The Point makes an entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship is the name of the game for Colorado Mesa University alumnus Craton Edwards. In May 2018, Edwards and his business partner opened up The Clever Bean in Draper, Utah. But before Edwards ever started crunching the numbers of his coffee shop business or handling inventory, he was in the classroom creating the concept for a student-run business that is now a popular hangout on campus.
During his educational journey, with guidance from CMU Instructor of Business Georgann Jouflas, Edwards and a small group of his peers spearheaded an entrepreneurial project now known as The Point. Before it became The Point as CMU students know it today, it was just an idea floating around Jouflas’ entrepreneurship class.
“It was terrifying, absolutely terrifying to have that responsibility,” remembers Edwards. “There was a level of trust when it came to getting things done [like the liquor license] and we knew that if things went south, it would be really bad.”
Developing a concept for a place where students could come and grab a beer and a bite to eat changed Edwards’ life trajectory.
“Being on the team that helped create The Point was the best hands-on experience I could’ve asked for. It’s been foundational in everything I’ve done so far,” said Edwards. “Anytime you can put students in a real-world scenario where it’s not a student against the teacher but a student against a market, you have potential for so much learning.”
He contributes his time at CMU and building The Point to helping him start his own business.
“Inventory was something new and scary for me back then. The Point had about 150 different inventory items. That experience made it to where I wasn’t scared of taking inventory at the shop. It was something I knew I could manage,” he said.
The Clever Bean was up and running for a couple years until the pandemic hit. It was not just a place for locals to get a cup of brew, but was a place for building community. But the closing of the coffee shop hasn’t slowed him down. Edwards jokes that entrepreneurship is his addiction. He’s now in the developmental phase of his next project, an at-home cold brewing kit. It’s called the Clever Cold Brewer and his Kickstarter campaign is set to launch next month.
Edwards believes the best entrepreneur is the one that’s feasible, the one that can see opportunities and goes after them.
“I’ve enjoyed this path more than I ever could have imagined. The reason I focused on this was because of the opportunities that were given to me by Georgann, The Point being one of those. I’m nothing but thankful for the attention she gave me and the direction she pointed me.”