1. The idea
1. 25 years old, playing professional lacrosse and selling health care benefits in Annapolis, Maryland 
2. Comes home one day to find that his mother's homemade salad dressing was stolen by a friend 
3. Decides there must be an appeal if someone goes through the trouble to steal the dressing, so he sets up a meeting with a local Whole Foods' for a tasting. 
2. The brand 
1. Lies about having an established company, and brings the store's supervisor a Tupperware container with lettuce doused in his mother's dressing. 
2. Supervisor is confused but likes the taste and sets up a meeting with Annapolis Wholefood's directors for Vetter. 
3. Vetter tries the same Tupperware idea again to avoid admitting he has no packaging, and bluffs his way through serious questions about manufacturing and logistics. 
4. Meeting goes well and they ask him to send his legal documentation, and he bluffs his way through all the requirements because he doesn't understand half of them (He gets his HACCP from a Google Search on HACCP plans for dressing companies). 
5. Gets the contract anyway 
3. Sales and Marketing
1. Sells 4 cases of a dozen bottles at a Wholefoods demo in just 30 minutes.
2. Ends up breaking a national record by selling 650 bottles in less than five days just at demos. 
3. Made the dressing with his two brothers in the middle of the night at a ribs restaurant by hand for two years. 
4. Expansion
1. Demoed across the country in various Whole Foods stores
2. Expanded to Costco and Safeway and had to expand product options to adapt
3. expanded product line to all condiments. 
4. Expanded to 150 employees in 7 years 
5. Struggles and Lessons
1. "Never give up" 
1. spent 2 and a half years manufacturing everything by hand in the middle of the night, but he never let that put him down
2. "Knock down 7 times, get up 8"
1. Got a small business loan for a piece of manufacturing equipment that went to waste because they didn't have the rest of the equipment to make it work. 
3. Be practical
1. His car was repossessed because he didn't pay himself, and couldn't make his car payments.  
4. "When it rains, it pours"
1. After two and a half years of struggling, every time something good happened, it ended up being a huge blessing (Safeway contract happened the week after the car was repossessed).
5. Prepare for the journey and appreciate it
1. 86% of consumer packaged brands fail, so it's worth being humble about success that can be so volatile
6. Be Authentic
1. The ability to sell an emotion will knock them down every time. Tessemae's is a homemade family recipe that's made by three brother's by hand out of all natural ingredients. It's one of the very last few condiment companies that make condiments that actually need to be refrigerated like real food. It's something that makes them stand out and be remembered. 
7. "Master the minute"
1. Being able to not waste time during the day by organizing, planning and acting and half of the struggle. Everyone has the same number of hours in a day, and people that are successful are those who make the most of them. 

If you go to UMBC, you know there are three rules to never break:

1) Never leave your parking spot unless you absolutely HAVE to because there is NO chance you'll find another.

2) You can't speak your native language anywhere on campus to talk about people because someone will understand you.

3) Never set yourself up to be standing at the Starbucks line between 10 am - 1 pm because there are 50 plus people trying to get a coffee fix and you'll never make it to class on time.

Enter: Joseph Hyman, UMBC Mechanical Engineering major of 2011, and certified coffee fanatic.

Now, how exactly does one become a certified coffee fanatic? You probably think that's just a flowery title to make this article sound cool. No, Joseph Hyman is actually a certified coffee fanatic, so much so that he and his team have created the next revolutionary coffee related device, right next to the K-cup. 

After a Kick-starter campaign with over 700 supporters and and $85,000 in Crowdfunding Pledges, Joseph has answered all of our hot-beverage prayers. 

Meet MoJoe Brewing Co., one of the only companies that sell a portable coffee mug and coffee maker in one. It gets better; not only does this cup make coffee anywhere you go, it looks exactly like a regular coffee mug, and it fits in your car's cup holder so it's not inconvenient at all.

But wait, it gets even better. MoJoe's cup can be charged in your car, an outlet, and even with a rechargeable battery! It's more convenient than charging your phone. The cup is filled with any kind of water, and will heat it up to more than 195 degrees Fahrenheit so your hot cup of afternoon java isn't compromised just because you're busy.   

MoJoe comes in 9 different color assortments for your taste,  and takes ground coffee as well as coffee packets for convenience.

Joseph works with Ezekail Kolajo and Jingrui Wang, both UMBC students/former students. With no business experience to work with, Joseph and his team used the support and resources of the Alex Brown Center to guide his way through the start up. In fact, you may even recognize him from our Entrepreneurship Panel a year ago. He's been featured on Huffington Post, Mashable, and the Baltimore Business Journal, and his product hasn't even officially launched yet. After seeing this start up through, Joseph says, "It makes the sleepless nights worth it".

We always knew UMBC alumni were smart, but they just stole our hearts too.                           

If you're interested in MoJoe's product, click here. To read the original article, click here. 

Development Coordinator

Position Description

Development Coordinator

Position Description

Development Coordinator

Position Description

Development Coordinator

Position Description

Development Coordinator

Position Description

Development Coordinator

Position Description

Renaissance Fine Arts is seeking a Sales Consultant for our Baltimore gallery.

Sales Position:

To be successful in our fast paced art gallery, you must be dynamic & self motivated. Candidates must have an upbeat and professional demeanor, a desire to help our clientele "personalize" their homes and offices with art, and excellent closing skills.