Dixie State University’s Business Resource Center Helps Entrepreneurs Launch Toward Success By Allie Garrow
About the Author After graduating with her associate degree from Brigham Young University-Idaho, Allie Garrow transferred to Dixie State University to become a Trailblazer. Now a senior at DSU, Allie is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in media studies with an emphasis in public relations. She is also minoring in communication studies and marketing. When Allie’s not hitting the books, she enjoys hitting the road in pursuit of adventure.
Did you know a 2020 report by WalletHub ranked the city of St. George, Utah, number one in the nation for the best small cities to start a business? If you have an awesome invention or business idea but have no clue where to start, the Business Resource Center (BRC), located at Dixie State University’s Atwood Innovation Plaza, has the resources and information you need to create and launch your business.
The BRC offers the Launch Series, designed to teach new business owners and entrepreneurs in southern Utah how to successfully launch and grow a business. This four-week virtual series and follow-up business advising are free thanks to a grant provided by the U.S. Economic Development Administration. Participants learn about market testing, business development, financial strategy, and more. CEO and founder of OG Creative, Oreo Ogunsola, is just one example of how the Business Resource Center has made a difference. The BRC has not only increased his knowledge but also molded his future as a digital design business owner.
“I developed a business model that I believed had good potential, but there was still a lot of uncertainty,” said Oreo. “The Launch Series helped clear my clouded vision about starting an actual business, providing me access to valuable resources, mentorship, and a good platform to grow a business from the ground up.” 54 www.sghealthandwellnessmagazine.com
After moving to St. George from Nigeria in May of 2017, Oreo started his college career at Dixie State University with big dreams. Participating in the Launch Series provided Oreo with opportunities to collaborate with other business professionals. Now finishing his senior year, Oreo spends most of his time hitting the books and building his business, OG Creative. OG Creative is a Utah-based digital marketing agency that partners with brands and agencies to create effective and sustainable strategies for all aspects of digital marketing. They focus on search engine optimization, logo creation, content marketing, and websites. Their recent Take Off initiative is a pricing package designed to help startup businesses.
BRC Outreach Manager Colette Cox expressed delight in the diversity they’ve seen since the program launched in October 2020. “One notable highlight is that 49 percent of the Launch Series participants are women, and 28 percent of participants are minorities, which is outstanding considering our service area make up has only an 8 percent minority population.” Within the past six months, Innovation Plaza has provided 316 business consultations and is home to nearly thirty incubating companies, including OG Creative, Eden Tech, SoftCell, and the Trula Foundation. “My greatest accomplishment is witnessing these businesses succeed,” Cox said, “Even through the challenges and difficulties of launching our program during COVID-19, we have found much growth and success; however, it feels like we are just getting started.” To learn more about the Launch Series, visit innovation.dixie.edu/ business-resource-center-at-dsu/brc-launch-series/. For more information about OG Creative, go to ogcreative.net/.
