Editor’s Note: November is National Entrepreneurship Month, a celebration of the business owners, innovators and visionaries who bolster the economy, augment our workforce and improve lives every day.
And while this annual recognition highlights the important work of entrepreneurs, Old Dominion University’s commitment to fostering the entrepreneurial spirit across Hampton Roads is a year-round mission.
When a family struggles to make ends meet, profit from a side hustle can mean the difference between a safe place to live one month and housing instability the next.
Providing support resources and coaching to families during this critical, transitional phase of entrepreneurship can break the cycle of poverty and support long-term financial stability — a mission now driving an expanding partnership between Old Dominion University and Hampton Roads-based nonprofit ForKids.
It’s a partnership that not only benefits those directly involved, but also the Hampton Roads region. When local families can find stable employment and economic mobility where they are, the local economy grows, too.
Jay O’Toole, Ph.D., and Rob Pidduck, Ph.D., both associate professors in the Strome College of Business department of management, lead the Hudgins Transitional Entrepreneurship Lab (HTEL), a research-driven academic lab helping entrepreneurs from local underserved communities to build business success.
The lab received an email from ForKids in January 2024 requesting support, and Dr. O’Toole said the connection immediately felt right.
ForKids provides programs designed to break the cycle of poverty and homelessness and, ultimately, bring families long-lasting stability. Dr. O’Toole said he already admired the organization’s exceptional work in Hampton Roads and was eager to explore a partnership.
Before coming to the University, Dr. O’Toole taught high school math in rural Mississippi through Teach For America. He saw firsthand the direct and immediate effects housing instability had on his students.
“It was, ‘This is where I stay,’ versus ‘This is where I live,’” Dr. O’Toole said of conversations with his high schoolers. “That difference has critical implications for childhood well-being.”
Those experiences stayed with Dr. O’Toole and are now influencing his work with the HTEL.
The lab’s programs focus on developing an entrepreneurial mindset in participants —including skills such as autonomy, innovativeness, problem solving and risk taking. These key capabilities not only help people with potential future self-employment but also make them more employable overall.
It’s this approach to entrepreneurship, focusing on skill development, instead of the number or size of businesses launched, that sets the HTEL apart, Dr. Pidduck said.
In addition to ForKids, the lab has also recently worked with Hampton Roads Refugee Relief, another organization representing an underserved community with unique barriers to economic mobility.
Jessica Milloy, senior director of shelter and housing services at ForKids, first learned of the HTEL through the Strome College of Business Cox Communications Small Business Leadership Academy. As she read more about the Lab and its work, she became excited.
“Our missions definitely collided,” she said.
Milloy met with Drs. O’Toole and Pidduck, and the group reviewed the Lab’s current programming and worked to tailor its offerings to ForKids participants. Support includes a series of workshops about entrepreneurship fundamentals and business-planning skills and office hours for one-on-one coaching sessions each month.
“It’s the importance and power of having stakeholders who walk into these sessions and share ways to help clients succeed,” Dr. O’Toole said. “We want to encourage them to ask any questions and bring any ideas.”
After completing the HTEL program, ForKids participants receive a certificate, bolstering their resumes and enhancing their prospects of traditional employment.
“It means a lot to me,” Dr. Pidduck said of working with participants through the HTEL.
“They have a unique insight to bring to the companies they join or to the businesses they want to start.”
It means a lot to the participants and their families, too. Whether it’s an individual coaching session or a workshop, Milloy said the ForKids participants come away energized.
“They’ve come up with so many ideas, and I’ve seen their passion,” she said. “When I come into a session, the energy is buzzing. That passion is coming through.”
The HTEL also offers fellowships for ODU students, allowing them to work directly with ForKids and other community organizations. In working with ForKids, the fellow gains real-world experience while helping to further the nonprofit’s mission. Sharon Scannell, Strome Entrepreneurial Center program manager, trained fellows in skills including gathering data, basic office work, marketing and public speaking.
“The lightbulb goes off,” Scannell said of when the student fellows begin to apply what they’ve learned in an office setting. “Working is not the same as classroom work, and they grow from that knowledge.”
The partnership is now expanding beyond direct support for families. This semester, Dr. O'Toole began leading creativity and idea-development workshops for ForKids employees, helping the organization identify new ways to advance its mission.
When asked about the impact of this partnership, Milloy pointed to a recent participant’s feedback from an ideation session with the Strome College.
“I am truly grateful to have such a valuable resource for entrepreneurs,” the participant wrote. “The benefits of this partnership will only continue to impact my entrepreneurial journey.”
Old Dominion University offers a major and minor in entrepreneurship through the Strome College of Business. In addition to the entrepreneurial and business-planning support offered through the HTEL and Strome Entrepreneurial Center, students, graduates and community members can access resources and explore partnerships through the University’s Monarch Internship and Co-Op Office, the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Entrepreneurial Alumni Chapter.