Students at the Spider Business Hub have the answers
Student Experience
Robins School majors assist local entrepreneurs and companies while gaining hands-on experience that sets them apart in the job market.
The Spider Business Hub located at the Robins School has matched students with more than 100 local businesses since its launch in 2020, connecting them with real-world projects in fields that include marketing, finance, and human resources.
Community-based work isn’t new to the business school, but with the creation of the Spider Business Hub, there is now a central location for local businesses seeking help and students and faculty who want to apply classroom concepts to client work. Requests for assistance range from tactical tasks, like cost analysis, social media content development, or non-profit impact report writing, to semester-long strategic projects that are integrated into relevant courses.
“Solo entrepreneurs are our bread and butter,” said Sara Hanson, associate professor of marketing and director of the Spider Business Hub. “That’s where we offer a ton of value at no charge. The students are doing things that entrepreneurs don’t have time to do, or don’t know how to do.”
Richmond-area nonprofits and global corporations like Capital One, KitKat, and Hamilton Beach have also tapped into the Spider Hub as a resource.
If you build it, they will come
Six faculty fellows from different business disciplines help Hanson scope projects and provide expertise. Marketing support is a common request, especially for small businesses. Many tasks, including customer research and discovery, logo design and branding, lead generation lists and templates, are handled by the Spider Business Hub Marketing Lab, taught by Hanson, or as an independent study.
When the Hub launched, Hanson posted on the local Reddit site looking for potential partners and quickly secured a few. Five years later — thanks in part to the Metropolitan Business League regularly promoting the center — the hub now averages 50 projects per year, with even more projects on the waitlist.
The Hub was recently recognized by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business as part of its “Innovations That Inspire” initiative.
Sharpening business skills
Mary Beth Henderson and Matthew Fan both approached Hanson last year about getting involved with the Spider Business Hub. Last fall, they worked together on a marketing and social media project for BP Real Estate, located in Portsmouth, Virginia.
This year in Hanson’s Marketing Lab, they’re focused on putting together a marketing strategy for Eirene Counseling and Consulting, including social media templates and website updates.
“The biggest benefit for me has been to have more face-to-face interactions with clients and having strict deadlines for actual deliverables that can impact a company,” said Fan, a business administration major with concentrations in finance and consulting. “It has been helpful with my job and internship search as it has allowed me to gain more applicable, real-world knowledge, and learn about situations from an outside perspective.”
Even though they’re the only sophomores in the class, Henderson and Fan now offer advice to older classmates on how to interact with clients. Hanson has also given the pair more freedom to guide their projects — an experience Henderson said she didn’t expect to have so early on. “Dr. Hanson puts a lot of trust in us,” said Henderson, who plans to major in business administration. “We have deadlines, but we have room to decide what needs to get done and how to do it.”
Develop marketing and media content
Jane Guo, a senior from Beijing, China, who is majoring in business administration with a concentration in marketing, started working with the Spider Business Hub to develop practical skills that would lay the groundwork for her career. She’s since participated in five projects, developing marketing strategies and sample media content to help a local wellness company, the Float Zone, increase brand awareness. The project was a long-term assignment Hanson doled out in her Consumer Behavior course.
This semester, Guo is leading two projects. For Fingerprint Photo Studio, a wedding photography business, her team is creating content for Pinterest, writing blog posts, and developing a strategy for social media management. For her second client, Therapeutic Counseling and Consulting, Guo and her classmates are conducting market trend research, drafting social media guidelines, and creating sample content.
“Unlike class projects, working with real clients often involves unexpected changes and challenges,” she said. “During my experiences with the Spider Business Hub, I have encountered communication delays, unforeseeable incidents, and big changes in a client’s business.” Guo can attest to professional growth through these experiences, which she says have strengthened her project management and communication skills.
“I believe that being flexible and confident when facing changes and challenges are two essential qualities for a marketer, which will also make me a more competitive candidate when applying for jobs.”