During the 2023 year, the following student businesses were selected as featured student and alumni businesses in our Entrepreneurship Box. To learn more about each business, visit their websites or social media accounts below.
Click here to view past businesses featured.
CaLa Designs
Camille Lastrapes
My name is Camille Lastrapes and I am the creator and owner of CaLa Designs. I recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Commercial Entrepreneurship at Florida State University and am currently getting my Master's in Product Development. Entrepreneurship has always been a passion of mine that I knew I needed to pursue. When I started this endeavor almost three years ago, my goal was to provide earrings that inspired confidence and uniqueness in all women. Along with running Cala Designs, I enjoy playing tennis and spending time with friends and family. I am excited to see what the future holds!
Instagram: instagram.com/cala__designs/
Courtney Coldiron Art
Courtney Coldiron
My name is Courtney Coldiron, I am an artist, graphic designer, entrepreneur, product developer, and the list goes on. Creativity is the root of everything in my life, whether its art, problem solving, or brainstorming. Beyond that, my art is an expression of my inner child, so that when people view my art, they also get to experience a part of their inner child, something that is buried so easily as we grow up. This is mainly evident in my acrylic abstract pieces that have a unique lineillism technique I have created, which can be found on my Instagram. With my watercolor pieces, I like to create something that connects people to a part of themselves or their life, with more realistic portrayals.
Through art, I have been featured in two gallery shows, created a successful Kickstarter campaign, been commissioned for custom pieces, donated pieces to charity auctions and participated in multiple community markets. I hope my art can resonate with you, and if you have any questions about commissions or prints of any other work, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Instagram: instagram.com/courtneycoldironart
Muladhara Beauty
Julianna Gayoso and Natalie Medina
Muladhara started with Julianna's passion for makeup and her desire to create plant-based products that are capable of healing skin while enhancing beauty. Although this has been a goal of Julianna's for several years, it wasn't until she met Natalie that she decided it was time to bring her vision to life. Julianna and Natalie met during their first semester in the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship and instantly hit it off. After attempting several other businesses within the college and pivoting several times, the two decided to take a leap of faith and start Muladhara. The word Muladhara stems from the Sanskrit "Mula," meaning "root" and "Adhara," meaning "support." As a whole, Muladhara is the Sanskrit word for the root chakra, which is an energy center in the body located at the base of the spine. This chakra represents the grounding forces of life, which include basic needs such as food, water, shelter, as well as emotional fulfillment. When these needs are met and this chakra is balanced, one feels grounded and safe. Therefore, Our goal is to use ingredients that are derived directly from the Earth's roots to promote trust, comfort, and grounding in our beauty products to nurture not only the skin but the soul.
Instagram: instagram.com/muladhara.beauty
SproutfulNotes
Allison Pena
Hope sprouts in the darkest of places. Life is hard enough, and everyone needs a way to cope and get through the day. People want to be better because they want to feel better. They just need to find a way that works for them. Allison poured out her feelings on paper. While her partner, Wesley, grew a green thumb. This is where Sproutful Notes' story began.
Your life matters. Your friends, family, and even strangers want you here. That is why we provide a healthy way to "bury" your emotions. Write out whatever you need to in our seed paper; dreams, secrets, goals, guilts, anything! Tear that page out and then bury it in some dirt. Watch your words grow into something beautiful.
This is where tranquility meets sustainability. Sproutful Notes was created for you. So get writing because your story is not done!
Website: sproutfulnotes.com/
Sunny Girl
Olivia Johnson
My name is Olivia, and I am the owner and creative mind behind Sunny Girl. I started my small business in May of 2020 right amid Covid when I was 18 years old. I am a current Senior at FSU-PC, and I am studying Commercial Entrepreneurship with a minor in Communications. I have always loved crafts and over the years I have created a handful of summer businesses, and Sunny Girl is the one that has stuck with me. Initially, I started making necklaces by hand for my friends from my hometown for fun, and soon I created an Instagram page after I started to get consistent sales. Business escalated quickly and I started branding and I designed my own website to start selling on the web. I have branched out into many different categories and styles of jewelry since 2020, and I absolutely love what I do. My dream is to one day open my own store front with a boutique that represents my brand. All my pieces are inspired by the ocean and where I live, I use materials that are made to wear all day everyday especially for beach trips! My products are created with gold plated metals, natural freshwater pearls, and non-tarnishing materials. I know that my business stands out and it is so rewarding seeing my customers all over the country wearing my handmade pieces.
I would love to make your next piece of jewelry!
Romans 8:28 - "All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose."
I have done lots of orders for Sororities, clubs, parties, church etc. If you're interested in placing a custom bulk order or being an ambassador for my brand reach out to me via email, sunnygirlbrand@gmail.com
Website: shopsunnygirl.com
Sunny Made
Sydney Gault and Kelsey Pemberton
These past couple of years have been socially and economically hard on the world, from Covid-19 to the war in Ukraine to wildfires destroying homes in California. We want to make a positive impact by promoting peace and happiness in a time where it is hard to find. This is the mantra of Sunny Made, a brand created to bring light into a dark world.
We created a product that stretched our knowledge of fashion design, sustainability, and sewing. Our first launch was at the beginning of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, where the world was on edge. The “Spread the Peace” Tote bag was a product of worldwide tension, as we sought to promote peace. These tote bags are handmade with materials that are either donated or thrifted. We currently have successfully released two tote bag drops, each consisting of 25 tote bags. We are proud to say that both drops sold out in a matter of hours. Additionally, we have donated 10% of our first drop’s proceeds to the Save The Children relief fund, dedicated to the Ukrainian crisis. Our second drop benefited Goodwill in the Big Bend region for their community service mission. We will be continuing our philanthropic efforts with each drop.
Our goals for the fall of 2022 include creating a working e-commerce website and new tote bag designs. Additionally, we have exciting collaborations with local Tallahassee businesses where our bags will be sold in-store. As always, we will continue to spread peace and happiness through our business and connections in the community.
Website: instagram.com/sunnymadefl
Tahoma Organics
Chenoa Milam
Hello! My name is Chenoa Milam, and I am the founder of Tahoma Organics. The inspiration behind this brand all started with a trip to Washington state, where I was surrounded by nature in every form and came to the realization that I wanted to give everyone the chance to feel exactly how I felt- hiking those beautiful mountains, taking in such clean, refreshing air- for I felt one with nature. I wanted to give all of you the feeling of being one with nature by creating body care products that are made from all natural ingredients and are 100% sustainable. This is where the name "Tahoma" came from- the name that the natives called present-day Mt. Ranier.
I am a full-time college student on my way to obtaining my Bachelor's in Commercial Entrepreneurship, and from there I will go for my MBA. Tahoma Organics and I were both born and raised out of Panama City, Florida. My favorite thing to do is to be outdoors-doing anything!
Through my company, I hope to reach all of the nature-lovers and wannabe-adventurers out there and create a bond over our love for natural and Earth-loving body care products!
Website: tahomaorganics.com
Traveling Bard
Nate Russell
Traveling Bard Coffee was started by Nate Russell as an idea to provide fresh and local coffee at an affordable price to the local markets of Tallahassee. After researching where to buy green coffee, Nate realized how neglected coffee farmers are. According to a blog on Carto.com, 44% of the world's smallholder coffee farmers are living in poverty, and 22% of them are living in extreme poverty.* Many of those farmer's crops are "fair-trade" certified, which has sparked controversy in the roasting community on the validity of who it is "fair" for.
That is why Traveling Bard aims to provide more transparency on the who, where, and how of our coffee. Check out the product descriptions to learn more about where our coffee comes from!
Website: travelingbardcoffee.com