Institute for Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurial Education Partner
Experience CEO Day is a day designed for students within the CICEO district to spend a morning with us to see what CEO is all about and if it is something they want to do their junior or senior year. We host one each month, October thru February, so we can highlight multiple businesses and give students the opportunity to visit.
Yesterday Shannon O’Connor and business partner Matt Riley, hosted the class at @briggs_republic
Shannon shared how she was lacking satisfaction in her previous job and had a side hustle of dog sitting. She took her love for dogs, the need she saw in the community to offer a home like place for dogs to go and a lot of grit and hard work to launch Briggs Republic Dog Day Care and Kennel.
Throughout the process of starting the business her entrepreneurial spirit flourished. Shannon, her husband Ryan, and Matt shared the process of writing a business plan, making projections, talking to the city, getting a loan, renovating the space, and working hard while working their other jobs until they opened the doors. They were very resourceful and created a plan to start small with a vision to grow. They shared how their partnership works by communicating effectively, setting boundaries and having clearly defined roles. The three of them wear many hats as business owners from marketing director, Human Resources, training staff, and daily operations.
They did an amazing job of sharing the highs and lows of entrepreneurship and imparted so much wisdom on the students. It was a great learning opportunity for our guest students as well. They got a glimpse of the behind the scenes and a high level lesson in business during their session.
Thank you Shannon, Matt, the staff & dogs who welcomed us into their space! It was a fun and educational experience!
