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Founder, Silk By Laura and program manager, Diverse Scholars Program听

is the story of a growing small business that very nearly wasn鈥檛.听

Like some success stories, the business started almost by accident; in this case, Laura Moore鈥檚 friends and family telling her how much they loved her homemade shea butter, convincing her to set up shop as an LLC despite not having a business plan.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have a financial plan, or a website鈥擨 was using a Google form for orders,鈥� Laura said. 听

She paused the business after the holiday rush to put a plan in place, build a site, restock her inventory鈥攁nd when she reopened, her customers were gone. Feeling defeated, she prepared to close out the business, attending one final event that she鈥檇 committed to鈥斺�渂ut that one day, I made $800 in sales,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat was the push I needed to keep going forward.鈥澨�

That鈥檚 not the only nudge she鈥檚 needed鈥攕he was accepted to the selective Catalyze CU accelerator, but turned it down before being talked into it by the program鈥檚 director鈥攂ut those little pushes have changed her outlook on her business.

鈥淲hen I have conversations with many people about Silk, they鈥檒l tell me, 鈥榊our story is unique, and it doesn鈥檛 just happen like that,鈥欌�� Laura said. 鈥淪o, I鈥檓 now taking every opportunity I can, because they鈥檙e presenting themselves to me.鈥�

Her homemade body butter is actually Laura鈥檚 side hustle. She鈥檚 better known for her work supporting students through their academic journeys as a member of the Office of Diversity Affairs at Leeds. She was a high-school student serving as president of the International Baccalaureate Black Organization when she discovered her passion for DEI issues and helping students feel a sense of belonging.听

But being a part of the business school has helped her think about her own enterprise while making her an approachable expert for entrepreneurially minded students.听

鈥淥bviously, my background is more in education,鈥� said Laura, who also owns a master鈥檚 in counseling from CU Denver, which she completed in 2021. She had a strong sense of business ethics from watching her father, who owned his own insurance agency with Allstate, 鈥渂ut I didn鈥檛 have a set financial plan, or speak the business lingo.鈥澨�

鈥淐atalyze helped me grow tremendously, and gave me confidence in my pitch and in talking to investors, because I was very intimidated by those kinds of conversations.鈥�

Inspiring student entrepreneurs

And Leeds students are taking notice鈥攂oth those she advises as well as those whom she teaches, especially in the required Design Your Leeds course all first-years take. She also started teaching a course called Dynamics of Leadership and Power this spring.听

鈥淗aving Silk be a part of my life while being in the business school has been amazing,鈥� Laura said, adding that Silk was accepted into CU鈥檚 entrepreneurship law clinic in the fall. 鈥淎s a small-business owner, I鈥檝e really seen firsthand the lack of diversity, especially among women, in this space鈥攁nd I鈥檓 seeing how impactful it is for a lot of my female students, who feel they can learn from me and the example I鈥檓 trying to set.鈥澨�

In her day job, Laura supports students in the Diverse Scholars Program as they navigate college life. Many of these students complete one of Leeds鈥� precollege programs in the summer, so she鈥檚 building relationships with the incoming class well before they start taking classes鈥攖he big reason she almost turned down Catalyze, though money from the program helped her hire an intern for the summer.

Her near-term plans for Silk include moving into B2B, so that other retailers stock her products, and developing philanthropic goals for the business, especially in the area of supporting people with disabilities. But she鈥檚 not planning to leave the Office of Diversity Affairs anytime soon.听

鈥淚 truly enjoy teaching鈥攚orking with the students, providing workshops, and offering learning and professional development opportunities,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd being a co-advisor to the Women 听in Business group has been an incredible opportunity, as well.鈥�

More Faces of Leeds听 Office of Diversity Affairs听 Catalyze CU