USCA fosters students’ entrepreneurial spirit

Entrepreneurship appears to be on the rise, but according to Buck Harris, USCA instructor of finance and entrepreneurship, it’s something else.

“I believe it is more of a growing awareness than a trend, and owning one's own small business is both exciting and challenging, especially for younger people who dread the thought of working in an office,” he said.

Harris says more than 99 percent of businesses in the United States are small, as are approximately 99.99 percent globally. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there are more than 530,000 small businesses in South Carolina – 99.4 percent of businesses in the state. This figure represents almost 43 percent of the Palmetto State’s employees.

“So even if a student does not start their own small business, they are very likely to work for one,” he said.

Which is why the USCA School of Business Administration seeks to graduate career-ready students.

For those interested in start-ups, SOBA offers two online courses that introduce students to the opportunities, challenges and requirements of owning a business. The first one is principles of entrepreneurship.

“I chose USCA because of its rock-solid communication department and the availability of remote classes. The online principles of entrepreneurship class served as a wonderful, enlightening, comprehensive explanation. Entrepreneurship now seems realistic and achievable to me,” said Caleb Cunningham, a communication major from Lexington, South Carolina.

“No matter where I end up professionally, I will take what I've learned in this class to engage with my professional environment more competently."

The principals of entrepreneurship course focuses on foundational concepts, including financing, starting, operating, growing and exiting an entrepreneurial venture.

“The biggest challenge may be access to capital, so helping potential entrepreneurs better understand the lending environment is critical to helping them craft a business plan that can actually get funded,” said Harris, who worked in small business-lending in underserved capital markets for many years.

“The second biggest challenge is education. Pulling the veil off the romanticized notions of small business ownership is the first step to a successful venture.”

The strategic entrepreneurship course incorporates artificial intelligence to create a business plan based on students’ specific prospective products or services.

“The structure behind a great idea is what makes a small business successful, so we aim to educate students around that structure; the Branding Model, as I like to call it. This is a big step toward creating a successful enterprise,” said Harris, who owned his own business for more than 15 years.

All online courses related to entrepreneurism are available to enrolled students and to the community at large, which includes many who are looking to start a successful business and some who haven’t given it a thought.

“At present, I do not have any entrepreneurial plans, and I have never had personal aspirations to become a business owner. As I worked through Professor Harris' class, however, I realized that I never seriously considered entrepreneurship because it seemed impossible. This class was an antidote to that feeling,” said Cunningham, USCA ‘27.

“Through Professor Harris' innovative course structure, which featured interviews with real entrepreneurs, I came away feeling more confident in my ability to understand the systems that entrepreneurs contend with, and the many challenges entrepreneurs face. Professor Harris demystified the path of entrepreneurship for me, from the inception of a business idea to its eventual materialization in the real world, noting all the procedural steps one must take to move from one point to the next; and not only to advance, but to do so in the most optimal way.”

While the coursework is important, Harris said it’s just not enough.

“The kind of innovation that students will need to make them successful entrepreneurs is the kind of innovation we bring to the virtual classroom,” he said. 

“I am a fan of face-to-face learning, but innovative programs are particularly suited to the online learning platform.”

The university is exploring additional resources to add to the School of Business Administration programs and concentrations, including another online course and the possibility of a concentration in entrepreneurship.

Editor’s note: According to the U.S. State Department, November is National Entrepreneurship Month, “a time to celebrate the entrepreneurs who serve their communities and bolster the American economy.”  This story is one in the “Making Our Way” series, celebrating USCA entrepreneurs.

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