Business school for the real world

Looking smart in a crisp shirt and tie, aspiring businessman Tyeson Pennella admits his experience with asking for money is pretty much limited to hitting up his parents for an allowance.

But last week Pennella, along with 14 other Everett Community College students, got a dose of what it's like to start a business and successfully persuade those with money to fund their ideas. Pennella, 22, calls the experience "the real world."

It's all part of an Everett Community College entrepreneurship program that makes students temporary business owners.

The program is designed to infuse "the real factor" into classes, said Lynne Muñoz, director of the college's School of Business Design.

"We just kicked these classes to the next level," said Muñoz.

Students who complete the three-quarter program can earn a certificate of entrepreneurship or go on to complete a two-year associate in technical arts degree.

As part of the course work, students team up to create a small business. Last week Pennella and others made their case for a startup loan from the school to get their businesses rolling.

The students have until the end of spring quarter to make enough money to repay the loan — any profit goes back to the school, and any losses are taken as a direct hit by the school.

How much the students received when they pitched the panel — made up of two Bank of Everett executives, the director of the Northwest Women's Business Center, as well as the school's instructors, dean and director — depended on how sharp the pitch was and how viable the ideas were.

"Our motive was to make this as realistic as possible," said Muñoz.

The three teams — a T-shirt business, a table-making business and a music-booking agency — had 10 minutes to show off marketing and financial plans and business polish.

Tonya Bayley, 35, a member of Pennella's team that received $1,500 to create a business that sells campus T-shirts, said the program's hands-on approach will help her better run her irrigation business.

"For me, experience is knowledge," she said.

Anastasia Weed, 18, and her team got $500 to start a local music-booking agency, even though Weed said her youthful business was a tough sell to the panel.

Muñoz said the classes are growing — enrollment is up 50 percent since they began a year ago. Between 20 and 30 students will complete the entrepreneurship certification and receive the associate in technical arts in entrepreneurship degree this spring quarter, she said.

There are plenty of jobs and opportunities in the business world that don't require a four-year degree, said course instructor Tom Hoban, also a local business owner.

"We have to have something ... that gives them enough business training to be effective," he said. "We're giving them enough to be effective."

Stephanie Tapert, 37, was among the first crop of students to graduate from the certification program last year.

"You actually got out there and worked with people — we had customers, we had real-life problems that we had to deal with," said Tapert, who is planning to open her own winemaking business in Marysville in June. "You don't get that in a regular business class."

Christina Siderius: 425-745-7813 or csiderius@seattletimes.com