Some people choose to forgo the path of working for an employer, but for others they choose to become their own boss. For a few students at Marquette, they get to live that dream.
Mark Seefeld, a sophomore in the College of Business Administration is one of those individuals. Seefeld owns and operates two businesses: Aqua Navis LLC. – a boat detailing and restoration business – and a business consulting firm. Seefeld said that his experience running his own business has allowed him to help others improve their businesses as well.
“What I do is help them look at things from the mindset of a business owner and and help them figure out what could they do better,” Seefeld said. “The first step is finding a strong value proposition.”
A value proposition is what separates an individual’s business from all of its competitors. This ranges from passion for the work to a connection-based business experience. That proposition, Seefeld said, is where most business owners fail, and where good business owners start.
Seefeld said that he spends upwards of 80 hours a week between his two business and his student workload at Marquette.
“If I get a phone call while I’m in class, and I see it’s a client of mine or prospective client, I immediately make sure to answer that. In business speed is everything,” Seefeld said. “If you don’t answer that client, they may go with somebody else, even even if you call them back 30 minutes later.”
Seefeld said for Aqua Navis he serviced over 50 clients.
Jonalie Zamora, a sophomore in the College of Business Administration, who sells crochet designs and products, said her most recent product, a “Surprise Bouquet Blanket,” took about 60 hours to complete. Zamora said that she has orders out until February 2024.
“If you expect results right away, you’re gonna be disappointed,” Zamora said. “There’s a lot of people who have this idea, but don’t work on it, and that’s why it doesn’t work. Not because the idea wouldn’t work, but because they didn’t put in the effort.”
Zamora similarly finds the work worthwhile. She said that, in the month of October, she grossed $2400 in sales, and has gotten to know some great people through the start-up process. Zamora works with the Student-Made Marquette organization, who inspire her and give her advice on how to grow her storefront.
Zamora and Seefeld said if a student has an idea, Marquette is the place to start it. In their experiences, both faculty and their fellow students help encourage, inspire and develop their business ideas from the beginning. Zamora said the connections and friends she made through the process helped get them through the long weeks of work.
“Marquette, really dedicates its time to helping each other out,” Zamora said.
As for the future, both Zamora and Seefeld said that they plan to continue working on their businesses and growing them to their highest potential. They both agreed that any student who has an idea, no matter how silly they think it may be, should give it a go while they are still young.
“If you’re a student, you might as well do it while you’re here,” Seefeld said. “As long as you’re willing to put in the work and take the time to make the effort, you could most definitely succeed.”
This story was written by Allan Fox. He can be reached at [email protected].
