Young mom’s apparel for crawling babies wins best fit for UMKC Side Hustle Challenge

Riley Rhoads knows firsthand how overwhelming it is to shop for baby clothes, the University of Missouri-Kansas City student and new mother shared, so she created a product to help fellow moms.

Finalists of the 2024 UMKC Side Hustle Challenge; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Hold Tight Baby — Rhoads’ venture that earned her first place at UMKC’s Side Hustle Challenge — makes pants for crawling babies. The pieces are sized to correlate to diaper sizes, not months, with a loose-fit design and have a comfortable, fold-down waistband, as well as ankle straps to hold them in place, she explained in her pitch video.

“I’m very passionate about what I’m doing and (my daughter) is the reason it all started,” Rhoads said. “I’ve always been passionate about helping people in entrepreneurship, so I’m just excited to see what is to come with that.”

The Henry W. Bloch School of Management and Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation announced winners of the 2024 challenge Tuesday during its First Tuesdays afternoon event. (This month’s event was moved back a week because of the Nov. 5 election). Cash prizes were awarded to the top three students and the other five finalists.

“The Side Hustle Challenge is what we do in the fall that engages amazing entrepreneurship among each and every one of you,” said Adam Larson, program coordinator for the Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. “It introduces the concept of pitching a new business.”

Riley Rhoads, a UMKC business student, holds her daughter after being announced as the winner of UMKC’s Side Hustle Challenge; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Rhoads — who received $1,000 for earning the most votes during the event — found juggling school work with having a baby to be overwhelming, she shared in her pitch video, and buying baby clothes just added to the stress.

“Babies grow differently, so sizing by months makes no sense when it’s done inconsistently across brands and genders,” she explained. “Clothes often fit for maybe a month, forcing moms to guess sizes for next season.”

“So I designed the perfect pants for crawling babies to reduce the mental load for busy moms, so they can get back to holding their baby tight,” she added.

To enter the Side Hustle Challenge, students each created a social media video of no more than two-minutes’-worth of content explaining their real-world businesses. Eight finalists were selected from 32 entries by faculty and those eight videos were shown to their peers on Tuesday. Three student winners were selected in real time by popular vote.

“We had 32 fantastic applications,” Larson noted. “I didn’t score them myself, but I did watch them. And I have to say this: every single one of the businesses that presented was really awesome and really well done. So kudos to you all. It was a very tough decision, so I hear.”

Second place: Thrift-A-Roo by the UMKC Enactus team of Dariana Torres, Levi Villarreal, Eduardo Sandoval, Erika Nunez, Lillian Le, Destiny Martinez Lopez, Sanavi Matolli, Gaby Gordillo, Abby Martin, Ryan Dekat, and Kelly Keck, $750 prize

UMKC Enactus team poses after earning second place in the university’s Side Hustle Challenge; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

The UMKC Enactus students behind Thrift-A-Roo want to bring a student-led pop-up to UMKC’s walkway where they will collect and resell clothing, shoes, and dorm items.

“Our team goals are to reduce waste within our UMKC community and to reduce the carbon footprint of UMKC students by encouraging sustainable practices, such as donating clothing and items no longer wanted to Thrift-A-Roo,” they explained in their video.

As Enactus students, they also plan to use their profits to help underdeveloped schools in Mexico, they noted.

Third place: Golazo by Lesly Romo, $500 prize

Lesly Romo, Golazo, shakes hands with UMKC’s Adam Larson at the conclusion of the university’s Side Hustle Challenge; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Romo — last year’s UMKC Student Entrepreneur of the Year — compared Golazo to Chicken N Pickle for soccer.

“We are creating a unique, competitive, social soccer experience that combines variations of soccer from all over the world and bringing them right here to the soccer capital of the U.S. to transform soccer into a social experience,” she explained in her video.

Only eight months after starting the venture, Romo executed a pre-activation experience with the Kansas City Current, she noted.

“It’s more than just soccer,” she said. “It’s about creating spaces for people to connect.”

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Each of the other five finalists in the Side Hustle Challenge received a $200 cash prize. Those finalists included:

• Flame N’ Go Collectibles — Andrew Bates
• Naeches Nourishment — Chinecherem Ihenacho
• Sensory Sync — Grace Kertz
• Lumis Aesthetics — Ivy Cheluget
• Hive + Harvest — William Fondren

Rickey Leathers, Savvy Salon KC, speaks during a founder panel conversation at UMKC’s First Tuesdays event; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

A payoff deeper than money

Before the Side Hustle Challenge, Joel Barrett with the Missouri Small Business Development Center at UMKC hosted a panel with founders Ally Letsky (May Day Paper and Post), Rickey Leathers (Savvy Salon KC), Antoinette Redmond (Neuru), and LaTonya Scott (Blue Chip Roofing and Waterproofing), discussing the challenges of entrepreneurship and the importance of taking advantage of resources for small businesses.

Moderator Joel Barrett speaks during a founder panel conversation at UMKC’s First Tuesdays; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News

Although entrepreneurship is worth the tough journey, Leathers noted, it requires a deeper reason than just making money.

“There has to be a problem that you want to solve, that you’re invested in, that you have some conviction around and that’s going to really prepare you for when things get hard,” he explained.

Redmond stressed the importance of being bold and not being afraid to hear the word “no.”

“You are going to get told no, regardless of how great your idea is,” she said. “But when you’re bold, only great things can happen.”

Check out a photo gallery from the First Tuesdays event below.