Kari Severson, BS ’08, is learning what it takes to start up a business. As a matter of fact, two different types of businesses. Through the Gary S. Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship, Severson is getting hands-on experience as a team member of the 2007-2008 Entrepreneurs in Action program and as in intern in the Entrepreneurial Internship program.

Entrepreneurs in Action is a year-long program that enables student teams to conceive, launch, and start up a new business. Severson’s team developed a business plan for a new product called “16 Degrees,” customized leather chopper gloves which are available through the website the team created. “We’re doing it all. Bank accounts, tracking sales, media kits — it’s every part of the business. Most of all, it’s about operating as a team and understanding your role. It’s given me a lot of insight.”

Severson is also assisting with the launch of Survivors’ Studio, a nonprofit fitness center in White Bear Lake offering health and hope to women cancer survivors. The studio is part of a new non-profit organization, Survivors’ Training founded by University of Minnesota Professor Wendy Rahn, who is a breast cancer survivor herself. “Getting the word out is rewarding, especially when you see how important the studio is to its members. Some women even have tears in their eyes when they see the studio for the first time.”