UT Dallas Enactus Team Receives Recognition for Advising Local Restaurant
A team of students from the Naveen Jindal School of Management at the University of Texas at Dallas was selected as a top 10 finalist in the Sam’s Club Step Up for Small Business Project Partnership yearlong entrepreneurial program. The students received a $1,250 grant from Step Up for Small Business in March 2014, and used the money to ensure the long-term sustainability of Nandhini Indian Restaurant in Plano, Texas.
Before implementing any changes, the students performed a needs assessment and then created a business plan for the restaurant. The plan encouraged the owners to implement improvements in ambiance, advertising, management, inventory, menu offerings, website management, and customer service. The team implemented several marketing techniques, including market research, customer surveys, website and menu redesign, social media marketing, search engine optimization, coupon and flier distribution, and website promotions.
The students’ work had a significant positive impact on Nandhini. Within a few months, the team helped the restaurant increase its customer base by 15 percent, and Nandhini’s profits rose 10 percent. The team finished in the top 10 of the Step Up for Small Business Project Partnership, earning a prize of $1,000 for the team and $2,000 for Nandhini.
Dr. Jeanne Sluder, a senior lecturer at UT Dallas and the team’s advisor, was delighted with the students’ accomplishments: “The owners were just so impressed with what these students had done. It’s almost like they didn’t see them as students working on a project, but more as business consultants whom they completely trusted. I really believe that part of the reason for our win is that the students crossed that boundary of being just students to really being experts in their fields.”
Enactus is an international nonprofit that brings together students and academic and business leaders to improve the quality of life and standard of living for people in need through entrepreneurial action. The UT Dallas Enactus group was founded in Fall 2006 and has focused on giving back to the Dallas community by providing financial literacy and success skills training.
