Entrepreneurs offer advice to Silver Creek finance students | News

SELLERSBURG — A team of regional industry experts supplied suggestions on starting up and managing a business enterprise in the course of a modern party at Silver Creek Large University.

Silver Creek’s 25th annual Panel of Business owners took place Friday immediately after a two-12 months hiatus due to the fact of the pandemic. The occasion is presented by the significant school’s Academy of Finance.

The panel featured four business owners operating in the Louisville and Southern Indiana location in sectors ranging from hospitality to auto elements. The speakers all through the occasion answered queries from pupils about their small business journey and overcoming issues.

Jennifer Glaser, a instructor at Silver Creek, said the panel presents determination to pupils as they take into consideration their professions. She is the director of Silver Creek’s Profession Academy plan.

“There are some in this audience who possibly want to start out a small business, and they might be encouraged by all this,” she claimed.

One particular of the speakers was Elizabeth Kizito, who owns Kizito Cookies on Bardstown Street. She is from Uganda, and she commenced her business far more than 30 several years back following transferring to Louisville. She discussed her time working as a street seller stating, “you can start off with absolutely nothing and make it.”

“When I initially began my small business, I experienced no dollars,” she mentioned. “I could not get no mortgage — almost nothing,” she explained.

But she “didn’t quit,” she reported, even though it was “an adventure” when she very first commenced.

“A great deal of men and women gave me direction what to do,” Kizito said. “I went to festivals, I was new to the area in Louisville — I did not know what to do and I’d hardly ever been in enterprise before.”

As phrase spread about the small business, she turned identified in Louisville as the “Cookie Lady.” In addition to operating her Louisville Bakery, she is also recognised for carrying cookies in a basket on top of her head at gatherings this kind of as Louisville Bats baseball game titles and festivals.

One particular of the panelists was restaurateur Kevin Grangier. He is the founder, president and CEO of Belle Noble Amusement Group in Louisville, which operates nearby eating places these types of as Le Moo Wonderful Steak Household, The Village Anchor, The Sea Hag Pub and Grassa Gramma.

Grangier graduated from Silver Creek Substantial College about 40 years in the past. He commenced operating in internet marketing and communications in the spot, and he finally started his have communications company in Los Angeles, which grew swiftly and opened places of work across the state.

He discussed troubles these kinds of as possibility-getting, saying it is “important to have your ducks in your row” and have a “plan in area so you can weather conditions the storm.”

“I commenced out from a laptop computer system in a just one-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles and I was the producer of the product,” he said. “The additional I labored, the additional products I could generate, and the extra I worked, the far more clients I could retain.”

He inevitably returned to the spot and commenced opening places to eat in Louisville. This was an “extension” of his job in manufacturer enhancement and products advancement, he explained.

Panelist Ashley Porras is the operator of Only by Ashley, a boutique at Bolt + Tie on Main Avenue in Clarksville. She is a school university student who graduated from Silver Creek Superior School in 2019, and she started off her organization with on line income.

Her relatives has been associated in business for a extensive time, specifically in the well being care marketplace, she mentioned. Her knowledge as an entrepreneur commenced in higher faculty.

“When I was at Silver Creek executing pop-ups and flea marketplaces, and I was advertising bathtub bombs…,” Porras reported. “I was generating that, and then sooner or later, I was like hey, you know what? I like the concept of style and home products and bathtub products and natural beauty items, and I put together them all into my boutique.”

When she started off Basically by Ashley, she was functioning four positions, she claimed.

“I was a caregiver, I was a server, I was a chef, I was operating at an outpatient clinic — and I was managing my company,” she explained. “And every single paycheck, I would get 50% of my paycheck and just place it on my organization. Seeing that develop, it designed me so content, so when I acquired my to start with wholesale inventory, I was like, guy, I‘ve manufactured it, this is it.”

When the pandemic began, she was capable to make income from her on the internet store by offering confront masks, and her business enterprise ongoing to mature as she “made whatever was trending at that time.” Assist from her family served give her the funds she required to start her personal storefront, she said.

She had to give up a several of her component-time jobs to make it do the job with her organization, she stated.

Mike Lee, founder of Whole Truck Pieces, also spoke at Friday’s event. The firm buys and resells sections for semi trucks, and it has spots in Louisville, Clarksville, Indianapolis and Glasgow, Kentucky.

He worked for a range of car pieces companies in the location, and whilst operating for a area enterprise, he was 1 of 4 employees who branched out on their very own to sort Overall Truck Parts.

“We didn’t know if we would make it or not, but 21 a long time later, we’re on top rated of the world,” Lee claimed. “It’s a excellent business…I received there by getting great staff members.”

Lee stated when his business started, there have been numerous competition in the region, and he discussed the company’s journey as it grew.

“We experienced to go out of town and find offer to get the merchandise to promote,” he claimed. “We’ve performed that, immediately after that, they began coming to us, and we started off growing…In 2006, we joined a getting group for truck components, which offers us more obtaining electricity.”

Lee mentioned the function of his company’s personnel inventory possession program (ESOP) in retaining staff.

“Now, myself and my brother each generate about a 3rd of the firm, and the employees very own a third…it’s an ESOP, and it goes into their retirement, and it assists to retain workforce,” he mentioned.

The panelists supplied lots of assistance for younger entrepreneurs.

Grangier emphasized the worth of gaining encounter, building associations and the have to have for overall flexibility.

“I’ve been executing this for like 25 years and each individual day a little something new offers by itself — that never ever goes absent,” he explained.

He mentioned the latest labor industry situation, saying his business “has not sacrificed the high-quality of person that we employ the service of,” and the business has tailored to meet the challenges, including increasing the advantages package deal to attract staff members.

Kizito advises entrepreneurs to “know what you are doing just before you borrow money” to avoid battling with debt.

Lee pointed out the knowledge acquired from doing work for someone else for 15 decades, saying, “if you want to be in that business enterprise, just discover it from the top rated to the base and employ the service of great men and women to support you.”

Porras mentioned networking is necessary, and she encourages entrepreneurs to “research as a lot as you can and question assist from people today.”

“Get tons of assist from people who know what they’re executing,” she said. “Definitely branch out, simply because me personally what I wanted to do was always in well being treatment, and I under no circumstances noticed myself executing anything like this — branch out, help you save (money) and network. That is extremely, quite important.”

Glaser said the occasion offers networking opportunities for learners.

“A great deal of the moments the students will go to these enterprises, they’ll identify these enterprise owners…I just like the networking it gives,” she stated.

Silver Creek Significant College senior Katie Bishop is vice president of the school’s Academy of Finance. She asked panelists the concern about “advice for youthful business people.”

“I’ve form of regarded it a small bit, and it is just appealing to listen to the tips they had to give for myself and my fellow classmates as very well,” she mentioned. “I seriously like to listen to what they type of messed up on when they were being setting up their companies and then advising people to not make people similar errors, so that was what my takeaway was.”