by Davide LeCompte, B.A. '90
UNI Certificate in Entrepreneurship
In addition to professional guidance and programs within the Student Business Incubator, UNI offers a certificate in entrepreneurship to involve students in entrepreneurial ventures and foster their entrepreneurial spirit.
In earning the certificate, developed for both business and non-business majors, students learn small-business and social-entrepreneurship fundamentals and engage in the development of entrepreneurial endeavors. The 12-credit-hour program includes traditional course work and participation in an enterprise experience through the creation of a business plan for a new venture and an experiential project. |
And UNI’s Student Business Incubator is there to help with the rest when students have entrepreneurial aspirations. The Student Business Incubator is a program of UNI’s John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center and integrates JPEC programs and services into a supportive, educational environment that nurtures and guides students to reach their entrepreneurial goals.
It doesn’t matter if you’re studying art, science or business; anyone with a business vision can apply for space and resources available at the incubator. “Our primary purpose is education,” said Katherine Cota-Uyar, director of UNI’s John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center. “Lots of people have good ideas. The difference between people with good ideas and entrepreneurs is execution. They do it. They don’t say ‘I should start a business.’ They start that business.
“Some students may discover they’re not cut out at this point in their lives to run a business, and there is a lot of value in realizing if this is for you or not.”
But for those who find life as a business-owner to be a good fit, there are no limits. Senior finance and computer science major Ben Frein already has a number of successful businesses running from his SBI office on the second floor of the Business and Community Services Building. Frein started with Bellybling.net in April 2006, a business to support the belly-baring crowd, and most recently began Midwest Air Taxi with UNI alumnus David LeCompte to serve busy business professionals. His other business ventures include All Media Hosting, co-ownership of E-Holdings, and a number of e-commerce sites.
 Tenants are listed on the window of the Student Business Incubator in UNI’s Business and Community Services Building.
Student Business Incubator tenants have access to:
• Professional, private office setting
• Meeting rooms
• Professional consultants and business assistance
• Mentoring
• Resource library
• Conferences
• Business plan competitions
• Academic certificate programs
• Non-academic classes and workshops
• Internships
• Student organizations
• Networking events
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“I’m drawn to the challenge,” Frein said. “It’s nice to do your own thing. I’d rather work 14 hours a day in my own office than eight hours for someone else.”
The SBI helped Frein move from packaging and shipping bellybutton ring orders from inside his dorm room to working out of an on-campus office with two employees filling orders for people who have seen Bellybling.net print ads in national magazines such as Cosmopolitan, U.S. Weekly and Teen Vogue or who come across the site via Google search for bellybutton rings.
“The SBI staff points us in the right direction,” Frein said regarding his business development at the incubator. “And with Laurie (Watje, JPEC program associate) as a CPA, she helps with the books and makes sure everything is done right.”
Frein also appreciates other resources the SBI provides such as non-academic classes, workshops, internships and networking opportunities. It was the SBI and the College of Business Administration that put LeCompte in touch with Frein. Both were thinking independently about an air-taxi service out of the Cedar Valley, and when Frein and LeCompte got in touch, Midwest Air Taxi began to take off. LeCompte, president of Short’s Travel Management, and Frein are co-owners of the company with Frein serving as CEO.
“I was looking for someone ready to take on a company, someone who has gone through it and who has execution,” LeCompte said about what he was looking for when he met with Frein. “It’s a great fit. I hope to continue this and do it again in the future.”
LeCompte, who graduated from UNI in 1990 with a B.A. in marketing, sees a lot of value for the students working in the SBI.
“I had ideas as a student, but the resources weren’t there at that time,” he said. “I like how the JPEC staff are there when the students need them, giving guidance. Hopefully Ben has learned from me, too.”
SBI service is not one-size-fits-all. The information and advice is individualized and customized to fit each student’s needs. And the assistance comes from within the incubator and beyond. UNI faculty members serve as sounding boards and advisers to SBI tenants and give presentations to students interested in entrepreneurship. Alumni also come to campus to speak about entrepreneurship and owning a business.
Students don’t pay rent in the traditional sense, Cota-Uyar says, however they are expected to invest in their business. This is part of the controlled environment incubators provide to help business-owners acclimate to the business climate they’ll find upon graduation. At that point, students will have to decide whether or not to continue with their businesses outside the incubator.
When Frein graduates, he’s ready to continue down the path he’s already begun.
“It’s a lot of stress and not a lot of sleep,” he said, “but I enjoy it.”
