The Road to Entrepreneurship: Concept to Creation to Consumer

For two days, Kingsborough Community College became a marketplace for homegrown entrepreneurs. On Oct. 14 and 15, 16 alumni and students sold or promoted products and services they created, from handmade glass jewelry and children's books to Caribbean-inspired cookies and custom tattoos.

The event, "The Road to Entrepreneurship: Concept to Creation to Consumer," grew out of Business of Fashion lecturer Michael Palladino's product development course, which is offered each spring, and conversations with his colleague, Deniz Sak.

“Product development is one of my favorite courses because it synthesizes all the business of fashion courses: retail management, salesmanship, fashion forecasting, marketing and textile development,” noted Palladino. “It allows students to see the “through-line” of their studies to a career path.”

“We worked closely with Alumni Relations and Institutional Advancement, who helped us to gather a wide variety of KCC alumni students who have since gone on to become entrepreneurs within all segments of industry,” said Sak. She and Palladino then vetted each person who expressed interest in participating in order to curate a diverse group of alumni entrepreneur representatives.

Fourteen of the 16 chosen vendors were Kingsborough alumni; two were current students. Their businesses covered fashion, food, art, beauty, books, photography and event planning. Among them was Tara Traister, a U.S. Navy and Army National Guard veteran who graduated with a degree in fine arts, sold jewelry from her line, Sunshine Glass. She makes the glass and beads herself. For the past four years, she has been teaching fellow veterans to make glass art at the VA NY Harbor Healthcare System's Brooklyn campus.

Jesseyka Roche, who studied business administration, showed off Naturally Armored, a line of protective gear for children. She started the brand after she noticed a gap in the safety industry.

Other vendors included Rhythm Nation Entertainment, a media and event company led by Kingsborough Foundation board member Dimple Willabus that is marking 30 years and Natasha Boatswain, who, when she isn’t helping students in the financial aid office, is growing her business, TAOP Events & Party Planning.

The 3R Initiative, part of the college's Fashion Club, also sold garments that students reclaimed and repurposed, with all proceeds going to the nonprofit Bottomless Closet.

Kingsborough's Center for Career and Transfer Services gave students tips on building and improving their LinkedIn profiles. The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce had a table both days helping students explore internships, sources for business support and possible employment opportunities in Brooklyn.

More than 200 people attended on Oct. 15. Kingsborough President Suri Duitch gave welcome remarks. Precious L. Williams, CEO of Perfect Pitch Group, then delivered the keynote, "#RockstarConfidence: Selling Brand YOU!"

Next came a panel, "How They Did It: 6 Brands That Have Impact." It was moderated by Ayana Archie, founder and lead story strategist at Ayconic Media and a former NPR reporter. The panelists were:

After the panel, the industry experts walked through the marketplace to meet the vendors and provide feedback.

The event was the first branded as part of CUNY Beyond, an initiative that uses the framework of career-connected learning to tie classroom work to real careers. Palladino and Sak hope to make it an annual event.