Prior to the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic, Juliana Scheidhauer was working on a business venture focused on bringing new technology and innovation to martial arts studios. But when the pandemic shut down workout facilities, she had to pivot.
That led Scheidhauer to launch Reimagine Resource, a company that refurbishes and resells workout equipment to consumers and gyms. She initially operated Reimagine Resource from her parents’ garage, but has expanded in recent months to meet demand. Earlier this year, Reimagine Resources opened a 5,000-square-foot warehouse and headquarters in Fenton. The business currently employs three contractors.
For the 22-year-old Scheidhauer, Reimagine Resources is the latest example of the fast pace with which she’s operated. She graduated high school at 16 years old and had a bachelor's degree in business administration, with an emphasis in finance, by 18. In May, she earned a master’s degree in international business from Saint Louis University.
Did you always envision becoming an entrepreneur? I've always been interested in business and strategy, so when I was growing up, I started several businesses. Today, however, I am also passionate about finding ways to change the world around me into a better place. We should invest in the people, environment, and ecosystem around us, as it tends to have a ripple effect starting first in our city and then the world. For me, it made sense that entrepreneurship and business are one of the most effective ways to serve others.
Where do you see yourself and your career in five years? Something that life has taught me is to dream, plan, and mitigate risk but also to be flexible and to hold my plans with an open hand because I don't know what tomorrow will bring. What I can say is as long as I'm physically and mentally able, I intend to make the world a better place by being a good steward of everything that is entrusted to me. So in five years, I see myself continuing to make an impact on my community and improving the world around me, whether it's as an owner of an international company, as an employee, or some other capacity.
So far, you’ve decided to self-fund your business as opposed to seeking investors. Why is that? I want to be a profitable business that does well, but at the same time, that is not the goal of my business. The goal of my business is to impact the community where we are locally, but also globally. My vision is more about the impact it has on people than it does to make a profit, for myself or anyone else.
What can St. Louis do to engage more young entrepreneurs like yourself? First of all, the St. Louis ecosystem is already very robust and active. St. Louis has countless resources and opportunities that I still have yet to explore or participate in. For example, the local universities are active in supporting young entrepreneurs, the chambers are awesome resources, the funding in the region is abundant, and the St. Louis area houses many professionals who are happy and open to connecting young entrepreneurs with contacts and resources. My ideas are:
- Collaborative streamlined ecosystem: As a young entrepreneur, it can be overwhelming to determine where best to start. I suggest creating an integrated, digital, streamlined platform that can boost ease of access to all the wonderful resources in the region from inception to global expansion. St. Louis is becoming more competitive nationally and globally, but bringing it down to practical, actionable steps for entrepreneurs would allow for more engagement for the next generations.
- Mentorship and leadership: Having a seat at the table where young entrepreneurs can learn from more seasoned, experienced leaders would be another solution. By listening, learning, and respectfully engaging with ideas from another perspective through reverse mentorship would help bridge the cross-generational gap and add collaboration while also actively engaging young entrepreneurs in shaping the community they are building.
St. Louis is consistently ranked one of the top cities for entrepreneurs and has a lot of great things happening already. As St. Louis continues to grow, I think it’s really important to keep the law of the harvest in mind. What St. Louis' leaders and community sow, they will reap. The level of investment, intentionality, and integrity will ultimately determine the level of engagement and success of young entrepreneurs.
