Tim Rausch
Students in one of our digital marketing classes worked throughout the spring semester to assist an Augusta entrepreneur.
More than two dozen students in the introduction to digital marketing course, taught by Manisha Mathur, Ph.D., assisted Sew Sweet Academy with its digital and social media marketing, culminating into several end-of-semester group presentations.
Sew Sweet Academy owner Alexis Galloway provides embroidery instruction tutorials, primarily online through her website, designed to help others build an embroidery business.
“I was very impressed with the students in Dr. Mathur’s class. They listened to the needs of my business and formulated presentations with the exact strategies for me to implement immediately to enhance my visibility in the embroidery industry,” Galloway said.
She said some of the student ideas were implemented immediately, such as changing the name of the business to Sew Sweet Academy on her social media accounts so that the brand would be uniform. “I also began working with a social media manager to grow my social media platforms through posts and hashtags,” she said.
Galloway was referred to Mathur’s class through Hull College of Business Dean Richard Franza, Ph.D., who was a mentor to Galloway following participation in J-Tank, an entrepreneurship pitch contest.
Several Hull College faculty served as judges for J-Tank in September 2021 in collaboration with the Jessye Norman School of the Arts, which broadcast the two-hour contest – a spin-off of the nationally renowned show “Shark Tank” – on its Facebook page. All pitch contest participants received $500 from First Community Bank, one of the program partners, to help with start-up.
“I am thankful for this experiential learning opportunity [allowing] students to help a minority-owned business,” Mathur said.
