In the weeks leading up to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Builders Marketplace, a signature project in the Foundations of Entrepreneurship (ENTR 321B) course, students in the Clifton Builders Program quickly learn that entrepreneurship rarely follows a straight line. As they build businesses from scratch, create and sell real products and donate all they earn to nonprofits, setbacks become part of the lesson.
Ideas stall, products flop, schedules collide and pressures mount as the annual event draws closer. It signals the start of the holiday season on campus, providing shoppers the opportunity to purchase gifts and stocking stuffers for family and friends.
“They learn to pivot when plans fall apart, and it’s intentional. Students come in with a plan, and then someone else has a similar idea, the product doesn’t work or the market responds negatively. The learning happens in how they adapt,” said Samantha Fairclough, associate professor of practice in management, who teaches the course.
For Annabelle Roubal, a sophomore business and law major from Omaha, Nebraska, and the Builders Bags and Pins team, the process began by identifying their audience.
“We kept coming back to the UNL community as customers,” Roubal said. “For students, professors and staff, what connects all of us is our Husker pride.”
That insight led her team to Husker-themed clear bags and game-day buttons, products designed to appeal to a wide audience and meet stadium requirements. While Roubal used her entrepreneurial instincts since childhood to sell baked goods in her neighborhood, this was her first college-level business venture.
“Pricing was our biggest challenge,” she said. “Figuring out what people would actually pay took research and trial and error. We wanted to make a profit, but we also wanted people to feel good about buying from us, knowing the money supports a nonprofit.”
Beyond the marketplace, her team expanded sales through a website and Instagram, applying concepts from class.
“We focused a lot on marketing in class, so we took what we learned to market our products,” Roubal said. “I enjoyed working with all the different aspects of a business.”
The real-time learning became especially clear for George Kane, a sophomore finance major from Lincoln, Nebraska. His team didn’t land on their final product, Glove Box Goods, until their fourth idea.
“We realized some of our early ideas had target markets that were just too small,” Kane said. “We thought this would be great for everybody.”
The result was a car kit stocked with everyday essentials like tissues, lotion and first-aid supplies, designed for the glove box. After weeks of preparation, the team assembled 24 kits.
“We sold out so decided to take orders and make more kits and then deliver then for five dollars,” Kane said. “This showed us what starting a real business actually looks like. Inventory, pricing, delivery and knowing the profits go to a nonprofit made it even more meaningful.”
One group made soap and learned how some scents sell better than others. Another initially planned to sell only artificial roses before determining they needed additional offerings. They attempted to make coasters from scratch, including cutting down a tree, before pivoting to laser-engraved designs.
“I learned the laser engraver just for this project,” Ayden Longcor, sophomore finance major from Omaha. “I messed up more than once but figured it out with practice.”
“They fail safely here,” Fairclough said. “They learn that changing direction isn’t a weakness. It’s a skill.”
Creative flexibility showed up at the Suits and Stems booth, where Ellie Volk, an advertising and public relations major from Lincoln, assembled custom flower bouquets on demand.
“Running this business means responding to people right in front of you,” Volk said. “You can’t script that. You have to listen to what they want, adjust and create something that fits what they are looking for.”
She said the experience reshaped how she thinks about marketing.
“It’s not just about promotion,” Fairclough said. “It’s about understanding people and delivering value in the moment.”
This year, the Builders earned a record-breaking $2,120 for seven nonprofits: Benjamin Hugh Ryan Foundation, Dance Marathon, Lighthouse Lincoln, Peoples' City Mission, Susan G. Komen Foundation, The Water Project and Youth Emergency Services.
“Students are learning to make business decisions quickly as needed,” Fairclough said. “They don’t walk away with a perfect business. They walk away knowing how to move forward when things don’t go as planned.”
