Growing Businesses
SURESM Program Hosts Holiday Market
Showcasing Businesses
Bauer College's Stimulating Urban Renewal Through Entrepreneurship program (SURESM) hosted their annual Holiday Market this month, featuring over 50 businesses created by entrepreneurs and attended by University of Houston students and members of the community.
Housed in the Musa and Khaleda Dakri Center for Economic Inclusion, the SURESM program provides Bauer students with hands-on learning as they are charged to help lead a team of under-resourced entrepreneurs to help start and grow their business ideas into reality over the course of 10 weeks. Students act as partners and teach their entrepreneurs how to do things such as writing a business plan, marketing their product and pitching for funding.
“That was one of the goals was to make the surrounding areas a 'Tier One' neighborhood from a health, economic and educational standpoint,” Executive Director of the Dakri Center for Economic Inclusion and Founding Director of the SURESM Program Saleha Khumawala said. “There are over 800 businesses that are up and running from the program, some with actual brick and mortar. Some of them are even doing over a million dollars in business in some high end and upscale neighborhoods.”
Here are what a few partners and their entrepreneurs had to say about their SURESM experience:
Chant’e’s Fashion Consulting
Entrepreneur- Chant’e Smith
Partner - Lawrence Se
What is your business?
Smith – “I'm a fashion consultant and focus on two things. I do fashion consulting online and closet detoxing. I'll be the person that you can call on and I will consult you to get you back to where you want to be. Look good, feel good.”
How did you get involved with SURESM?
Smith – “I had a friend that was a part of it who introduced me to the program.”
What has been your role as the partner?
Se – “I've been helping my three entrepreneurs write up their business plan and help them realize that idea in their head. I've been in the trenches with them, trying to help them because I know they all have a really great idea, but they just don't know how to materialize it. Being in the program really helped them from the foundation all the way up to where they are now.”
How has the relationship between the two of you grown during this process?
Smith – “He was so great. He was easy to talk to and always had the answer. I tend to be sluggish and get frustrated with new things, so I was scared to step into the business world. He definitely helped be that bridge that helped me cross over into the new world. He’s been my biggest motivator and supporter.”
Se – “She's been great. She's been always really high in energy, always willing to just put in the work and try her best. She's been able to reciprocate all of the all the work that we've all been putting in. It’s great seeing where she is now from where we started at the beginning of the semester.”
Maddie’s Cupcakes
Entrepreneur - Maddie Torres
Partner - Yvonne Mullone
What is your business?
Torres – “I do custom cakes, macarons, cake pops, any kind of baked dessert. I make cute treats that you can take home and give as gifts, or enjoy while you’re out and about.”
How did you get involved with SURESM?
Torres – “I actually found out about the SURESM program through a friend. The two of us both went to the University of Houston, and she had a friend who did the program.”
What has been your role as the partner?
Mullone – “My part was to help Maddie through her business journey. It was very fun, but also a very personal experience as well because you get to build those personal and professional connections. The knowledge I gained is something that I'll use throughout the rest of my life because I want to start my own business one day.”
How has the relationship between the two of you grown during this process?
Mullone – “At first, Maddie was a little shy but really opened up once I got to know her. She is such a sweet person. After this program, I am going to stay in touch with her to keep up with her business so I can support her in any way I can.”
Torres – “It was really nice to have that go-to person and support. She was very upfront from the beginning about what she could do and stayed communicative throughout. She did a great job with all my research and helping me put my business together. I’m very thankful for all the work she did.”
BeAyutiful Creationz
Entrepreneur - Kera Sanchez
Partner - Veena Vinod
What is your business?
Sanchez – “With BeAyutiful Creationz, the interest is creating your fancy facial canvas via eyebrows and eyelashes that offer both beauty and longevity. The more permanent services last up to three years, or there are more temporary options like henna brows. There are plenty of styles to choose from and lots of specials.”
How did you get involved with SURESM?
Sanchez – “I was looking for mentorship for my new business owners and actually met with Veena. We continued to grow in our class, and I learned more and more about business and how to improve the things I was already doing.”
What has been your role as the partner?
Vinod – “Over the last semester I have been able to teach all my entrepreneurs about how to market their business and their MVBP, or major value business plan. I got into the SURESM program because I am a finance major and wanted to get that hands-on business experience.”
How has the relationship between the two of you grown during this process?
Sanchez – “It’s awesome because we were strangers at first and she helped me right from the beginning. I think it takes a lot of trust to really learn and understand people, and she made me really good at this. We really have built that trust in each other.”
Vinod – “At first, we only saw each other once a week for three hours with the program structure. We got to the point where we would make personal phone calls to talk about business, which developed into us really opening up to each other. I know about her personal life and her kids, and we are really good friends outside of the business side of our relationship.”
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