Sensing the need to give business students opportunities to grow outside of the classroom, Campbellsville University recently re-launched its Entrepreneurship Club.
“Theology, for example, has Campus Ministries, the Center for Faith and Ministry and all these other ways to get plugged in, but there has never been that option for the School of Business,” said Jacob Hayes, club president.
The E-club originally launched late in May of 2025, and was geared more toward the local community. The re-launch, held Aug. 27, was aimed at Campbellsville’s student body.
“The re-launch…was more to show students that we have the people in the community that are interested in pouring into you as local business leaders,” Hayes said.
The E-club is designed to help and encourage students interested in owning their own business.
“If you want to go into the fashion industry and you have this idea that you want to go and design clothes, how can we get you plugged in with that? How can we get you to the right resources and people?” Hayes said.
One of the biggest factors Hayes sees aspiring entrepreneurs having to overcome is moving out of the idea stage into production.
“They get hesitant because they start discerning things about their ideas,” said Hayes, “therefore, they don’t go through with them. Much of that is because of a lot of blockage in their way, including funding and resources. We can help get those connections with resources and with funding and networking.”
Hayes said the E-club’s partnership with Awesome Inc., an organization based out of Lexington, has opened up a lot of doors.
“I’ve been able to plug in with some of the people that work for that organization,” Hayes said. “They have been very helpful in providing resources for us including funding, but also just meeting new people, helping provide speakers and giving us a really good outline on how to operate an E-club.”
According to their website, Awesome Inc. hosts community events, leads technology education courses and offers a shared workplace environment in order to create and grow high-tech startups.
Including Hayes, there are currently 10 members in the E-club. One of those members is Elijah Moore, one of CU’s freshman success coaches.
“During Welcome Week, Jacob Hayes came to me and asked me to spread the word because I’m the success coach for business, economics and technology. I was like, ‘Is it okay if I be a part of it?’” said Moore.
Moore said Dr. Roger Huston, the adviser for the group and assistant vice president for strategic relations and rural advancement for CU, has been a valuable mentor for him.
“He is actually supposed to be meeting with me soon so he can teach me how to do a better job in raising funds for BSA,” Moore said. “He also got me a book I’ve been reading about different entrepreneurs in Kentucky. That book has meant a lot to me.”
Moore believes many students don’t understand how valuable being a part of the club can be.
“It’s really hard to get them to come out because they don’t see the light until they are there,” Moore said. “It’s hard for me to just speak it and then for them to be like, ‘This is something I want to do.’”
Moore said his competitive nature drives him as an entrepreneur.
“I’ve met probably around three-to-four people in the first two meetings alone who are my age or even younger, and they have their own business,” said Moore. “It makes me want to start and be a leader or entrepreneur in my own type of way.”
One E-club event that Moore is particularly excited for is a competition on Nov. 12 where students pitch business ideas for scholarship money.
“It’s like a Shark Tank idea,” Moore said, “The winner gets $1,000, second place gets $750 and third place gets $500.”
The biggest lesson Moore has learned from being in the club is to put no limits on himself.
“If these people are doing it, I can do it, too,” Moore said.
The E-club meets at biweekly at 10 a.m. on Friday in the Welcome Center, room 119.
