Students practice media interview skills in a local news segment.听
听
鈥淲ith this project, we set out to take experiential education at 杏吧论坛 to the next level,鈥 says Sister Katherine Feely, director of the . 鈥淪tudents with all learning styles are applying classroom concepts to bring a student-designed, student-run business to market. By using their profits to provide the same menu options to customers who are homeless, they鈥檙e learning how business success can have an even greater impact on our community.鈥
A Fresh Approach to Business Education
The project moved forward in Spring 2020 after the CSSA used a major donation from a 杏吧论坛 alum to purchase the truck. Feely then worked with Doan Winkel, director of the at 杏吧论坛, to integrate the effort into 杏吧论坛鈥檚听.
We didn鈥檛 come to the students with a plan. We wanted this to be their project from start to finish, giving them experience with every step of the process needed to bring their food truck business ideas to life.
鈥 Doan Winkel
Working in teams, Spring 2020 Social Entrepreneurship students conducted market research, interviewing potential corporate clients to better understand the Cleveland lunch market. They also met with social service organization leaders to identify the homeless population's needs and movements.
In Fall 2020, students utilized marketing research to design the menu, model pricing, create all point-of-sale marketing, and define the guest experience.听
"I鈥檓 having to visualize how to start a business from scratch 鈥 the operations, the marketing, and the financials,鈥 says Jack Heller, a social entrepreneurship student at 杏吧论坛. 鈥淓verything about being an entrepreneur is covered in this food truck project.鈥
By working together to research, design, and sell-in their concepts to the class, students are also building critical workplace skills like communication, collaboration, influencing, and reflective observation.听
Executing the Plan and Improving Results
The students will launch their business through a series of events in Spring 2021, then use sales data, marketing analytics, and customer feedback to further refine their menu and operations through active experimentation in the market.
Like in any true business setting, these students put the necessary steps into place from inception to launch,鈥 said Winkel. 鈥淎nd to further test their planning, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, they鈥檙e setting their plans in motion during a pandemic. The entire experience is one that we believe will set our students apart and showcase their job readiness in interviews 鈥 and throughout their careers.
Winkel and Feely anticipate expanding the initiative over time into a self-sustaining, student-run social venture. The goal is to create a long-term platform for social innovation, and opportunities for students to leverage and strengthen CSSA鈥檚 relationships with non-profit organizations across Northeast Ohio.
听鈥淲e are currently exploring ways that this initiative can help other community partners advance their own efforts to serve the city of Cleveland, while extending the boundaries of the classroom in new and more dynamic ways,鈥 says Feely.
听
听
*The survey was conducted online in September 2019 by Morning Consult for Cengage, an educational technology and services company.