Northern Michigan University students enrolled in an entrepreneurship course were tasked with creating a business from scratch on a strict timeline. For one team, the assignment has manifested as Wildcat Snow & Lawn. The students are dedicated to donating the proceeds of this lawn care business to the local Habitat for Humanity organization.
“We are students, we are doing this for a class. We aren't making any money, this is all going to charity,” said Danny Martin, a co-founder of Wildcat Snow & Lawn, in a Mining Journal story.
The team members are particularly inclined to return the support they have received as student athletes.
“During our seasons, we are grateful for the community's support, and we are excited to hopefully give back ot the community by helping out with yard work while doing it for a good cause,” they said in a joint statement.
The team of students chose to pursue lawn care because they had access to most of the equipment necessary to perform the services offered, and recognized a demand for these services among the Marquette community.
“We know there's a large enough demographic that either hate yard work, or simply don't have enough time to complete it. With six of us in a group, we can complete a lot of work and even do multiple jobs at once."
Accompanying business creation, the entrepreneurship class involves students in website design and appointment booking, submerging students into hands-on business experience and a quick-paced learning curve.
“During this time, we've learned tips and skills on how to market and how to reach the appropriate audience, among many other things.”
The main challenge the team faced was finding an initial inspiration and building ideas upon that in order to get their business up and running.
“When we finally decided lawn care and got moving with marketing and such, ideas and the work started coming more frequently,” they said.
To find more information about Wildcat Snow & Lawn, contact the team, request a quote or book services, visit wildcatsnowlawn.com/about. Service prices range from $15 to $40, depending on lawn size. The final week to book an appointment with Wildcat Snow & Lawn is the last week of April, as the academic semester comes to a close.
The entrepreneurship class is taught by Corinne Bodeman. Wildcat Snow & Lawn team members and their hometowns include:
· Arthur Ylitalo, Buffalo, Minnesota
· Josh Zinger, Alberta, Canada
· Parker Streiff, Petoskey, Michigan
· Brian Parzych, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
· Evan Jones, Minnetonka, Minnesota
· Danny Martin, Kalamazoo, Michigan