“Our mantra is: If you don’t build your own dreams, someone’s going to hire you and build theirs. And we really want students to build their own dreams,” said Jason Earl, the director of the Willes Center, when asked about the focus of Empower Your Dreams, the annual competition held this year on May 11-12. “Empower Your Dreams is a crash course to starting a business,” said Robby Whites, a guest judge and co-founder of Clarus Glassboards. His partner, Jeremy Rincon, said in a presentation to students at the awards ceremony, “Many people love the idea of entrepreneurship, but not the reality. Entrepreneurship requires fearless leadership, and you need to stand alone. And it can be terrifying.” Earl said this was the seventh year of the event, and this year’s was the biggest one yet. “It started out relatively small and then over time it was so successful they decided to dedicate a whole day to it,” Earl said. In giving advice to student entrepreneurs, Rincon said, “The risks are you’ll fail. But I strongly believe that anything that’s easy isn’t worth trying for. So don’t let failure be an impediment to pursuing your dreams.” Heather Staker, a guest judge and co-founder of elementary learning platforms “Brain Chase” and “Ready to Blend,” said, “I feel in my life that I’ve had heavenly inspiration about the path that’s right for me. So I would recommend in any situation, as we’re choosing careers or startup enterprises, that we tune in to that source of direction.” Rincon advised, “Think big. It sounds cliché to say it, but I think every single concept we heard today was bigger than the individual person.” Guest judge Elizabeth Smart, president of the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, agreed, saying her best piece of advice is simply to “do what you have a passion for.” This year the event was held in the PCC’s Hawaiian Journey Theater, where the students presented their businesses on a six-story screen. Earl said this year over $30,000 was given out to fund students’ businesses, which is more money than has ever been given out in the competition. Hyram Yarbo, a sophomore from Arizona studying international cultural studies who competed in Empower Your Dreams, said students submitted business proposals with all the aspects of how their company is run: descriptions of the service or product, marketing plans, and who’s on the team. Five finalists were chosen for each category–International, Social, Domestic, and Community–to submit their proposal before the guest judges. Yarbo said students needed commitment to their business to make it into the competition. “If you entered the competition without fully believing in your business, you shouldn’t have entered. Because you have to believe in it.” He added the judges were looking for the effort students put into the businesses. “If you haven’t put skin in the game and really involved yourself in the creation of your business, who’s to say you’re not going to back out?” Smart said she was impressed with all of the students’ ideas, how well thought-out their businesses were, and how well-prepared the presentations were. Whites added seeing the students’ passion for their businesses was inspiring. He also said he admired that so many people wanted to give back to those in need and make a difference in the world through their businesses. Kalin Uluave, a senior from Laie studying business, won the first place prize of $5,000 in the Domestic Category with his business “Lift Humanity,” which sells bracelets and bags made by merchants in Third World countries. Uluave said he definitely didn’t expect to win, but said he plans to use the money to start an online platform and a social media presence for his business. Uluave said he enjoyed Empower Your Dreams and the event allowed him to network and make connections. “It was awesome to meet some mentors who showed me what I could be doing to make more money, what I’m doing that’s wasting money and time, and what I can do to better scale the business.” He added it was fun to have his wife, Kiana Uluave, win first place in the Community Category with her business “The North Shore Coupon,” a coupon card that partners with businesses across the North Shore to give percent off deals to card owners. He said his wife plans to make contacts with over 100 businesses before she launches the card for Fall student orientation. Uluave laughed, “She’s more of the brains. I just try to follow her.” WinnersInternational1st: “Accent Champion”Sze Wan Feigleson2nd: “Deseret Aluminum”Christian Kevin Kusuma and Mosia Lucianto3rd: “A&J Fertility Group”Amulek Ming Wei YuCommunity 1st: “The North Shore Coupon”Kiana Uluave2nd:“Native Edge”Josh Riboldi3rd:“Word Power Genius”Dale Hammond and Jacob GoldDomestic1st: “Lift Humanity”Kalin Uluave2nd: “Just in Case”Katie Bak, Demaree Brown and Joshua Carter3rd: “Tovo Care Givers, LLC”Lavinia TovoSocial1st: “The Kapalu Connection” William Arnett III2nd: “Tossd Salt Spray”Savannah Allred3rd: “Ayele Foundation”Augustine Cassis Boateng
Writer: Samantha Daynes
