NEWS
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BUSINESS
MSU student entrepreneurs find support on campus
It was Admitted Students Day, and then-business management freshman Jade McLellan sat in the audience as a student pitched a business on a Shark Tank-style stage. She left campus that day thinking about the cookies and cakes she’d been baking on the side, and whether Michigan State University could help her turn it into something real.
Three years later, Baking by Jade is now a custom cookie and cake business, and McLellan is one of many Spartans building companies while carrying a full course load. Behind them is a network of support at MSU: the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, the Spartans for Startups internship program and the Dashney Women’s Leadership Accelerator.
Interest in entrepreneurship has grown a lot in recent years, said Kristen Hintz, the associate director and undergraduate career coach lead at the Russell Palmer Career Center.
“I see so many resumes of students who come into college having started their own business,” she said.
All students in the Eli Broad College of Business are required to earn the Entrepreneurial Mindset badge prior to graduation, but Burgess offers additional academic programs, mentorship, workshops and “hands-on” venture development opportunities for student entrepreneurs, Burgess Communications Coordinator Katie Haley said.
“We take an education-first approach to helping students lead lives of impact,” Haley said. “We equip Spartans with the entrepreneurial mindset, real-world experience and the community they need to turn ideas into action.”
Seeing Burgess students being able to turn their ideas into real businesses inspired McLellan to take Baking by Jade to the next level.
“Since coming to MSU I’ve had so many opportunities to learn what it actually takes to grow a business,” McLellan said. “I’ve worked with and learned from professionals who know how to help businesses grow, while also meeting people who have challenged me to think differently.”
McLellan furthered her entrepreneurial experience by competing in pitch competitions, hosting cookie decorating events and putting on live demonstrations.
The Baking by Jade founder is also the Campus & Community Engagement Manager of Student-Made Michigan State, a program that provides a platform for entrepreneurs to sell their products.
Student-Made, which falls under Burgess, provides students with “hands-on experience” by hosting pop-ups and events within the campus community.
It “gives our creators a low-risk chance to get their products out into the hands of customers,” McLellan said.
For economics senior David Heyn, the co-founder of SingleScoop, a protein powder and pre-workout vending machine for gyms, “the Burgess Institute community — students and staff alike — genuinely wants to see you succeed.”
“People go out of their way to connect you to resources, offer guidance, and talk through ideas,” Heyn said. “That level of support is rare.”
