On Saturday, March 24th, the Center for Calling and Career hosted their annual Seed Project Generator Workshop for any students interested in competing for the Seed Project in the Fall of 2018.
The unique opportunity to develop one’s business, and of course a brunch provided by Niedlov’s, drew in about twenty students, each with their own unique abilities and business ideas. Many of those students came with the hope to open their own business on Lookout Mountain or down in Chattanooga one day.
Assistant Director of the Center for Calling and Career, Leda Goodman, led the event. She describes it as specifically designed for “those at Covenant who are entrepreneurially-minded and who want to use their gifts to support themselves and the kingdom.”
Goodman appreciates how this competition is not just for business majors.
She said, “Whether you're an art major, history major, or anything else, what matters is that you have a solution to solve a problem for a community, either locally or on a larger scale.
The Seed Project encourages students to look at the process of starting a business in a different way than simply coming up with an idea and implementing it into one’s community. Instead of this direct approach, the workshop taught students to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.
Much of the workshop was about pushing students to think about business as a means to solving a problem in a community. Goodman hopes potential entrepreneurs will first look into their local community for unmet needs and then strive to come up with a business solution for that need.
Sophomore Isaac Parker is pursuing the possibility of opening a used bookstore down in Chattanooga to share his love of literature and coffee with the local community. He says it’s a great opportunity to connect with Chattanoogans, saying “a used bookstore is amazing in that it invites both adults and children, creating a unique opportunity to connect and evangelize to locals of all ages through reading lessons and book clubs.”
The program allows students to present their ideas to a panel and compete to win a money prize that will be put in their business. Fancy Rhino, a creative content agency, and Creekside Flower Farms are examples of businesses that have won the Seed Project.
The Seed Project is set to occur in the Fall of 2018, and students are encouraged to come out with their best business ideas.