Six recent Indiana University East graduates have a variety of visions – and roadmaps – as they forge forward as budding entrepreneurs.

That’s not a problem. Every journey is different.

The Richmond area offers undeniable proof with dozens of examples of highly successful entrepreneurial success stories ranging from local to national to worldwide.

The new graduates delved into some of those stories in a unique two-week pilot program called the BOSS Experience. They listened to speakers, visited successful companies and were presented with ideas for business plans. In addition, they were even paid a salary to do so.

The pioneering program helped them see their potential futures through the lenses of local business visionaries. It offered ways to find resources to reach their goals.

Following are some of the students’ stories:

• Dailen Troutman of Indianapolis wants to start an affordable clothing line that makes buyers feel good about themselves, but first will work as a graphic designer.
  
• Jessica Maupin of Centerville, Indiana, has plans to attend medical school, but first needs to build a nest egg. So, she has started a home-based business that sells hand-painted Bible covers.
  
• Colton Toms of New Paris, Ohio, aims to build wholesale businesses, including one that will deliver boxes of products by subscription. The boxes would include feel-good items such as Warm Glow Candles (a different scent every month), sauces and fruits. The purpose, he said, “is to support small businesses.”
  
• Reggie Reuss of Brookville, Indiana, plans an entrepreneurial focus on Smart Home Technology. He’s in the planning stage now, going “where life takes me.”

They each returned the week after commencement, held on May 13, to campus for the BOSS Experience. They made daily trips during the program with the mission of delving into the successes of special businesses – big and small.

BOSS Experience is a new variation of the national award-winning BOSS program established 15 years ago by Tim Scales, director of the IU East Center for Entrepreneurship. Scales is a senior lecturer of business for the IU East School of Business and Economics.

BOSS was selected the winner in the Talent Category of the 2020 University Economic Development Association (UEDA) Awards of Excellence.

Scales secured a grant to pay for the new program this May and the graduates’ salaries through Innovate Indiana. “They each earned a good income for their engagement,” Scales said. “The program worked well.”

He hopes to expand next year to add a minimum of two students a piece from all of the Indiana University campuses.

BOSS is an acronym for Business Opportunities for Self Starters.

The original two-week program was designed to introduce local high school students to economics and entrepreneurship and teach them how to produce a business plan.

It was planned to run two years – but Scales kept getting grants to continue it. It now is an example of its own entrepreneurial successes.

The pioneering program is designed for those who have gained an undergraduate degree in the last three years.

The students in the BOSS Experience visited places such as Henny Penny, Color-Box, Warm Glow Candles, Jo Ann’s Cafe and PeaK Nutrition, one of the newest storefronts to open in the Historic Richmond Depot District.

“They all started as entrepreneurs,” said Scales, who noted that the seeds of Henny Penny were sowed in a house in Eaton, Ohio. The company now has nearly 5,000 employees worldwide in the manufacturing of food-service equipment.

“I think a lot of eyes were opened,” Scales said.

Many on campus may not be aware of the successful businesses that started here with dreams and initial product lines that started in garages and kitchens. “It opened my eyes to how much there is in Richmond,” said Reuss, who had never visited any of the companies before.

Troutman said he enjoyed learning about the backgrounds of the businesses and their owners. He believes the knowledge will help him greatly. “That motivates you, having that connection,” he said. “This (program) is kind of like starting your own business.”

Troutman graduated with a general studies degree with a focus on marketing and graphic design. In the first step toward his dreams, he will begin working in the graphics department at Color-Box in Richmond this June.

Troutman wants to design clothing that is affordable to anyone and helps forge positive identities. “Know your worth, value and purpose in life,” he said.

Toms is working an internship as a business analyst with the director of operations at Safety Zone in Richmond. He gained ideas by working with Today’s Harvest in New Paris, Ohio, which promotes itself as “a one-stop” farm store for seasonal produce, donuts, flowers and a lot more. It also offers events and an annual corn maze.

He gained ideas about starting a business through BOSS Experience. “I didn’t know about all the resources available. There are so many,” Toms said.

Maupin said she uses social media to get the word out about her hand-painted Bibles. She buys them blank and then primes, paints and seals the covers that have Bible verses on them.

She believes they will prove popular for weddings, funerals and other special, personal events.

Reuss said he is hopeful that the program will last for a long time, like the original BOSS program.

“This is unlike any classes we had in college,” said Reuss, who was recently named this year’s Outstanding Student in Informatics. “All the things we learned would help anyone.”