Young entrepreneur places 4th in Berry competition
Sonoraville graduate places in pitch competition, earning money for the small business she started when she was still in high school.
The youngest student to be a part of the Berry College Entrepreneurship Program, sophomore Harmony Petty recently placed fourth in the 2019 Pitch Competi- tion, winning $2,500 to advance the business she launched before she was 16 years old.
When Petty was a student at Sonoraville High School, she was online one day and came across a project for making a decorative wreath and spontaneously, she decided to try it out.
Her first wreath turned out “not so terribly,” and as relatives and friends from her church started to offer her money in exchange for her homemade creations, she gradually transitioned her projects into a small busi- ness. She didn’t even have her driver’s license yet.
“My mom was able to be the legs for my operation for a while,” Petty said, explaining how her parents helped her get on her feet. “And my dad had owned a business before I was born, so he knew the logistics of running a small business.”
And as a dedicated member of the Phoenix marching band, which demanded a lot of her free time, she thought this was a good
BERRY,
way to make a little money 0n the side. She began to make customized T-shirts, wreaths, personalized baby clothes, specialized items and decals.
Over time, Petty began to find success in Calhoun, especially when she was able to shadow Donna Rogers at Tot Roost and Teens during her senior year, learning from Rogers more details of the world of business.
Moving business
to Berry
Following graduation, Petty was preparing to move to Berry College for her freshman year, and she decided to give up her business, which she had come to call “Harmony’s Crafty Creations.” But after being contacted by Berry’s Paula Englis, a professor of business management, she was offered a chance to keep it alive.
“(Englis) told me they had this space up in the top of Green and I could put my stuff there,” Petty said referring to the business building on Berry’s campus. “And it actually worked out better. I do more now than I did at home, and it’s easy to come over here and work.”
As the first student who had jumped right into the Entrepreneurship Program starting as a freshman, Petty was excited and surprised to have her own studio space. She was even more shocked to find out there were only two spaces available for student businesses, and the other wasn’t being permanently used.
Petty was honored Englis had taken an interest in her, especially since she wasn’t even a business major. And when she got into her first year of school, she found out being the youngest in the program had its perks.
“I figured coming in people would be hesitant, but they’re just the opposite,” Petty said. “They reach out all the time and they’re glad they have someone outside the business school in the program. It’s fantastic being in that group.”
While she still had to wait a couple semesters to take Englis’ upper level business courses, she got a head start with having her own work space on campus, selling her products at Berry’s annual Mountain Day weekend, and most recently, competing in the 2019 Pitch Competition sponsored by the Entrepreneurship Program.
A winning pitch
The competition, which was offered to all Berry students regardless of major, was an opportunity for students to present their ideas for the chance to win cash prizes to advance their already established businesses.
At this point in time, Petty was making around $3,000 in profit from her business each year, and knew mostly everything about her work and how to explain her “crafty creations.” Yet she was still nervous to present.
Under the supervision of Englis and Berry graduate student David Lillie, Petty was able to practice her presentation, answer practice questions and finally, pitch her idea to the judges during the first round of the competition. After the 13 entries presented, five were selected to continue to the final round, and Petty was one of the five.
She ended up placing fourth, and she is thankful for her supporters, the help she got during the process and all the opportunities she’s been offered during her time at Berry.
“It was amazing, I definitely didn’t expect to be in the top five,” Petty said the week after the competition. “Other pitchers as well as judges were super helpful and really excited to see where this goes.”
And though Petty’s pitch included her plans to hire a fellow student to help her with specific projects, since placing fourth, she’s shifted that plan around to best use the money she was awarded.
She still plans to hire a student for some part-time help, but she also wants to allocate some of the funds toward new technology and equipment, and potentially an Etsy shop.
Putting ideas
into action
As a student who has learned a lot from her 6- year- old business and her participation in this competition, Petty encourages young students to put their ideas into action.
“Definitely your first attempt is not going to be the greatest. Looking back to some of my first projects, I don’t know how in the world this ever worked,” Petty said. “But if you have something you’re good at or a talent, go for it.”
The college sophomore said getting a group of supporters is key, expressing gratitude to her church family at Sonoraville Baptist Church, who were some of her first customers. She also attributed her startup success to the greater community of Calhoun.
“I feel like people in Calhoun are very supportive of small businesses,” Petty said. “There are a lot of small businesses in Calhoun that do really well.”
She encouraged young entrepreneurs to find someone to shadow or a mentor who will show them the ropes of small business. Through her involvement with Rogers at Tot Roost, she was able to do just that, and it helped her business tremendously.
And though Harmony’s Crafty Creations takes up a significant amount of her time, and has two locations — Berry College and a booth at Pintage Antique Market in Calhoun — this is not her only job.
Like a majority of Berry students, Petty works on campus as a student supervisor at the purchasing office.
“It’s a balancing act,” Petty said, referring to her busy schedule including classes, her business and her campus j ob. “But it’s been a learning experience.”
Petty is majoring in an early childhood education major. She’s currently trying to add on a business minor to her degree, and plans to continue with Harmony’s Crafty Creations, selling at local markets, antique stores and Berry events.
Four other students, Ben Umberger of Dawsonville; Josie Hadaway of Salem, Alabama; Jorie Hodapp of Villa Rica; and Anthea Phitides of Madison, also placed in the pitch competition and took home cash to fund their businesses.