WISE Retail Pitch Competition and Finalist Profiles
Syracuse, NY: On Thursday, May 19th, 2022, The WISE Women’s Business Center hosted a Retail Pitch Competition for local businesses at La Casita Cultural Center. Over 60 members of the community came out to cheer the entrepreneurs on. The event, emceed by Caeresa Richardson, owner of Ecodessa, began at 5:30 pm with a networking reception, with the pitch competition kicking off at 6:15 pm. WISE Director, Meghan Florkowski gave some opening words before Jackie Ferrari, Founder/CEO, American Fashion Network, LLC, took the stage as the evening’s keynote speaker, inspiring both the competitors and attendees.
This exciting competition was judged by Alyse Holstein, Founder/CEO, HPG Partners; Carlene Lacey, US Principal Community Relations & Operations Manager, National Grid (Grid for Good); Tamika Otis, Corporate Responsibility & Community Relations Officer, KeyBank; and Jackie Ferrari. The panel judged contestants on how well they identified their target customer, understood competitors in their market, spoke to market opportunities and competition, product/service viability, business model sustainability, and overall attractiveness of their business opportunity. These skills are key to the foundation of a successful business.
For a small business just starting out, every penny counts, and winning a cash prize could make a major impact in their startup costs. All contestants received training on how to competitively pitch your business, as well as mentoring from local experts. The mentors were: Jenn Farwell, Community Leader, Innovation Collective; Erin Draper, Director of Experiential Programs, Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University; Rajiv Soman, Director, Purity Services, Materials Science Division, Eurofins EAG Laboratories; Mirza Tihic, Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneurship Research Fellow - Post Doctoral, Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University; Maithreyee Dube, Manager, Enrollment Services, Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University; Melissa Davis, Agriculture Business Development and Marketing Specialist, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison County; Indaria Jones, CEO, The Creators Lounge; and Latisia Hall-Cannon, CEO, UrbanTsyr.
Lisa Loftus, business owner, mom, Syracuse University alum, and lifelong experiential learner, can now add pitch competition winner to her resume. Lisa Loftus is the owner of Yellow Table Studio, and she took home the first place prize of $3,500 for her business. Yellow Table Studio provides at home STEM project kits that focus on being accessible and easy to do with children. Her words conjured up the image of families making memories together, as she mentioned that she has her own children test the projects out with her. Lisa says, “It’s important to me that my own children learn through experiences and minimize screen time.”, and that is what drives her business.
Lisa was not the only one who painted a picture of family by speaking about her business. Kahssia Hills, owner of 210 Teas in Downtown Syracuse, named in honor of her grandmother who sparked and kindled her love for tea, took home the second place prize of $1,000. 210 Teas opened during the pandemic, selling tea online, at pop-ups and in local shops. In February 2022, Kahssia opened her brick and mortar location. Kahssia is another Syracuse University alum, works full time, and has limited hours for the café on the weekend. Kahssia’s goal is to leverage the prize money toward staffing the café during the week. You can see her passion for her business as she tells her story, from her grandmother, to friends surprising her with startup money from a GoFundMe, to where she is pitching her business. She comes across as a seasoned business owner. Business seems like a suit that was tailored just for her.
Your energy is an instrument in pitching that you can use to drive home your brand. Where Kahssia’s pitch came through like a cup of chamomile tea, Jasmine “DJ Bella” Coan’s pitch arrived with bombastic energy, both matching their brands perfectly. Jasmine Coan, owner of On The One, a DJ Studio located in Destiny USA, is no stranger to pitch competitions. In 2021, she won the KeyBank Boost & Build Pitch Competition. Jasmine took third place in this competition with a prize of $500 for her business. Jasmine is fueled by her desire to give women and young girls a place to go and learn how to be a DJ, without having to travel to a larger city like New York. Jasmine works to empower women through her business, giving them not only DJ skills, but confidence. About her business, Jasmine says, “I love the pride I feel for the space I created. It's a great feeling to see the service I provide at work.” Jasmine hopes to franchise her business model, one day.
In addition to the three businesses who took home cash prizes, there were five other strong finalists. These finalists were: Elizabeth Ann Blackburn, Owner, Dizzy Lizzie’s Farm; Emily Lee, Owner, Kimona Pinoy; Adrienne Peltz, Co-owner, Forge Gone Conclusions; Chartese Rivers, Founder, Cherry Beez Corp.; and Ciarah Richardson, Owner, All Things Plush. These women were brought together by their experiences in the retail industry. Each of them came to the WISE WBC through business counseling service, major WISE programming, or a recommendation from a like-minded organization. Competing in pitch competitions helps business owners network, provides an opportunity to expand their audience on social media, and gives them a chance to practice pitching their business to future partners and funders.
Each of these women may have come to business ownership for different reasons, but they find common ground in their desire to help others and build joyful communities. About starting her business, Emily Lee said, “It was just a simple reason of helping a friend's business survive the pandemic and I realized I can help more by owning a small business here in the US to support other artisans as well.” Ciarah Richardson is motivated as a business owner to break the cycle of generational poverty and fight the effects of systemic racism on the community’s economy. Many of the finalists noted that women in their families inspired them to go into business, such as Ciarah’s great grandmother Jessie, Elizabeth’s mother and grandmother, who were business owners, and Chartese named her business after her grandmother, Cherry. Whether they are motivated by wanting to create change in their communities, better the lives of others, or simply in business because they enjoy the freedom of running their own business, these entrepreneurs are each positioned to continue growing their successful businesses. You can expect to see these eight powerhouse women disrupting the status quo near you.
Meet the Finalists
Emily Lee
What do you love most about being an entrepreneur/business owner?Â
I love being a social entrepreneur, I love my products, they are the most unique and work of art. I love taking photos, editing and posting content in facebook and instagram, I love the artistic side of this business and of course helping the community of weavers and filipino artisans back home in the Philippines.
What made you want to become a business owner?Â
It was just a simple reason of helping a friend's business survive the pandemic and I realized I can help more by owning a small business here in the US to support other artisans as well.
What is something that is unique about you and your business?Â
My products are a work of art, handmade, sustainable and eco friendly plus the fact that every time you buy, you help feed a filipino family.
Where do you see your business moving forward? Any big ideas?Â
I am looking forward to finally make my dream come true of a non-profit organization that will help Filipino artisans master their craft, teach them to be entrepreneurs, provide trainings, and teach them more skills. To have a showroom of all their work. Empower these women that they can be whatever they want in life. And as for my personal goal, to have this business very successful that I don't have to work my other job and just be a full time entrepreneur and be with my husband and my future children.
Adrienne Peltz
What do you love most about being an entrepreneur/business owner? Â
I love the ability to work with customers for special occasions and celebrate their joys with them. Typically, the people requesting the custom jewelry pieces are looking for milestone events- birthdays, anniversaries, etc, and so we get to celebrate those events with them by creating unique gifts for their loved ones.
What made you want to become a business owner?Â
I wanted a different challenge in life. I was an engineer for 12 years and learned the ins and outs of engineering and business. I wanted to stretch myself and apply what I learned to my own business. And jumping into the jewelry industry is much different than traditional manufacturing. The scale is much smaller and the precision is much higher.
What is something that is unique about you and your business?Â
We take on projects that other jewelers don't want. For example, we have set stones found on the seashore or stones found on the ground. Most other jewelers would not do this because of the irregular shapes and sizes. But because we can make all our settings from scratch, we can accomodate any size stone or shape.Â
Where do you see your business moving forward? Any big ideas?
Some day, we hope to have a piece showcased on the red carpet! We also look up to the big name jewelry brands - Van Cleef & Arpels and Bobby White and aspire to be at that level of craftsmanship and popularity!
Chartese Rivers
What do you love most about being an entrepreneur/business owner?
I love the creative freedom that I have being my own boss. Being an entrepreneur allows me to not only create the lifestyle I want but it also gives me a platform to connect with my community and others.Â
What made you want to become a business owner?Â
I myself struggle with hair issues and once I seen what my homemade products did for my hair, I decided to start my own natural product line to pour into other women who share the same hair experiences as I do.Â
What is something that is unique about you and your business?Â
Something unique about Cherry Beez is that “Cherry” is actually my late grandmothers name and my business is in honor of her.Â
Where do you see your business moving forward? Any big ideas?Â
Moving forward I am hoping to get my products into local stores such as Target and Natur-Tyme. I also would love to one day open up a beauty bar to sell my products and offer natural hair styling services using my products.Â
Lisa Loftus
What do you love most about being an entrepreneur/business owner?
Yellow Table Studio sells STEM project kits for kids, and I love knowing that our kits help kids enjoy learning and create quality time for families. It’s important to me that my own children learn through experiences and minimize screen time. My STEM kits do this for other kids! We have sold over 1,000 kits, ranging from DIY Lava Lamp, DIY Hot Cocoa Bombs, DIY Tie Dye Soap and many more! It is so satisfying to know that over 1,000 learning moments have been created.Â
What is something that is unique about you and your business?
Experiential learning is in my parenting DNA, and my business is my way of making learning fun for other families. My daughters are very much a part of my business as I consider it a great learning experience for them. They help me with packaging the kits and doing the shipping (and of course, project development!) They worked on their letters by matching packing slips with address labels, learned to talk to adults by helping bring in our shipments to the post office, and learned math with our local banker. I believe that this business can spread learning to other families and educate my own children at the same time. They receive a certain percentage of the profits depending on how much they work. They have also learned the hard lesson that if you don’t finish a job, you don’t get paid! This is a family owned business in the truest sense.Â
Where do you see your business moving forward? Any big ideas?
We are thrilled to be in eleven retail locations, including our local Rosamond Gifford Zoo and a gift shop in London! We would like to grow our wholesale market. We also want to start a subscription based service so that we can help families regularly enjoy learning!Â
Ciarah Richardson
What do you love most about being an entrepreneur/business owner?
I love the freedom and ability to create with other like creators, curators, and designers. I also love that I can show my son you’re capable of anything in this world with hard work and dedication.Â
What made you want to become a business owner?
I’ve always wanted to be like my Great-Grandmother Jessie. She was a serial entrepreneur and had the freedom to create and time to spend with her family while sitting upon this empire. She passed down so much knowledge that I’ve been dedicated to use and break generational curses that my culture has endured for so many years. I’m literally striving to be an inspiration and role model for black business women around the world, especially Syracuse, NY.Â
What is something that is unique about you and your business?
I actually started All Things Plush at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. At this time there was an urgency for PPE in NYS and our Governor Cuomo called for businesses to assist in creating PPE for the public. My Mom called me and told me about the opportunity and I immediately went to work! I created my first custom face mask and posted to FB. The rest was history and All Things Plush was born.Â
Where do you see your business moving forward? Any big ideas?
I see All Things Plush LLC as an American Multinational conglomerate providing high quality eccentric apparel to the world while embodying the art of embroidery and visionary style.Â
Jasmine Coan
What do you love most about being an entrepreneur/business owner?
I love the pride I feel for the space I created. It's a great feeling to see the service I provide at work.
What made you want to become a business owner?
I became a business owner because I wanted to create something that did not exist. My DJ center is the first of its kind in the Central New York region. I wanted to do something that has not been done.
 What is something that is unique about you and your business?
I am one of a few DJs in the region that learned how to DJ at a school. I had to travel to a distant city to learn. Throughout my career, I was asked many times to teach someone how to DJ. I decided to open a center to provide a similar experience as when I learned.
Where do you see your business moving forward? Any big ideas?
I have big plans for On The One - DJ Center! I want to franchise my business model and mission. I see the center in partnership with schools and universities, community and government agencies, and creating a state fund for DJs in need of resources.
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Kahssia Hills
What do you love most about being an entrepreneur/business owner?Â
The thing I love the most about being an entrepreneur/business owner is the realization that the possibilities of what my business can look like are endless. There is so much potential for me to shape this business into whatever I want [and what I'm willing to work for] it to be and I find that to be wildly exciting.Â
What made you want to become a business owner?
Believe it or not, the pandemic! I wanted to find a "side hustle" that would fill the new found free time I had during the onset of the pandemic. Little did I know - that "side hustle" would become a full time effort, haha. But I wouldn't have wanted it any other way - the unfolding my entrepreneurial journey so far has been more rewarding than I could've ever planned for.Â
What is something that is unique about you and your business?Â
A fun fact that I've shared in a few other spaces is that my business is inspired by and in honor of my late grandmother. She is the person that introduced me to tea and the 210 in my business name is representative of her house number, where I spent a large chunk of my childhood growing up.
Where do you see your business moving forward? Any big ideas?Â
Right now, I'm focused on expanding the hours of 210 Teas as an in-person tea shop and have visions of finding ways to utilize the space for more community events like small yoga classes, community forums, poetry or open mic nights... events that focus on people.Â
Elizabeth Blackburn
What do you love most about being an entrepreneur/business owner?
When I worked for other people, I always had to respect my bosses wishes whether I wanted to or not. I had to be to work at set hours and even adhere to dress codes. Now, I am my boss. Even with the stress, I love the flexibility of my schedule. I can stop work at 2:50 to pick up my daughter and start back up at 8:30 when she is in bed. I can pop out to plant at 5:30 in the quiet of the morning and enjoy the deer and turkeys. Plus. I get to be outdoors and most importantly, I live in pajamas.
What made you want to become a business owner?
Easy - my mom and my grandmother. I am proud to come from a long line of strong women. My mother had her own accounting business. After my grandfather passed away, my grandmother started several businesses. She was a major entrepreneur. I still remember going to flea markets with her when I was a kid to sell jewelry. It took me a while to give up on finding the perfect profession. Once I did, it was only natural to start my own business. Â
What is something that is unique about you and your business?
I love to introduce customers to new things and I can't stand produce waste. Thus, I head to my kitchen a lot and start getting creative. Almost since the beginning of the farm, we have tried to add a new value-added item each year.Â
Where do you see your business moving forward? Any big ideas?
Currently, my farm is in the process of a huge expansion. I see us over the next ten years acquiring new farmland and larger manufacturing sites to help with increased production.Â
About the hosts and sponsors
This event was funded through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. WISE is hosted by the Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University.
About WISE
Located in the Equitable Towers Lobby at 100 Madison St, Ste 102, Syracuse, NY 13202. Helping women to start and grow their businesses, WISE facilitates connections and provides educational services, including training and free business counseling, to women entrepreneurs in Onondaga, Oswego, Oneida, Cayuga, Cortland, Madison and Jefferson counties. WISE Women’s Business Center is one of 141 centers designated as a Women’s Business Center by the US Small Business Administration across the US and Puerto Rico. More information and resources can be found at wisecenter.org.
About La Casita Cultural Center
Located in the Lincoln Building at 109 Otisco St, Syracuse, NY 13204. La Casita is a program of the College of Arts and Sciences established to advance an educational and cultural agenda of civic engagement through research, cultural heritage preservation, media, and the arts, bridging the Hispanic communities of Syracuse University and Central New York. More information can be found at lacasita.syr.edu.