Resources
Startup Building Blocks Facility Resources Student Testimonials
startup building blocks
tools and guidance for early‑stage entrepreneurs
finding your entrepreneurial idea
Some people generate new ideas constantly. Others feel stuck trying to come up with anything worth pursuing. Here’s the good news: successful entrepreneurship doesn’t start with an idea — it starts with a problem.
Your goal isn’t to invent something on the spot. It’s to notice a real problem that people experience, one they’d care enough about to pay to solve. This fundamental skill is called opportunity recognition, and it’s something you can improve with practice.
The Crews Center can help you build this skill through our Ad‑hoc Mentoring Program, where you’ll work one-on-one with experienced mentors to learn how to spot problems, test ideas, and evaluate opportunities.
Prefer a more casual start? Try:
- Meetings with our Student Ambassadors — get a friendly introduction to the entrepreneurial community.
- Events — meet other curious students and spark new ideas by attending the various events we host throughout the year.
Ad-hoc mentoring is available to all UofM students. Whether you're looking for quick feedback on an idea, want to learn more about what the Crews Center offers, or need ongoing advice and personalized guidance to move your venture forward, our ad-hoc mentoring program is the perfect place to start.
One thing you'll quickly learn about the Crews Center: there’s no judgment, no elitism, and no pressure. We genuinely believe anyone can be an entrepreneur with the desire, drive, and work ethic to pursue it. We're here to meet with you about anything related to entrepreneurship or the Crews Center—no matter where you are on your journey.
developing your product or service
Having an idea — or spotting an opportunity — is only the beginning. To bring a concept to life, you need a business model you can test and refine.
Unlike long, static business plans, business models are flexible, simple, and easy to iterate as you learn. Many new entrepreneurs skip this step and jump straight into building. This usually leads to wasted time, wasted money, and sometimes the kind of failure that scares people away from ever trying again.
Here’s the truth: Entrepreneurs aren’t wild risk takers — they are expert risk reducers.
At the Crews Center, we teach Lean Entrepreneurship, an evidence‑based approach to developing products and services. Instead of building what you think customers want, you learn directly from them through interviews, observations, prototypes, and testing.
Lean Entrepreneurship helps you:
- Understand customer motivations and pain points
- Validate your assumptions
- Build solutions backed by real evidence
- Reduce risk before you launch
how to get started
You can begin building your product and learning Lean Entrepreneurship through:
- Ad-hoc Mentoring Program
- A flexible, personalized mentoring experience tailored to your idea, venture, or stage of development.
starting your venture
The Truth About Ideas
An idea alone isn’t enough to launch a successful venture. Entrepreneurs succeed when they can execute, not just imagine. Investors don’t buy ideas — they invest in traction, evidence, and teams who can deliver results.
If your idea is big (like an app, platform, or technology solution), ask yourself: “Do I have the skills to build, launch, and grow this?”
If not — great news: Entrepreneurship is a team sport.
Successful founders craft a vision, shape the opportunity, and then recruit people with complementary skills. You may end up with a smaller slice of the pie, but the pie gets much, much bigger.
Finding co-founders takes time, but you can increase your chances by getting involved:
- Crews Kick Backs
- Idea Hackathons
- Events across campus
- Ad-hoc Mentoring for customized venture‑launch support
You can also apply to join a venture development cohort—a multi-week experience with mentoring, training, and structured support to help transform your idea into a viable business.
The Crews Center provides limited legal assistance to help you establish an official business entity such as an LLC or nonprofit. We typically offer this service after getting to know you and your idea, so we encourage you to engage in one or more of our programs first.
Many student entrepreneurs wonder how to find the capital to get started. You’re not alone — almost every entrepreneur faces this challenge. While funding isn’t guaranteed, there are steps you can take to set yourself up for success, regardless of background or experience.
The Crews Center offers a small seed fund to help cover early startup expenses, such as:
- Forming your business
- Purchasing initial inventory
- Acquiring essential equipment
Seed fund awards are typically reserved for students who have been actively working with us and have demonstrated progress, commitment, and validated need. The best way to position yourself for funding is to get involved in our mentoring and development programs.
growing your venture
If you’re already generating revenue — congratulations! That’s a major milestone, especially while juggling student life.
As you think about the future, consider:
- Is my business legally protected?
(Hint: if you’re not structured as an LLC or corporation, probably not.) - Am I building a lifestyle business or a scalable company?
- What does growth look like — local, national, or global?
- How will I increase revenue, impact, or both?
- Who can help me get there?
The smartest entrepreneurs know that progress happens faster with the right support. At the University of Memphis, the Crews Center is here to help you grow through mentoring, connections, programs, and experience-backed guidance tailored to your goals.
facility resources
Book a RoomIf you are running a startup company, existing business or just need a place away from home to work on developing a business, the Crews Center Co-working Space is a great place to base your operations while also meeting and collaborating with other aspiring or existing student entrepreneurs.
Space is reserved for those that are most committed to pursuing a venture, so it is recommended that you be enrolled in one of our programs to get access to a dedicated desk in our co-working space.
If you just need a temporary workspace every now and then, we recommend reserving one of our Day Offices.
The Crews Center Conference Room is available to be reserved by any UofM student at this time. We welcome any student organization or team that needs a quiet, comfortable and technology-enabled space to meet.
The following amenities are available:
- 60-inch digital monitor/Smart TV with HDMI and VGA connectors
- 10-person conference table and chairs
- Glass whiteboard
- DVD player
- Wireless teleconference speaker/microphone (compatible with iOS and Android devices)
- Presentation remotes ("clickers")
- Whiteboard markers and microfiber cloths
You must reserve the conference room in order to guarantee that it is available for you!