By Zack Downing, Staff Writer
Small businesses are the heart of the American economy, and it all starts with young adults having big ideas.
If you’re a young adult with a big idea, perhaps a student who wants to start their own store or company, then UMass Dartmouth has an event that you will be interested in.
The National Society of Black Engineers, along with the Charlton Student Entrepreneurship Club, present the first annual Small Business Expo at UMass Dartmouth.
On Thursday, October 26, in the lobby of the Charlton College of Business, students showcased their businesses and services to the student body, judges, and anyone else that is interested in the future of the economy.
One such student working on a small business is senior Zachary Sass, who is also one of the heads of the Entrepreneurship Club. The service he’ll be debuting is Common Ground Consulting, a service in the music industry.
“It’s a guild, a creator’s guild, as the name suggests,” Sass told The Torch. “We’ll be representing the artists for a membership fee, like a real guild or union, and we’ll provide representation with tier level payment structures.”
As head of the CSEC combined with being a young entrepreneur himself, he is optimistic about the future of business in America.
“Entrepreneurship is the new frontier in this new economic landscape that we’re in,” he remarked. “Working together on those endeavors, that’s the future, that’s how we have to be with this age in technology.”
The mind behind the Expo is Semirah Dolan, president of the NSBE on campus.
“There’s going to be a wide range of businesses,” she said, “There’s going to be clothing lines, YouTube channels, students who have services like website building, app building, there are even some students who are working on a sneaker company.”
“If you’re interested in networking with people who optimize opportunities, who are going above and beyond, then come to this event and experience that community.”
Twenty students are registered to show off their businesses at the Expo, and for the winners, there are going to be prizes. Best Presentation, Most Supporters, and Best Entrepreneur will be accolades given to the students who are deemed most deserving.
Along with the whole NSBE club, the board of the regional chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers will be taking a tour of the students’ work. The crowd is expected to be impressive, and the entrepreneurs are putting all they’ve got into their showcases.
If you were interested in coming to the Charlton College of Business to see fellow students showcasing their ideas for small businesses and services, it was on Thursday, October 26 from 7-9 p.m. in the main lobby area.
If you’re a student with your own business idea, there will be another Small Business Expo next year, and the plan is for it to be on an even larger scale.
If you simply can’t wait to get your ideas out there, you could also bring out all that ambition, get right down to it, and start working from the ground up. That’s what small businesses are all about.