The Michigan Times

Issue date: 4/7/08 Section: Campus

Media Credit: Tim Jagielo Rash [Click to enlarge]

For a lot of financially strapped college students, the dream of starting a business one day is more of a pipe dream than a reality. But at UM-Flint, that notion is beginning to change.

Joel Rash is the manager of Launch, the UM program designed to give creative, business-minded students a place to flesh out their ideas. Rash has been working with Derek Williams, the founder of UM-Flint's newly created Entrepreneurial Club.

"It's been kind of running unofficially," says Williams.

The first goal for eClub, says Rash, is to make a connection between entrepreneurs and the students interested in starting up a business.

"The result of that is that we hope UM-Flint students will be starting their own businesses," said Rash.

Rash says that students interested in entrepreneurship have come from a variety of study disciplines. "You might be getting your degree in nursing because you want to start your own home health care business."

Because of the diverse interests and skills that students bring to the economic table, they create unique new businesses from a fresh perspective. One example is a business birthed from the halls of Kettering University, ratemystudentrental.com.

The site gives college students in Flint the opportunity to learn about rental homes in the neighborhood. They can access the site for free and get a first-hand report on a former resident's experience. They can post a review of the rental property after living there and the landlord can use the feedback to improve their business.

"I think there is a growing understanding nationwide that students can do more than just learn about how the economy works," said Rash.

This "New Economy" requires less start-up capital, allowing younger people with ambition and skill to start a business with less money up front. "It's really a way for people who are capital poor, but idea rich, to get something up off the ground," said Rash.

"If you're a good graphic designer," he said, "all you need is a computer and a website and you can do design for anybody anywhere in the world."

Continued...

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