Since 2018, Tomeka Powell has run a small business called Lollipopa that provides birthday boxes for little girls. For the past several months, Powell has wanted to improve and expand the business but wasn’t sure how to go about it.
Then, this fall, she learned about California State University, Bakersfield’s new venture accelerator program aimed at helping participants develop their own businesses as well as improve and expand existing businesses.
“I wanted to get some more momentum with the business, and this seemed like a great opportunity,” Powell said. “I’m so happy I was able to be a part of this first cohort. This is something I haven’t really seen elsewhere, so it’s very much needed.”
Powell was one of nine people who participated in the 10-week program, which started in September and was offered through the university’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI).
The program featured classes with business experts who met with the participants and gave them advice on their products. It ended in November with a pitch competition, during which they were able to present their final pitches for their businesses.
CEI Faculty Director and Associate Professor of Management Dr. Jeremy Woods said he was very pleased with how this first cohort turned out.
“It’s great to have the opportunity to really roll up our sleeves and make progress on improving the participants’ businesses,” he said. “All nine have made important progress in filing business registration paperwork, analyzing existing customer demographics as well as acquiring new customers, key partners and key resources. There’s no doubt that some of these ventures are going to create multiple new jobs in the Bakersfield area over the next year.”
For Powell, the venture accelerator provided much-needed clarity on how to move forward with her business, which she started for her daughter, Savannah Frye, when she was 4 years old.
Powell is a former president of the Kern County Black Chamber of Commerce. In 2016, she attended an empowerment conference for girls that the chamber sponsored. It inspired her to start a business project with her daughter.
“When she would be named a star student in school, she would get to pick out a lollipop, and she called it ‘lollipopa.’ We took the name and came up with this birthday box idea,” she said. “It’s been great working with her. I have a love and passion for business, and I saw that in her too.”
The mother and daughter team, with assistance from Powell’s husband and two other children, were able to keep the small business going smoothly until COVID-19 hit, after which it started to become difficult to source product for the boxes.
“We were getting stuff that just didn’t work, so I stopped business for a little bit because I got frustrated,” she said. “I wanted to do the accelerator program because I was hoping it could help me find a place where I could get consistent product so the boxes can get more traction.”
Finding a source for quality product was a major priority for Powell because she wanted to start a subscription model for Lollipopa that would change up the product every quarter. In the past, the business has relied on single-box purchases.
However, Powell was unsure how to manage some of the logistics of doing subscriptions. She said she was impressed by how much the venture accelerator program was able to serve her specific needs.
“I loved it because it was very customized to what I needed. It wasn’t a one-size-fits-all approach,” she said. “It was a lot of networking and connecting for what I needed, and that’s what I appreciate the most. Now I have a better idea of what to do.”
With the help of the venture accelerator program, Powell was able to connect with a company in China to provide product the Lollipopa boxes. Powell and her family have also started work on implementing a subscription model for the business.
“I feel like I have a lot that I’ve taken away from the program that I’m implementing. I have a firmer plan now.”