Entrepreneurship News & Upcoming Events

Entrepreneurship Students Embrace the Power of Service Learning

The objective of the class was simple: conceptualize, produce, and sell a product before you graduate. To kick off the semester students in ETR 270 Entrepreneurship Issues were introduced to Asher Collie, founder of Sole Hope. She informed them about a parasite called jiggers, which live in the topsoil in Africa. This parasite enters the body through the feet and can lead to organ failure and eventually death. It is completely preventable with a pair of closed toed shoes. Her organization Sole Hope creates jobs and seeks to eliminate the parasite issue by teaching African widows to make shoes. The soles are made from recycled bike tires, which make them virtually indestructible. During their time with Asher, students asked questions about starting a non-profit and cut out the “uppers” (the fabric portion that connects to the rubber sole) for 12 pairs of shoes. It was the second day of class and students were already making a difference.

After brainstorming possibilities, students decided to manufacture Sole Hope magnets and chalkboards. They turned to fellow machining students for help in cutting the sheets of aluminum. It was here that they learned about deadline flexibility, product waste, and the true costs of production.


Throughout their journey, students maintained a blog of their adventure at http://studentsforsolehope.blogspot.com/ .Their goal was to raise awareness of Sole Hope and the Jigger parasite. With only one week remaining in the semester, students sold enough product to purchase 37 pairs of Sole Hope shoes for children and provide significant revenue to the widows-turned-entrepreneurs in Africa.

(left to right) Entrepreneurship Students Alex McKay, Jeff Sharpe, Christy Brunson, Keat Cahoon, Hayley Leis, and Kara Evans present a check to Hugh Wright (center with check) for $189, enough to buy 37 pairs of shoes from Sole Hope widows to give to children in Africa that will protect them from a deadly parasite.

Entrepreneurship Student Turns Hobby into Profits in First Semester

A year ago, Entrepreneurship student Stevie Apoian received a beautiful necklace from her sister for Christmas. Delighted to have been given such a unique gift, she admired the way the copper wire was intricately entwined to create a tree. The leaves on the tree were made of beads that twinkled as they caught the light from the Christmas tree. As many entrepreneurs do, her next thought was “I could make this” and Apoian’s Jewelry Art began.

After visiting several campuses in North Carolina, Stevie was drawn to the beauty of the Haywood Community College campus. Expecting to simply study business, she was delighted to find a variety of business programs including Accounting, Computer Information Systems, Business Administration, Office Administration, and Entrepreneurship. She met with an advisor during the summer and shared her career goals of owning her own business. Then she knew the Entrepreneurship program was the right choice.

On her first day of class, her Entrepreneurship Instructor invited everyone to be a member of the Haywood Entrepreneurship Student Association. In this first meeting she met other Entrepreneurship students who were not in her class as they prepared for the club fundraiser at the Jammin’ at the Millpond festival on campus. After talking with her teacher, Stevie realized this would be the perfect opportunity to showcase her jewelry for the first time.

“I had sold my jewelry to friends and family and wanted to take it in a more professional direction but wasn’t sure where to start. The entrepreneurship program has given me the courage and connections to seek opportunities to get my business started. My first showcase at the festival was a success!”

When asked what she has learned in the Entrepreneurship Program so far, Stevie is quick to point out the support and networking she has been exposed to. Exclaiming that the teachers are “awesome” and that she is surprised by the one-on-one attention she receives, she knows their support is sincere but is also realistic. Her advice to those considering studying Entrepreneurship at HCC is to “be open to all of your options, get help writing your business plan, and know that education is still important regardless of how passionate you are about your idea.”

Email Stevie at apoiansjewelryart@yahoo.com for more information on her jewelry and watch for her website soon!