Hebron resident Gregory Stevens stumbled along the way to his professional career until discovering Manchester Community College’s entrepreneurship program.
Stevens, 27, said he always has been passionate about visual arts. He worked in the lighting industry for seven years, but put his hobby aside when he began pursuing an education. He started at Central Connecticut State University as a chemistry major but left dissatisfied. He tried the University of Phoenix but was unable to take the classes he desired.
When both schools didn’t measure up to what he wanted, Stevens transferred home and began looking at MCC’s entrepreneurship program.
“I’ve always wanted to shoot for the stars,” said Stevens. “And being an entrepreneur was something I always thought about in the back of my mind.”
MCC launched its entrepreneurship program in 2007 after researching similar initiatives at more than 70 community colleges. MCC offers an associate’s degree in business administration with an entrepreneurship concentration. The school also offers a certificate program in entrepreneurship.
MCC’s entrepreneurship program provides students with definitive steps in preparation for starting their own business, said Theresa Janeczek, associate professor of business and entrepreneurship at MCC.
“The curriculum and resources combined are used to help our students move forward with their business enterprises, accelerating their ideas into real-life startups,” said Janeczek.
MCC enrolls students annually in competitions to encourage their competitive side while presenting their entrepreneurial ideas. After Janeczek examined Stevens’ proposal, she encouraged him to compete for start-up money.
“After talking to Professor Janeczek, I knew I was in the right place,” said Stevens. “The advisors are extremely helpful, the teachers are approachable, and the attitude at MCC is so great it’s contagious.”
Stevens won $500 when he placed first in the statewide community college elevator pitch competition, a spoken presentation an entrepreneur might give to a potential investor during a one-minute elevator ride. Just one week later, Stevens won another $500 for the best written plan for a personal business.
“The entrepreneurship program aims to empower students to be independent and gives them tools to utilize skill sets they wouldn’t normally know how to implement,” said Janeczek. “It enables them to develop their business, professional, and personal skills, allowing them to have a dream and potentially make that dream come true.”
Stevens opened his business, Artistic Projection, in March. It specializes in projecting large images onto buildings and public venues, open to businesses and private parties.
“What I eventually hope to offer is a local business driven towards advertising,” said Stevens.
MCC’s entrepreneurship program is relatively new. It averages 55 to 60 students a semester and is steadily increasing, said Janeczek.
The entrepreneurship program includes the study of accounting practices, law, and marketing and business leadership. Students are taught to recognize opportunity, raise money, register a company, and think critically to overcome problems. MCC puts young entrepreneurs in touch with a network of entrepreneurship organizations and experts.
Brandon Rankl of Bolton was one of MCC’s first entrepreneurship graduates. His trash removal business, Mr. Junk, began as a school project and earned an outstanding achievement in entrepreneurship award. With his classroom knowledge and his prior knowledge of equipment from his father’s experience in the tree industry, Mr. Junk took off and has been consistently growing since.
“I always flirted with the idea of starting my own business, but when I was required to develop a business plan for the course I was taking at MCC, it really started to seem real and feasible,” said Rankl.
