Empowering Tomorrow’s Entrepreneurs
The SURE program allows students to gain the hands-on experience employers look for while uplifting the local economy alongside Houston entrepreneurs.
Empowering Tomorrow’s Entrepreneurs
The SURE program allows students to gain the hands-on experience employers look for while uplifting the local economy alongside Houston entrepreneurs.
By Professor Saleha Khumawala, as told to Shawn Shinneman
In the early 2000s, not long after I’d taken a group of students to explore the work of nonprofits in my native India, including in the slums of Mumbai, one of them walked into my office with a proposition. He wanted me to teach him the world of microfinance.
I knew that project-based work—not textbooks—was the way to grasp the market, and we soon had him enrolled in an independent study. What I didn’t realize at the time was that his inquiry was just scratching the surface of the interest across the C. T. Bauer College of Business.
Some 20 years later, that one independent study has slowly evolved into a thriving program named SURE—Stimulating Urban Renewal Through Entrepreneurship. The SURE program, which was founded in 2012, receives some 1,000 applications each year from under-resourced entrepreneurs across the Houston area, about 120 of whom are admitted to the program and paired with MBA student-mentors from the College of Business.
Dr. Saleha Khumawala
Dr. Saleha Khumawala
Learning Together
The SURE program creates a symbiotic relationship that’s incredibly valuable for both sides. Throughout the semester, I make it a point to address our students as consultants. That’s what they put on their resumes, which has proven to be a differentiator during interviews. And they are consultants in the truest sense of the word. Each student-consultant takes on three or four businesses in an active learning “classroom,” where they sit together with entrepreneurs at round tables, discussing real ideas and working to solve genuine business problems.
The local entrepreneurs they’re helping come from all walks of life, but they’re connected by the fact that they lack some key drivers of business success—education, a network and access to capital. SURE provides all three.
We start each semester with lessons on financial literacy to help the group of entrepreneurs get their personal accounts and habits in order, creating a stable base for their company. We then empower their business efforts with financial education and skills training. At the end of the semester, we run a pitch day that is a more friendly fish tank than Shark Tank. We call it “Aquarium.”
Entrepreneurs inevitably end up exchanging cards with bankers and investors who serve as the event’s judges. Rounding out the cohort’s new network are the executives who volunteer their time to mentor our consultants; they are present and often willing to hold court with hordes of entrepreneurs and students alike.
It has been incredible to watch how the community has banded together around our efforts. In addition to the executives, several law firms provide pro bono legal advisement as our entrepreneurs set up limited liability companies and navigate the specific regulatory waters of their industries.
Ensuring Success
Through the SURE program, we’ve helped launch more than 725 businesses. Imagine the number of jobs and revenue that have been generated from those 725. I’m so proud of the imprint we’re leaving on Houston. It’s proof that we all benefit when we create a more inclusive business ecosystem.
But I may be even prouder of the nonnumerical indicators of success, the less measurable but every-bit-as-real impact at an individual level. There’s always a point in the semester when things begin to click for our cohort—when the mentorship and training meet real confidence and a sense of self. It’s the way our entrepreneurs are uplifted both socially and emotionally that is so incredible to see. They’re able to go back home and tell their networks they go to the University of Houston. We have a graduation each year with prominent speakers and attendees, from the mayor to former high-ranking state officials.
Some people have asked whether I consider it a failure to go through our program and not come out with a viable business. I very much do not. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, one in five businesses fail within their first year of operation. Our mentorship allows folks to understand what it will take to make their idea a reality and whether the juice is worth the proverbial squeeze. There are many times when they decide it is not. But in my opinion, they still benefit greatly from the guidance and network and may soon find another venture that is more profitable or more conducive to their way of life.
As interest in our program grows, I’m excited about how SURE will evolve. One year ago, we established an academic center of excellence called the Musa and Khaleda Dakri Center for Economic Inclusion on campus. It houses the SURE program, but we’re now also doing cutting-edge research on the intersection of small business and higher education. Many people can tell you what number of businesses fail, but there’s not enough research into the drivers of that failure. That’s the gap we’re working to bridge.
The SURE program was built on our students’ empathy. Who knew that one trip to India two decades ago would set the wheels in motion to create this thriving community?
Ensuring Success
Through the SURE program, we’ve helped launch more than 725 businesses. Imagine the number of jobs and revenue that have been generated from those 725. I’m so proud of the imprint we’re leaving on Houston. It’s proof that we all benefit when we create a more inclusive business ecosystem.
But I may be even prouder of the nonnumerical indicators of success, the less measurable but every-bit-as-real impact at an individual level. There’s always a point in the semester when things begin to click for our cohort—when the mentorship and training meet real confidence and a sense of self. It’s the way our entrepreneurs are uplifted both socially and emotionally that is so incredible to see. They’re able to go back home and tell their networks they go to the University of Houston. We have a graduation each year with prominent speakers and attendees, from the mayor to former high-ranking state officials.
Some people have asked whether I consider it a failure to go through our program and not come out with a viable business. I very much do not. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, one in five businesses fail within their first year of operation. Our mentorship allows folks to understand what it will take to make their idea a reality and whether the juice is worth the proverbial squeeze. There are many times when they decide it is not. But in my opinion, they still benefit greatly from the guidance and network and may soon find another venture that is more profitable or more conducive to their way of life.
As interest in our program grows, I’m excited about how SURE will evolve. One year ago, we established an academic center of excellence called the Musa and Khaleda Dakri Center for Economic Inclusion on campus. It houses the SURE program, but we’re now also doing cutting-edge research on the intersection of small business and higher education. Many people can tell you what number of businesses fail, but there’s not enough research into the drivers of that failure. That’s the gap we’re working to bridge.
The SURE program was built on our students’ empathy. Who knew that one trip to India two decades ago would set the wheels in motion to create this thriving community?
The stories of individual successes within the SURE program’s community paint a picture of innovation, determination, and the transformative power of education and mentorship.
The Sweet Spot
Beata Lerman
Beata Lerman
For UH alumna Beata Lerman, life these days is certainly sweet.
After graduating with a biology degree in 2005, she earned a master’s degree and two doctorates before starting a career in immunology, where, among other significant accomplishments, she developed cancer treatments and oversaw COVID vaccine trials.
But it was during COVID, and not long after her own cancer diagnosis, that she really found her sweet spot. Chocolate.
“My life’s mission is to improve health,” Lerman says. “And from what I’ve seen the past two years, I really believe I can make a bigger and more positive impact on people’s lives with my chocolate than I was ever able to do as an immunologist.”
Realizing that a lot of the chronic health issues she was seeing in people — diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure — were driven by sugar, she set out to find a healthy alternative.
“I wanted to create something that would give people the same quality and taste experience they were used to, but would also be great for their health,” Lerman says. “I found these ingredients in Costa Rica and Ecuador and created an alternative chocolate with no carbs and almost no sugar that tastes better than the chocolate people are used to.”
So, the idea for Sinless Treats, a chocolate factory and café in Bellaire, Texas, was born. But she needed some help with the business basics, so she went back to her alma mater and the SURE program.
“SURE helped me control the chaos and get my business off the ground faster than I ever could alone,” she says. “I needed business and marketing plans, and I needed to understand how funding works. SURE was that proactive step entrepreneurs need to be successful.”
Lerman saw her sales jump 400% from 2022 to 2023 and while retail sales are part of her business plan, right now she is focusing on the hotel and resort industry where she just landed a contract for Dallas-based Curio as its featured inventor of the month.
And thanks to the SURE program, she says there’s no limit to her potential growth.
“Chocolate is something everybody understands,” she says. “Who doesn’t love chocolate?”
Enjoy Your Stay
With a passport that boasts stamps from 49 countries and seven continents, you can safely say that Deidre Mathis loves to travel. Her journeys are infused with the magic of exploration, connection and cultural immersion.
So, when it came time to turn her passion into a unique travel business, she wanted to offer more than just a pin on a map. She wanted to transport people into the heart and soul of their destination.
“I fell in love with the instant community and cultural diversity of the guests I would meet at boutique accommodations and wanted to bring that same experience stateside,” she says.
In 2018, Mathis opened her first property in Houston, a hostel offering themed private and shared accommodations, becoming the first Black woman to own a hostel in the U.S.
It would not have been possible, she says, without the SURE program.
“I had already secured my business loan, but I was looking for an entrepreneurship program to teach me all of the things I needed to know before opening our doors,” she says. “SURE gave me the opportunity to network with other small business owners and provided me with the financial, marketing and growth strategies that would help me succeed.”
And succeed she has.
Deidre Mathis
Deidre Mathis
Mathis’s Wanderstay Hospitality Group now includes the hostel, which earned TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice awards in 2021, 2022 and 2023, a boutique hotel that opened in 2023 and another hotel that will open in 2027. She also launched the Wander Abroad Foundation, a nonprofit that provides passports and all-expenses-paid short-term study abroad programs to college students.
“Having the SURE mentors in my life has been invaluable,” she says. “It’s a prestigious program that gave me not just the tools to turn my dreams into reality but the confidence, as well.”
Answering the Call
In 2017, after domestic violence left her homeless, Arneisha Sadler turned her struggle into success, building something of her own – a business that would not only empower her but also inspire others to find strength in the face of adversity.
“I couldn’t find a job, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me,” she says. “I had over two decades of call center and customer service expertise. What I needed was help becoming an entrepreneur.”
Sadler launched Emeniss Call Center from a motel room in Houston that summer. But it wasn’t until she found the SURE program that her venture really took off.
“I was rejected several times by similar programs, but someone at a networking event told me about SURE,” Sadler says. “It helped me focus on the key elements of entrepreneurship and creating a strong business plan.”
“[The SURE Program] helped me focus on the key elements of
entrepreneurship and creating a strong business plan.”
Deidre Mathis
Deidre Mathis
Emeniss specializes in providing 24/7 comprehensive inbound and outbound service calls, emergency hotlines, technical support, administrative assistance and project management. The call center provides services to several notable clients, including Harris Health LBJ Hospital and is partnered with the Texas Workforce Commission’s Vocational Rehabilitation program.
For her entrepreneurial efforts, and her dedication to helping adults like herself who’ve overcome struggles in their lives, Arneisha was named to Houston Business Journal’s prestigious “40 under 40” list and earned its “Most Admired CEO” award.
“When someone says they are a SURE graduate, it speaks volumes about their seriousness and commitment to their business,” she says. “I wouldn’t have experienced the rapid growth of my company in such a short time without it. The SURE program and networking ecosystem is top-tier.”
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