Entrepreneurship

Take the leap!

Jump into the seat and set your entrepreneurial mind free! Operate a real business!  Get real-world experience in accounting, managing employees, working with suppliers, meeting CEO’s of major companies, and working with all types of customers!  If you are a futuristic person at heart, you are a perfect fit for SMSU SIFE’s Entrepreneurship program!

About me

Hello, my name is Jeff Schemmel, the Director of Entrepreneurship for SMSU SIFE.  As a junior at SMSU, this is my second year in SIFE and I couldn’t be happier to be here.  It has always been in my interest to run a business, and when I heard that SIFE had its own business I had to be a part of it.

I became a part of SIFE because I had too much free time and my conscience was always telling me I was wasting time and I could do more with myself.  Accordingly, I started learning the varying elements of printing apparel from start to finish and slowly I started working my way into making  some of the bigger decisions at the store.

Now, as store manager, I get to make all the big decisions!  SIFE gave me the opportunity to do what I have always wanted to do!

Another opportunity I took advantage of in SIFE was an exclusive, paid internship, with Schwan’s High Performance Development Center.  I took on a career-building position with Schwan’s HPDC in January 2009 and began to immediately see improvement in my professional skills.

From basic communication, to conducting effective meetings, to leading company-wide projects, I learned how to exercise my own intellect outside of school.  SIFE is something I will always owe my life’s success to, and something that will be permanently embedded into me.

Aside from making a ton of great friends and meeting hundreds of influential and successful people, SIFE will give you any opportunity that you could dream of.  If you want to do it, SIFE will show you the tools to pursue your dream!

The Village

The Village is the legacy project of SMSU SIFE.  SMSU SIFE was the first SIFE team to own and operate their own off-campus business.  The Village, which was formerly known as Nature’s Backyard, was located on Main street in Marshall.  In the last year the business has undergone a dramatic change from a small birding store, to a larger business focused on apparel and customizing apparel.

There are 10-15 SIFE members that currently volunteer time during the week and make the business a success!  At The Village, we all work with customers face-to-face selling our new outdoor apparel from Clarkfield Outdoors enterprises!

The store also has an entity called Village Apparel, which specializes in custom screen-printing any apparel.

Let’s Get To Business

Let’s Get To Business is another legacy project of SMSU SIFE in the Entrepreneurship category.  This project involves SIFE member’s traveling to local school’s and teaching business concepts.