Creating a culture of entrepreneurship bonus content, part 1

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Emily Davenport: 0:01

Welcome to Cultivating Curiosity, where we get down and dirty with the experts on all the ways science and agriculture touch our lives, from what we eat to how we live. I'm Emily Davenport.

Jordan Powers: 0:13

And I'm Jordan Powers, and we're from the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

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Jordan Powers: 0:21

The following bonus content is part of our episode about creating a culture of entrepreneurship through the FABricate program. In that full length episode, we dive into the details of the pitch contest and speak with FABricate winners, Chris Ayers and Jeffrey Wittmeyer. We'll link that episode in the show notes for you. Be sure to give it a listen for more context about the FABricate program.

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Jordan Powers: 0:43

And now we're joined by Garrett Stigall, a student in the College of Engineering, who participated in FABricate two years ago with his company, Compulsion. Welcome, Garrett.

Garrett Stigall: 0:51

Thank you for having me.

Jordan Powers: 0:52

Let's kick off with, how did you hear about FABricate?

Garrett Stigall: 0:55

When I got accepted to UGA, I got accepted into UGA through the Launchpad Living Community. And that is an entrepreneurship living community that UGA has set up for incoming freshmen who want to experience entrepreneurship here at UGA. So I got connected the moment I came to UGA into the entrepreneurship dialogue and all UGA has to offer for entrepreneurship. I got connected through Studio 225 that the Entrepreneurship District runs programs through, and it was there that I learnt about FABricate and I felt that FABricate would be a perfect competition for my idea at the time to run it through and get some experience.

Emily Davenport: 1:35

Have you always wanted to be an entrepreneur?

Garrett Stigall: 1:38

From a young age, I knew I never wanted to have a regular nine to five job. I was recounting my stories growing up and I was talking to my mom, and she was like, yeah, when you were in fifth and sixth grade, you want to be a Denny's cook in the back. Because it wasn't a regular nine to five job. It was something that was out of the ordinary and just not going to be the same old, same old. It wasn't until ninth grade that I was like, you know, the entrepreneurship life could be for me. And that's when, actually, the idea for Compulsion, the business that I have now going, started and since then I've just been all about what I could be as an entrepreneur and having that as my driving force to continue going down this path.

Emily Davenport: 2:25

Can you tell us a little bit more about your company?

Garrett Stigall: 2:27

Yes. It's a new take on the sports drink industry. Right now in the sports drink industry, your brands like Gatorade and Powerade, the two main ones, they use electrolytes to help replenish your energy during the workout. I did a lot of research growing up in from ninth to freshman year of college, about the benefits of caffeine. And I worked with many different university professors from the University of Florida to the University of Pittsburgh about the benefits of caffeine and how caffeine can help also replenish the energy. So Compulsion is just a Gatorade, add caffeine, and it's a faster way to replenish the energy when working out. One of my other favorite parts I like about my product is that is a natural drink. So you we use natural flavorings. So the three flavors we have are peach, blueberry and pineapple, so we use the natural juices instead of chemically made flavors.

Jordan Powers: 3:35

That's amazing. You also had me at caffeine.

Everyone: 3:37

[laughter]

Jordan Powers: 3:39

I love that. So can you tell us a little bit about how Compulsion and FABricate interacted and what FABricate did for your company?

Garrett Stigall: 3:45

Yeah, so I heard about FABricate probably a month before signups were closing and I was like, eh, I had other stuff in the Entrepreneurship District that I was already in. But I was like, I should give this a try since this is meant for sustainability, food, ag products, and mine is a beverage so I was like this is a fit for my product. So I went ahead and signed up. And when I got signed up, I got paired with a mentor of mine through Chris Rhodes. And at the beginning I was like he's not going to be of help because I was like the beverage industry is such a niche industry. He won't be able to find a mentor that will be able to help me in such a niche industry. But he did. He got me in contact with a mentor who works in an FDA-like system and my mentor helped get my product compliant with all the regulations I had to jump through and he helped me jump through all the barriers in this time. So it was a part of the industry I didn't even know I needed to tackle, and then this mentor opened my eyes and, like, no, we do need to address this before we can get your product to launch. So I was very thankful for his mentorship throughout this program. But that's just the mentorship side of FABricate. It was also, there was many different pitches inside of FABricate that helped my company. It was just the practice of pitching. I've been told time and time again, you just need to keep practicing and practicing. And it's getting out there in front of the judges or just in front of the peers and trying to explain your product in a manner, try to convince the people that this is a viable product. And it was the continuous practice that FABricate allowed me to have that really helped out my business.

Jordan Powers: 5:35

Absolutely. Between the pitching and the mentorship, it sounds like a perfect pairing. And I heard that you're still speaking to your mentor two years after participating, which just goes to speak to the longevity of the benefits of FABricate.

Garrett Stigall: 5:48

Yes, we still have a good connection with each other. And every single time I'm running into another regulation, I'm like, Red is the guy who I need to talk to on this one. So he's he's always there for me, he's never turned down a meeting with me, he always makes time to help me out in any way he can.

Emily Davenport: 6:06

That's awesome. What surprised you most about your experience with FABricate?

Garrett Stigall: 6:11

The level of connection that I had with my mentor and the level of connection I had with the people competing. Going into this, like I said, I was inside of the entrepreneurship district. And so I was used to entrepreneurship competitions. I was like, I thought I was going to know everybody who was going to compete in FABricate. But I didn't. I walked in there and I was like, who are these faces? I'm not used to these faces. But it got me connected to a whole new group of people that haven't heard my idea before. And they were able to give their pros and cons and they were able to help me build up my product and shine a new light on it that I didn't see before. And I was like this is perfect. It's always good to have multiple different lights showing on your idea or your product. And it was going to FABricate that opened up that new door for me to allow that opportunity to happen.

Jordan Powers: 7:08

I mean, that alone is a pretty darn good testimonial. But if you could tell other students about FABricate and encourage them to participate, what would you say?

Garrett Stigall: 7:16

There's just no reason not to. I know that's been said before. But there's there's no reason not to try it. I think the whole entire college experience is about trying new things. And if you are wanting to have the entrepreneurship lifestyle, you do need to get out and try new things. And it's just the practice makes perfect. And FABricate is just another tool for you that you can use to help practice your capabilities of becoming an entrepreneur.

Emily Davenport: 7:42

Alright, so if you could describe FABricate in one word, what would it be?

Garrett Stigall: 7:48

That is always a difficult question. But I think what it boils down to from my experience is mentorship. Whether that be from the mentor that they hook you up with, through the program, or through the judges and getting to ask them questions, or through your peers. Everybody's able to help each other out in some way or form. And that's the key tool behind it all is that we just help each other out. Because it is a competition. But it doesn't feel like that as a competitor. I felt like, no, we're just helping each other out. And we compete as a side project. But we're there to help each other out. And so it all boils down to just mentorship.

Jordan Powers: 8:26

What's next for you and your company?

Garrett Stigall: 8:28

So it's been a craz, two years, ongoing three years here at UGA with my company and building up the product. But I'm in talks with one of my investors right now. And we just put in the first order for our first batch of products. So it's expected to come in within six to eight weeks and then you'll be seeing this product out at tailgates and just passing it out and getting it in people's hands. That's our main goal is just to go out there and get it in people's hands and then we'll worry about future batches and how we're going to sell it. But yeah, I'm very happy and excited for this first batch to actually be coming to life. And being able to have the bottle and everything see fruition finally, after my now seven years of work into my idea.

Jordan Powers: 9:21

Wow. And then that shows the dedication, that shows the amount of resources it takes to take an idea from that initial concept. Seven years.

Garrett Stigall: 9:30

Yes.

Jordan Powers: 9:30

And you're looking at seeing those first bottles. That must be exciting.

Garrett Stigall: 9:34

It's something that I've only dreamed about and now I can actually have it, see it in front of me.

Emily Davenport: 9:41

We can't wait for our bottles.

Everyone: 9:44

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Jordan Powers: 9:44

You're telling me I need to go to a tailgate.

Everyone: 9:47

[laughter]

Emily Davenport: 9:47

Where do we go to get one? Is there anything that we've missed that you wanted to share with us?

Garrett Stigall: 9:55

I've harped on it before but FABricate's an amazing competition, but it is just a drop in the bucket that UGA has to offer for entrepreneurs. There are so many different entrepreneurship places and competitions throughout the whole entire UGA that I think is very viable for future entrepreneurs. And it all boils down to you just need to go out there and do it and sign up for the different events, or go to a club or organization like the Society of Entrepreneurs, where you can meet like minded individuals. So, yeah, compete in the competitions, but also get to meet with the peers that think the same as you guys.

Jordan Powers: 10:35

That's amazing. Well, Garrett, we cannot wait to see your product out there in Athens and beyond. Thank you for taking the time to join us today.

Garrett Stigall: 10:42

Thank you guys for having me.

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Emily Davenport: 10:44

Thanks for listening to Cultivating Curiosity, a podcast produced by the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. A special thanks to Mason McClintock for our music and sound effects. Find more episodes wherever you get your podcasts.