Side Hustle Central
Ohio Wesleyan Joins National Student-Made Entrepreneurial Program
A group of Ohio Wesleyan University students is working to launch OWU as part of the national Student-Made Program.
The initiative provides a platform for student-entrepreneurs to display and sell goods and services through a professional online marketplace, to participate in pop-up shop opportunities, to receive marketing and branding assistance, and to join a supportive network of other student-creators across the United States.
"If you have a business idea, join," says Luis Cañas Jr. '28, a campus leader of Student-Made OWU and incoming president of The Entrepreneurship Club.
Cañas of Wooster, Ohio, and a student leadership team will launch Student-Made OWU in the fall. A Business Administration (Marketing) major and an Entrepreneurship minor, Cañas recently took first place in the 2026 Pitch OWU competition for "eunri," a youth soccer training app.
The Student-Made initiative is supported financially by The Woltemade Center for Economics, Business and Entrepreneurship, which also hosts the annual Pitch OWU and Big Problem Challenge competitions to support student-creators.
Becoming Entrepreneurs
Cliff Hurst, Ph.D., assistant professor of Economics & Business, is advising the students working to launch Student-Made OWU. He said a recently concluded feasibility study shows Bishops are interested in creating or expanding side-hustle opportunities.
Overall, Hurst said, students representing 22 Ohio Wesleyan majors expressed interest in helping to manage Student-Made OWU or in selling products or services through its website. Those majors range from accounting to art education, from English to exercise science, and from studio art to sociology, according to the two-month Student-Made study.
"Student-Made ties into our work as Founder U," said Hurst, who also serves as the faculty liaison to the Delaware Entrepreneurial Center at OWU. "It's exciting that so many students are interested in developing their entrepreneurial skills, creating side hustles, and being part of Student-Made."
The feasibility study also reveals what students think they will need to thrive as entrepreneurs: 23.3% of the respondents are concerned about growing their customer base, 18.3% about having enough time for a side hustle, and another 18.3% about turning their ideas into reality. Of those interested in selling products or services, Hurst said, 36.4% already have an idea, while the vast majority, 63.6%, report having an idea only.
Those who already have something to sell expect to use Student-Made to promote products ranging from prints to playing cards, from combat sports classes to crocheted items, and from fishing supplies to vending machines.
Building a Community
Students selected as managers for Student-Made OWU will help their fellow Bishop business owners through roles supporting website, social media, and community engagement initiatives. As part of their training, many attended a two-day Student-Made SCALE conference in February at Michigan State University.
In addition to Cañas, students attending the SCALE conference and working to implement the Student-Made initiative are Nassos Papasarafianos '29 of Poligiros, Greece; A.J. Jalloh '27 of Columbus, Ohio; Stefaniia Minakova '28 of Dublin, Ohio; and Nia Barjatya '27 of Indore, India. Jera Hoy '28 of Radnor, Ohio, is also a Student-Made manager but was unable to attend the conference due to women's track & field team commitments.
Papasarafianos, a Quantitative Economics and Computer Science double major and an Entrepreneurship minor, said the conference was informative, highlighting the power of building a creative community.
"I learned that community matters as much as the business idea itself," he said. "I saw student-creator communities where students supported each other meaningfully. It's not just about having a platform; It's about creating an environment where students share ideas, brainstorm together, and guide each other based on their strengths."
And what advice would he give Bishops interested in launching businesses?
"If you are already building or running a side hustle, Student-Made is a great way to get the right guidance and infrastructure to ensure that you're on the right track," Papasarafianos said. "If you have an idea that you want to bring to life, it's a great way to test and build it with the right support. Either way, you'll find a community of like-minded peers and get introduced to the entrepreneurship ecosystem on campus."
To learn more, visit the Student-Made OWU website, follow the initiative on Instagram at @studentmade_owu, or contact any of the campus leaders.