Continue, sell or liquidate: Walsh students must decide

Over the next few weeks, four student business teams from Walsh University will be making tough cost-benefit decisions.

During the past academic year, the teams have created businesses as part of Walsh's Entrepreneurship Experience (EE).

Now the teams must decide whether to: 1) continue with operations; 2) sell the business to a club or student on campus; or 3) liquidate the business.

"Regardless of the final decision," says EE Program Director Janet Howard, "students are unanimous in saying the experience of implementing the business was priceless."

Entrepreneurship Experience, funded by a grant from The Burton D. Morgan Foundation, brought 12 Walsh students from various disciplines together for a yearlong experience. The students learned about entrepreneurship through reading assignments, field trips, and mentoring relationships with business owners and executives.

They also participated in Global Entrepreneurship Week and the Walsh Express Elevator Pitch Competition, and they made presentations to the University Advisory Board.

Forming teams that planned and launched small businesses on the campus was central to the experience.

Cavs Crave, a healthy smoothie business, took this year's top honors in the competition among the four EE businesses. It was launched during last fall's Homecoming Weekend.

The smoothies also were sold during special student events such as Little Sibs Weekend, Alumni Weekend, the Walsh Health and Wellness Fair and athletic events.