91少女集中营

USM Students Watch Entrepreneurial Ideas Develop through 鈥楬atchery鈥�

Thu, 10/12/2023 - 01:23pm | By: Van Arnold

Innovative entrepreneurial ideas are being 鈥渉atched鈥� on a daily basis at a unique Inspiration Lab within the College of Business and Economic Development at 91少女集中营 (USM).

Dubbed 鈥淭he Hatchery,鈥� this extraordinary space serves as a hub to help align and connect the wealth of entrepreneurship-related resources, knowledge, and vision at the University. By facilitating entrepreneurial experiences, The Hatchery helps increase student opportunities to make their skillsets more relevant, dynamic, adaptable, marketable, and consequentially more valuable in today鈥檚 rapidly changing labor market.

No one need sell USM senior Tori Faith Jones on The Hatchery鈥檚 benefits. A marketing major from Meridian, Miss., Jones has utilized the lab to develop her own business 鈥� 鈥淭ori Faith Creations,鈥� while continuing to strategize about other entrepreneurial pursuits.

鈥淚 could not be more grateful for The Hatchery and how much they have done for me and other fellow entrepreneurs and dream builders,鈥� said Jones. 鈥淚 would say I am there almost once a day Monday through Friday. It is my favorite spot on campus. The wall of colorful sticky notes and the inspiring, passionate staff ready to help us is a constant reminder that my dreams are attainable.鈥�

Located in Scianna Hall on USM鈥檚 Hattiesburg campus, The Hatchery opened its doors within the physical confines of the Inspiration Lab in 2022. Although The Hatchery and Inspiration Lab are resources created by faculty in the College of Business and Economic Development, business students are not the only ones taking advantage of the think-tank atmosphere.

鈥淥ur mission is to foster a culture of innovation for all,鈥� said James Wilcox, Professor of Practice and Hatchery Director. 鈥淎nd we鈥檙e seeing this become a reality as more and more students discover the value of The Hatchery鈥檚 resources, mentorship, and experiential learning opportunities.鈥�

Added Wilcox: 鈥淢ost people, when they think of The Hatchery, they think of the physical space that we have created in Scianna Hall. But really, The Hatchery is a lot bigger than that. The Hatchery is a belief 鈥� a belief that every student on campus has what it takes to create economic value; to create social value. The Hatchery is a support system that we鈥檝e created, an ecosystem that supports students as they learn how to create value.鈥�

Assistant Director Serena Buckley points out that The Hatchery currently features two groups of students who comprise the roster of users:

• The Catalyst Initiative 鈥� a thriving community of innovators, entrepreneurs, and activators. 鈥淥n any given week, there are various projects being completed by these students in the Inspiration Lab, whether it be creating components on a 3D printer, carving designs into products using the Glowforge laser cutter, or making buttons to promote a brand,鈥� said Buckley.
• The Founders Society 鈥� a group that supports student entrepreneurs balancing academic life with business ownership. 鈥淢onthly networking dinners provide camaraderie and growth to members,鈥� said Buckley. 鈥淭hese students also 鈥榞ive back鈥� to the University by coaching aspiring student entrepreneurs on their ideas.鈥�

So, who exactly 鈥渉atched鈥� the idea of an Inspiration Lab. And why? Wilcox notes that an email survey was sent out in 2019 in an effort to identify all the stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem that exists at USM. Pockets of innovation were discovered all over campus, including the usual suspects and several unexpected surprises.

鈥淲e鈥檇 have a professor who, for his creative writing class, would have students writing content for startup websites,鈥� said Wilcox. 鈥淎nd you found that there were all these different areas and kinds of silos of innovation across the campus. But there was no single entity that was tying all of these things together.鈥�

Think of The Hatchery as half makerspace for prototyping and experimentation and half brainstorming zone for collaboration and ideation.

鈥淚t is meant to feel very living-room-ish, so that when students come in, there鈥檚 a comfort level with that space,鈥� said Wilcox. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 feel academic; it doesn鈥檛 feel threatening. Students can come in and they can say, 鈥榶ou know, I鈥檝e got this idea. I鈥檝e never talked to anybody about this before. I don鈥檛 know who to talk to about this.鈥� And that鈥檚 where the journey starts.鈥�

One of the more creative incentives offered by The Hatchery is 鈥淐heck-Point鈥� 鈥� a monthly seed fund opportunity for students. Ideas that meet the 鈥淐heck-Point鈥� criteria receive $500 to help students jumpstart their plans.

Jones, an honorary member of the Founders Society, earned one of the 鈥淐heck-Point鈥� awards and is currently working hard to flesh out a new entrepreneurial idea. She stresses that the significance of a creative space like 鈥淭he Hatchery鈥� cannot be overstated.

鈥淚t is important to remember that entrepreneurship is not just an academic major, but a mindset, and to succeed in it you have to take actions to nurture, expand, and thrive in that mindset. You have to set the right environment to do so,鈥� said Jones. 鈥淭he Hatchery is that entrepreneurial environment where we can express, cultivate, and test ideas so that when the lightning strikes and the light bulb goes off, we have what and who we need not to miss the opportunity.鈥�

Henry Biemann, currently enrolled in the Masters of Public Relations program at USM, also took advantage of the 鈥淐heck-Point鈥� opportunity. Biemann, who serves as founder and CEO of Military Recruiting Solutions, says the idea for his company started with a pitch at a Hatchery 鈥淐heck-Point鈥� event. He describes The Hatchery program as a 鈥減owerful platform to project an entrepreneur鈥檚 idea forward from conception to implementation.鈥�

Biemann, a U.S. Army veteran from Walhalla, S.C., has been attending meetings recently with the Army鈥檚 senior leadership to share how his team can help their recruiters not just meet, but exceed their recruiting objectives.

鈥淚 have teamed up with New York Times best-selling author and the 鈥楰ing of Sales鈥� Jeffrey Gitomer, and we鈥檙e on a mission to supercharge military recruiting,鈥� said Biemann. 鈥淲e鈥檙e combining world class training, real-world answers, and cutting-edge AI technology to empower military recruiters nationwide.

Added Biemann, 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about meeting recruitment targets, it鈥檚 about CRUSHING them. We are proud and excited to help the military win the war for talent and connect with today鈥檚 generation with a value proposition that makes the military a compelling choice for American youth.鈥�

As for The Hatchery鈥檚 mentors/advisors, Buckley explains that a cross-section of USM educators and Hattiesburg-area professionals lend their expertise.

鈥淭he Hatchery鈥檚 Advisory Board includes faculty members from disciplines across campus and community leaders in entrepreneurship,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ur programs incorporate mentoring from faculty members and stakeholders within our entrepreneurship ecosystem. Faculty members also utilize the Inspiration Lab, whether for brainstorming or for prototyping of their own.鈥�

When she first spotted a social media post about a new venture called The Hatchery, Jones never imagined she would one day pay homage to everything the incredible lab has to offer. She believes The Hatchery has merely scratched the surface of its potential.

鈥淭he Hatchery is special and provides something truly extraordinary to our city of Hattiesburg, to scholarly seekers, and entrepreneurs far and wide,鈥� said Jones. 鈥淚n my opinion, continuing to grow The Hatchery is imperative to the growth of our local entrepreneurial community.鈥�

Seems only fitting that a Golden Eagle and budding entrepreneur like Jones would 鈥渉atch鈥� an independent business portfolio through a University program.

鈥淭he Hatchery has been truly the perfect thing for me and has given me more than I ever knew I needed,鈥� said Jones. 鈥淚 could not be more grateful for all of the one-of-a-kind experiences, memories, and opportunities it has hatched on campus, in our community and in my life. I am forever 丑补迟肠丑别诲.鈥�

To learn more about The Hatchery, call 601.266.6055.