Aspiring entrepreneurs entered Millikin University's version of Shark Tank on April 29 as part of Celebrations of Scholarship. Students showcased their ideas and concepts during the 2016 Business Creation Competition while first-year students competed for prizes in the Freshman Business Plan Competition.
During the Business Creation Competition, hosted by the Tabor School of Business, students competed individually or as a team for cash prizes up to $3,000 and seed funding based on the quality, creativity and innovation of their business.
Students prepared a business model and presentation for a panel of four judges made up of outside business professionals and entrepreneurs. Each judge had $750 they could choose to invest in any way they saw fit. The following students received awards.
FullHouse – $600
Laure Serenne, a senior individualized management major from Paris, France.
FullHouse is a mobile app delivered in the AppStore on IOS and the Android market. The unique concept of the app is to allow people to optimize their time by providing them information on venues (capacity of a venue in real time, customers ratings). This real time information will ease daily decisions such as going to one supermarket over another, or choosing one movie theater compared to another.
Millikin University Performance Consulting – $1,200
Hannah Haak, a sophomore information systems major from Kirkland, Ill.
Eric Johnson, a senior information systems major from Wonder Lake, Ill.
Taylor Sanders, a senior information systems major from Marshall, Ill.
There are currently several Information Technology (IT) Performance Learning projects that have come out of the Tabor School of Business at Millikin and been implemented into local businesses and schools. In addition to those currently in place, Millikin will release (on average) between two and four more projects every year. With the small amount of time that most classes have inside of a given semester, it is hard to complete all of the given tasks without scope creep. There are two main objectives for this business. The first is the expansion of projects that have been implemented to include all of the pieces that were desired by the client, but could not be completed during the semester. The second is the maintenance/support of the projects for the businesses. Millikin University Performance Consulting will be satisfying these needs through paid consulting services.
Martel McGee, a sophomore entrepreneurship major from Lombard, Ill.
Located in Decatur, Ill., Milli-Clean offers quality cleaning services to the Millikin and Decatur community by college students. With the need for better sanitation of living spaces for students with busy schedules, Milli-Clean was created for a clear cause. Milli-Clean will clean dorms, apartments, fraternity and sorority houses, as well as organizing offices. Many college students do not have time to maintain a clean, sanitary living space, so Milli-Clean will provide this by coming in, cleaning and sanitizing the area. Milli-Clean will be open 24 hours.
Freshman Business Plan Competition
Select teams of freshmen from Millikin's fall semester Business Creation course presented business plans they created during the Tabor School of Business' Freshman Business Plan Competition. The students competed for up to $4,000 in international immersion scholarships.
"The freshmen class this year was very committed to their business plans. There were several creative ideas," said Dr. J. Mark Munoz, interim dean of the Tabor School of Business. "The judges were very impressed with the quality of work the students came up with. We hope to maintain this level of quality in the coming years, and make excellence in business plan creation a distinguishing mark of every Tabor graduate."
The following business plans received 1st and 2nd Place Awards.
1st Place - GG's Brow Boutique
Peyten Burton, an international business major from Ann Arbor, Mich.
Grace Ganley, a business major from Decatur, Ill.
Brent Mauck, a business major from Sullivan, Ill.
Emilio Tejada, a business major from Los Gatos, Calif.
The beauty industry is growing more than ever and influences through pop culture and increased financial stability have ensured a continuous growth in the industry's foreseeable future. GG's Brow Boutique will be a profitable business in a key location, allowing the business to grow and flourish. The consultants will offer friendly service and provide customers with the confidence they desire. GG's main goal is to sell confidence to young women.
2nd Place - Millicab
Jacob Eckenrod, a business major from Mt. Zion, Ill.
Deja Hastings, a business major from Chicago, Ill.
Maxine Krol, an athletic training major from New Lenox, Ill.
Greg Scwoeppe, a business major from Fishers, Ind.
Adia Taylor, an accounting major from Evergreen Park, Ill.
MilliCab is a taxi cab service for Millikin University students in Decatur. This service will be available to students who need a ride anywhere within a 40 mile radius of Millikin University. This service can be paid for with cash, credit/debit cards, Millikin FLEX dollars or students can sign up for a membership called MilliPack where they will pay an up-front fee for rides in advance. The drivers will be Millikin University students who have had their driver's licenses for at least two years.
