Southwest Tennessee Community College (Southwest) and the Crews Center for Entrepreneurship at University of Memphis (UOM) collaborated in 2022 to establish ImagineU, an intensive, 12-week summer entrepreneurship accelerator designed as a hub for area entrepreneurs.
The ImagineU Summer Entrepreneurship Accelerator program emphasizes diversity and inclusion. The Tennessee Small Business Development Center (TSBDC) at Southwest pays participating students a $3,000 stipend to make the experience available to students from all walks of life.
Dozens of budding entrepreneurs have collaborated to envision future business ventures and learn the fundamentals of entrepreneurship. This year’s ImagineU had a tremendous impact on the students. The team of Brittani Morganfield, an entrepreneurship major from Southwest and Amun Akil Tyz, Carl Bledsoe Jr., and Sahitya Buddharaju from UOM developed the We Trip, Too app, which they describe as a company with a cause that exists to protect women, LGBTQ+ people, and people of color from intolerance, discrimination, and harm while traveling. The app is set to launch February 2023.
The team describes their ImagineU experience.
“Knowing that only two spots were available for Southwest students at ImagineU, and I got one of them, meant a lot to me. Being at the Crews Center with my cohort members and Mr. Hoffmeyer taught me so much about myself and allowed me to grow out of the labels I would often put on myself. I used to believe I was very introverted and awkward but after my experiences at the Crews Center and outside events, I realized that I may not be the awkward, or shy girl I thought I was. I just hadn’t had the right moment to break out of my shell; these three months at ImagineU gave me that,” said Morganfield.
“ImagineU has been an exceptional learning journey. In 90 days, we learned how to look at problems as opportunities, how to come up with creative solutions, how to fail, and eventually how to succeed. This experience has taught me to dream big and boosted my self-confidence. Everything I learned here will remain valuable for the rest of my life. I am very grateful to be a part of this program and a part of this amazing team,” said Buddharaju.
“Through the experiences that were presented to me this summer, I gained a lot in growth, wisdom and knowledge. Not only was I placed on a team of amazing people, but I was also placed on a team where I wasn’t the leader. In having to follow, I learned how to take constructive criticism, listen without hesitation, and look for ways to optimize my utility within teams. I’ve also learned personal skills, setting boundaries, self-advocacy, consistent communication and how to guide others instead of demanding action. These lessons, truly, don’t come close to the most important one: failure is the precursor to success,” said Akil Tyz.
“The ImagineU program taught me intentional leadership in business. I grew to value constructive criticism from Mr. Hoffmeyer and my cohort, even though at first it felt uncomfortable. I started viewing decisions more objectively, without feeling inauthentic. I also enjoyed learning from guest speakers who represented different industries in the Memphis entrepreneurial scene like the Smart Charge team. I finished ImagineU with a new view of failure. Instead of failure being shameful, let it be motivational. A successful business is like the basketball cycle: know your position, study the competition, listen to be coachable and then execute the vision,” said Bledsoe.
ImagineU is a peek into a bright future
Crews Center Director Michael Hoffmeyer says ImagineU transforms college students into practicing entrepreneurs and shows the world the incredible things they are capable of achieving. “Perhaps the most important thing it delivers is a fundamental belief in self,” he said.
“That self-confidence is a key component of entrepreneurship. When combined with the intense professional development that happens during their entrepreneurial journey, ImagineU students gain incredible value to take into their career no matter what path they take in the future. If you can get hold of them before they start their own companies, ImagineU graduates are among the most innovative and employable talent in the region."
Southwest Business and Legal Studies Professor Joan McGrory agrees. “When a Southwest student is accepted into the University of Memphis ImagineU collegiate accelerator, I know the student is entering a real-world, entrepreneurial endeavor that includes team building, leadership and problem-solving,” McGrory said. “All this occurs in the context of a business that the diverse student-team creates. The vision, planning, and leadership of Crews Center Director Mike Hoffmeyer is the foundation for its success.”
For more information about ImagineU, visit www.memphis.edu/crews/students/programs/imagineu.php
For more than 30 years, the TSBDC network has helped small business owners, entrepreneurs, and individuals with business ideas, by providing access to the financial and technical resources needed to establish and grow businesses that compete in the global marketplace. For more info, visit www.tsbdc.org.
