• Budding Baylor entrepreneurs following in footsteps of giants

    Entrepreneurs

    Over the years, Baylor has been a launching pad for some pretty business-savvy entrepreneurs. Some are names you know — accomplished individuals such as Clifton Robinson, BBA ’63, a successful entrepreneur in the insurance industry; Paul Foster, BBA ’79, founder and chairman of the board of Western Refining; and of course our stadium’s namesake, Drayton McLane Jr., BBA ’58, who transformed the McLane family grocery store into an international operation.

    A new generation of Baylor entrepreneurs is following in the footsteps of such giants. With the No. 3 entrepreneurial program in the nation, would you expect any less from our students?

    Last year, Baylor students Chris Wells and Andy Chon, along with their two then-roommates, founded The Clothes Bros. After scraping together $1,500 for a manual screen-printing machine and flat-bed press, the staff began operating out of the students’ home. But The Clothes Bros. isn’t like every other t-shirt printing business; for every purchase from its “Shirts for the Streets” collection, the company donates a shirt to a local homeless resident.

    “I think a lot of people think, ‘After I’m out of school or after I get a job, then I’ll invest where I’m planted,’ but we’re planted here now,” Wells said. “We want to invest where we are now because it’s kind of silly to wait around and waste those years in college.”

    Junior Madeline Perkins is the sole owner of Holy Crepe, a new Waco food truck that sells – you guessed it – crêpes. After studying abroad in Europe this past summer, Perkins fell in love with the food and immediately began her search for a truck when she returned home. Holy Crepe has made appearances in the student tailgating area of McLane Stadium before home games, but Perkins hopes to expand to the farmer’s market and other venues.

    Her advice to aspiring student entrepreneurs? “Just try to make a difference. The opportunities are endless. You just have to pick the one that’s best for you.”

    The most promising Baylor entrepreneurs may receive a boost from the Baylor Angel Network (BAN), a group of investors connected to the Hankamer School of Business who provide early stage capital to support developed business plans. BAN is on the lookout for both business opportunities to support and investors to join the network; visit their website for more information.

    Sic ’em, Baylor entrepreneurs!