commerce student to try it for at least one work term.  As a student entrepreneur, you have many valuable resources at your fingertips and the Norman Newman Centre for Entrepreneurship is a great support system – be sure to make use of it.  Funding, networking, marketing advice, and constructive feedback are all easily accessible and very useful to the growth of your business.  After graduation, you won’t have these resources available to you and this can make the pursuit of a new venture very intimidating.  The best time to start your own business is while you are a student and have nothing to lose!”

Do you have the desire to pursue your own entrepreneurial work term for Winter 2017?  If so, the deadline to submit your expression of interest is February 9 at 4:30 p.m.  For more information on how to kick-start your entrepreneurship experience, visit our website. 

 

Student Spotlight: Sandra Bencze

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Sandra Bencze is a fourth year Dalhousie University student in the Bachelor of Commerce Co-op program. During her studies she realized her passion for entrepreneurship and not only decided to pursue the field as her major, but also started her very own business venture, Sandy Tees. Her hard work and initiative won her the Sagewood Award for Entrepreneurship.

“During my studies I have realized my passion for entrepreneurship, and decided to pursue the field as my major. I had always envisioned myself owning and operating my own store, and through the Co-op program I was able to embrace the opportunity and start Sandy Tees. Sandy Tees specializes in handmade tie-dyed goods and are available for sale in the Ottawa ByWard Market.

In preparation of launching Sandy Tees I began applying for licenses and permits to sell my products. I also searched for a variety of venues in Ottawa for Sandy Tees to be available for sale. These venues included local music festivals, outdoor markets and online sales. As I wanted Sandy Tees to be a vendor in the summer of 2015, deadlines for festivals and markets were due in April. Although school was hectic during this time, it was important for me to keep in mind the deadlines for Sandy Tees to meet.

I am excited to have completed my Entrepreneurial Work Term because I pursued my passion, creating handmade tie dyed goods and growing as an entrepreneur. I am grateful to have had the support of faculty members from the Norman Newman Centre for Entrepreneurship, and am honored to have received the Sagewood Award for Entrepreneurship.

Many students in the Commerce Co-op program are not aware of the benefits an Entrepreneurial Work Term can bring you. Students may also be hesitant to pursue new ventures because it takes a lot of confidence to put your ideas out there and assume the risk of trying something new. I am excited to share my experiences with my fellow classmates and encourage students to follow their passions. I hope to inspire others, and create a supportive community for entrepreneurs and soon-to-be entrepreneurs within the Dalhousie community.”

Interested in doing an Entrepreneurial Work Term? Submit your Expression of Interest to Mary.Kilfoil@dal.ca by 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 22, 2015.  Spend a co-op work term developing your own business venture and experience the challenges and benefits of working for yourself!

Student Spotlight: Zach Levy & Michael Brown

Fourth year Commerce students Zach Levy and Michael Brown founded their own company called Red Anchor Media. By pursuing an entrepreneurial work term, they spent the summer developing their business venture as part of their co-op work term.

 

Red Anchor Media provides web development, as well as supplemental marketing materials to small businesses and start-up companies. Specializing in professional and affordable website development, the two spent their summer promoting their services and increasing their cliental.


Zach Levy says, “Doing an entrepreneurial work term, furthering our company (and not to mention our own professional skills) has been an extremely fun and rewarding experience. We’ve learned that in order to be successful you need to be passionate about the problem … and relentless & bold about solving it. As an entrepreneur, if you’re excited and terrified for tomorrow, you’re doing it right.”  

To learn more about Zach and Michael’s company, check out http://redanchormedia.com/ .

Student Spotlight: Cam McDonald and Matt Bairos

Want to minimize the ‘stuff’ in your pocket? Want to protect your phone as you would your cash and credit cards? Entrepreneurial students, Cam McDonald and Matt Bairos have created a solution with their patented product, ‘Cache Case’.

During their entrepreneurial work term the two pursued all aspects of the business including product design, manufacturing, marketing, sales and e-commerce integration. Recently they have launched the Cache Case website, introduced new products and have made a deal with Canadian retailers. It’s a lot of hard work but Cam and Matt are en route to fulfill their goal to make Cache Case a global brand.

Their advice to students wishing to pursue an entrepreneurial work term; “Focus on the problem and not the solution. Accept that your initial business plan will go through several revisions before it is deployed to market. Stay motivated and be persistent.”

Check out Cache Case at:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100003321612197

Student Spotlight: Rebecca Chapman

Bachelor of Commerce student Rebecca Chapman brought her passion to life when she started the Chapman School of Irish Dance in the summer of 2010 as an entrepreneurial work term.

“It was an amazing opportunity to try operating my own dance school, which I hope to continue into the future. Operating my own business, even just for a summer, was exciting and rewarding as it truly was a product of my passion and efforts.”

Entrepreneurial work terms can prove to be a very rewarding and challenging adventure, and can be thrilling if your ideas become a success. “I learned a lot about managing a business and I am certain I want to continue teaching and inspiring students. If I could offer any advice to students it would be to go for it! I was nervous, but surprised at how much I was able to do when it came time to perform.”