Entry-level Opportunities for Aspiring Founders
Michelle, Founder & Visionary at To Be Honest Beverage Company, suggests undergraduate students interested in the beverage industry explore online side hustles to test "marketing, sales, operations, and administration" skills—essential for any business. This hands-on approach, whether "an online store or an Etsy shop," allows aspiring entrepreneurs to develop a strong foundation before scaling up, proving "the opportunities are endless."
Entrepreneurship, Small Business Management, Marketing, Sales, Operations Management
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Michelle Houston
Founder & Visionary
To Be Honest Beverage Company
California Polytechnic State University
None
Philosophy
Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
Business Strategy
Pell Grant Recipient, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Transfer Student
Video Highlights
1. Start a side hustle to test business skills and gain experience. This could involve online services, crafting, or in-person services within the local community.
2. Focus on the core business principles: marketing, sales, operations, and administration. Master these fundamentals to build a strong foundation for future business ventures.
3. Explore entry-level roles in the CPG or non-alcoholic beverage industry to gain practical experience and insight into the field before starting your own business.
Transcript
What entry-level positions are there in this field that an undergraduate college student might consider?
This is a great question for business owners and founders who may not be ready to start a massive tech company or a scalable, funding-intensive business. And that's okay. There are a couple of different directions you can go.
Obviously, there are roles within companies in the CPG industry or in the non-alcoholic space that you could explore. From my perspective, if you were in your undergraduate studies and wanted to explore business ownership, I would encourage you to start an online side hustle. This allows you to see how you navigate developing a product, service, or offer, and find one you want to sell.
There are so many ways to make money online or through in-person services in your local community. We often think there are barriers to starting a business, but at this point in time, there are not. It's a low barrier to entry opportunity.
Whether you offer social media services, cleaning services, dog walking, or start an online store or Etsy shop, the opportunities are endless. The key is to test yourself and see what offer you're positioning in front of someone. You need a good offer if you're going to sell something.
Can you ask someone for the sale? Can you have a conversation and say, "You need your dog walked on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I can do it for this price, and this is what I'll help and support you with." Then, you need to fulfill on that offer, manage your operations, and deliver consistently.
Be reliable, self-motivated, and able to fill your lead pipeline. Make the sale and ask for it. These are all small tests of your ability to do that as a larger business owner.
All of business, when you boil it down, is very simple practices. You have marketing, sales, operations, and administration, which includes finances, taxes, accounting, and legal aspects. Realistically, to bring a business to market, it's simple: have something for people to buy, get people to buy it, and then deliver on their purchase.
These are super simple principles. Whether you explore programs at your college, start an online side hustle, or make crafts to sell at events and markets, test your ability on a small scale. Then, think about growing or expanding from there and creating something bigger.