More than two dozen Stephen F. Austin State University students majoring in a variety of subjects spent the semester exploring local businesses to learn about the challenges owners faced on their paths to success. One stop was SuSu’s Popcorn & Candy Café in downtown Nacogdoches, where they learned how Alan and Susan Sowards enlisted family members to help launch the business in March 2023.
The students, who are either members of the Rusche College of Business Economics Reading Group or participants in the college’s “Discovering Business in Croatia” study abroad course, are considering how to start their own businesses.
“The entrepreneurial spirit is growing fast among SFA students, and we want to be intentional about nurturing it,” said Dr. Tim Bisping, dean of the Rusche College of Business. “Opportunities like these help a variety of students come together to share ideas and learn how to run businesses that reflect their diverse passions, from fitness centers to clothing lines to medical practices.”
Inspired by the book “The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future,” by Chris Guillebeau, students visited with the owners of three Nacogdoches businesses: SuSu’s Popcorn & Candy Café, Brendyn’s BBQ and Jeffie Brewer Studio.
“All of the business owners were phenomenal,” said Dr. Ryan Phelps, associate professor of economics and finance at SFA, as well as faculty advisor for the Economics Reading Group and the “Discovering Business” study abroad courses. “This term really had something for everyone.”
Susan Sowards and her husband, former SFA education professor Dr. Alan Sowards, were considering retirement after rewarding careers in Nacogdoches. Instead, they recruited family members to help them launch SuSu’s Popcorn & Candy Café in March 2023 in Nacogdoches. Despite the cost of refurbishing a historical building downtown, the Sowardses quickly earned back their investment and more.
“The Sowardses have been pillars of the Nacogdoches community for decades,” Phelps said. “Our students saw firsthand the power of enthusiasm and a commitment to the local community. We also learned about the potential of opening new distribution channels — you can now get a taste of Nacogdoches anywhere with SuSu’s monthly subscription popcorn box.”
Brendyn Todd, who graduated from SFA in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in communication and a minor in business communication, was managing the Nacogdoches Chick-fil-A location when he decided to open the city’s first food truck in 2018. By 2020, Brendyn’s BBQ had expanded to a brick-and-mortar store in downtown Nacogdoches.
“Brendyn is an advocate for entrepreneurial freedom and a true professional who fuses warmth with an unwavering commitment to excellence,” Phelps said. “He openly credits Ramsey Parr, his former boss at Chick-fil-A and the namesake of a Brendyn’s BBQ sandwich, for providing him with guidance, expertise and a promise of monetary backing if needed as Brendyn launched his new enterprise. In a town where losing a good manager can cost you your restaurant, Parr encouraged Brendyn to step out on his own.”
Jeffie Brewer, who earned a Master of Arts in 1998 and a Master of Fine Arts in 2000 from SFA, has turned his doodle-based sculptures into a successful business.
“Jeffie said his transition from the academic world into ‘artrepreneurship’ was ‘lucky’ and relatively seamless,” Phelps said. “To be successful as an ‘artrepreneur,’ Jeffie believes you need to offer a product that captures people’s attention, be on time and avoid being a jerk. My two key takeaways were ignore the haters and just keep producing. Just get your work out there for sale and don’t let fear keep you from getting started.”
The Rusche College of Business continues to offer students more ways to explore businesses and their entrepreneurial spirit with its “Discovering Business in Estonia and Finland” course planned for July 23 through Aug. 3. The study abroad trip, which is open to incoming first-year students regardless of major, offers the following:
• Faculty-led, three-credit-hour course
• Immersive experience in a foreign culture with tours of Estonian and Finnish businesses
• Scholarships to offset trip costs
• Opportunities for students to meet Lumberjacks before arriving on campus
“No matter a student’s major, that student will most likely either work for someone else’s business, start their own or both,” said Dr. Drew Thornley, SFA associate professor of legal studies and a co-instructor for the course. “We want to better equip these students for their professional lives, regardless of their future paths.”
For more information about the Estonia and Finland trip, visit gosfa.com/3SN3gkm.
ABOUT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY
Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 40 academic facilities, nine residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering more than 120 areas of study. Learn more at sfasu.edu.
