If a sorority has the drive, then any startup in their group has the growth potential. It’s quite fun at first, working with the women you know. You know each other front and back, and you trust that they will lead you right. But even camaraderie can’t replace experience, and there’s bound to be hurdles.
A sorority is a place of socialization, first and foremost. Business can add tensions to the formed bonds that didn’t exist before. To avoid hurt feelings, it’s important to gently transition the sorority into the idea of a business. The sorority itself stays the same, but there will now be a business attached. Naturally, boundaries must be set to keep every sister professional.
Why Sororities Work as Startups (And When They Don’t)
The lifeblood of every company is not in capital or clients. Those are resources and goals, but they are not what the company is built on. It is employees who make the business, and sororities have a diverse pool of potential staff. After all, colleges and universities accept people from all walks of life.
Not only that, but sororities have people who are young, hungry, and in need of some extra income. The yearning for a business may even pop up naturally. If a sorority already has great camaraderie, then the only thing left to gather is results. That doesn’t mean no struggles, but people who know each other are more likely to work through issues with ease.
That’s not to say there won’t be obstacles. When people who are close start a business together, that comes with its own set of issues. Things get personal, and it isn’t a closed-and-shut case of letting people go or calling HR. A sorority, especially during the startup phase, will have a level of informality that breeds tension.
This is especially true for sororities with a penchant for parties. When the funtimes get interrupted by finance, members may start to wonder why they joined. A majority must be reached in the sorority before any business starts. These boundaries are crucial for a sorority startup to succeed.
The Quick Guide To Sorority Startups
There’s so much that goes into starting any business, but sororities have specific pros and cons. Breaking down those strengths will develop your leadership skills and guide your sorority to startup success. Now that you understand the baseline of what a sorority business may entail, it’s time to make things happen.
Find the Needs
The closest and best clientele are your fellow students and college staff. These are the people you will interact with most. A normal day of social interactions could prove the start of a marketing survey. Put out feelers and check what things people in the college wish there was a service or product for.
Did you notice plenty of students complaining that sourcing the textbooks is a massive pain? Perhaps the campus is huge, and yet there’s a distinct lack of easy snacks? Or maybe it’s more subtle, a quiet urge for a fashion explosion to happen and put the school on the map. Whatever the need, you must find it, because that will be the core of your business goals.
Check Your Resources
Once you’ve found a need, it’s time to see how you can meet it. Resources range from how much money you can put together to how many people you can staff. If possible, find a guardian or friend of the sorority who can act as a business consultant for the initial phases. If they’re in the sorority proper, then even better.
What resources are needed will differ greatly depending on the business. A service-based business will mostly need people. That makes them a popular plan for big sororities with plenty of members. Products are trickier unless you can find a third-party supplier, and then there’s the matter of branding them to your image.
Branding
Speaking of which, the appeal of a sorority startup comes from the first half of that word. The “sorority” aspect must never be forgotten. You should treat it as a feature. Building your business around the sorority’s history and values makes your business more legitimate.
Everything from sorority merch and apparel to social media pages must reflect your sorority’s voice. People will walk by your sorority house and see the shirts. Meanwhile, social media is what can help draw in potential members and customers outside the campus. Offering sorority fun and serious business is a contrast that people surprisingly enjoy.
Keep It Small
Finally, a sorority startup should never aim to be too big. While social media is crucial for leads, word of mouth is king when it comes to retention. Sororities will always have socialization woven into their DNA. The largest your clientele should get is the college and the nearby communities.
A sorority that tries to shoot for the “stars,” so to speak, will come crashing down. Remember, you will be an alumnus at some point. Putting all your eggs into that basket is a disservice to the sorority and yourself. Instead, set the stage for the next generation of sorority sisters to keep the business going.
Final Thoughts
Every startup starts somewhere, so why not a sorority? You know the people, you know the clientele, so all that’s left to do is meet whatever demands come your way. If it succeeds, then you will have more than just yearbook memories to look fondly back on. You will also have gained a strong mind for business, thanks to your sisterly bonds.