Making My Bakery a Reality
Andrew Blodgett, 2020
BS BA (Innovation & Entrepreneurship Concentration) and BS Marketing
The first time I came to UT Dallas was for a recruitment event for the Naveen Jindal School of Management. The highlight for me was getting to meet the program director for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which was what I was hoping to study. After a talk that he gave to the potential students, I approached him and asked some questions. At the time, I was planning to start my own bakery/cafe, and had a lot of ideas about how to make it great.
How I Started My Business in College
I had the privilege of taking several classes from this same professor during my sophomore and junior years, and he helped me grow my business as a student. I started by selling bread at a local farmers market. But eventually I was selling a variety of baked goods on campus at pop-up events for Smiles Bakery, the business I had created. My professor acted as a mentor to me during the process, helping me set goals and giving me practical advice. Thanks to his guidance and support, I was able to grow my pop-up bakery business on campus to hosting large events with over 100 people, partnering with other campus groups and gaining widespread brand awareness at UTD.
Leading a Team
During my junior and senior year, I led a student intern team of up to 25 students who would help with different areas of the business, learn valuable skills and help me increase the capacity and reach of Smiles Bakery.
I truly believe that if I wasn’t at UTD, Smiles Bakery would never be much more than me sitting at a farmers market booth selling loaves of bread. Thanks to the supportive community of students coming to my events and supporting what I’m doing, I was able to reach a lot of customers.
Beyond that, the mentorship and guidance I received from my professor enabled me to make good decisions and grow the business in a real way. I’m grateful for all the experiences I had at UT Dallas, and this is just one example of why I’m proud to be a Comet.
