CarlSmiles LLC

University of San Francisco School of Management

Industry: Cosmetics and Entertainment

Founding Student Name(s): Carl Levy III

Brief Description of Solution: I am on a mission to provide this generation of people with an opportunity to smile. Because I feel like that is something lacking in people’s everyday lives, especially from times that we could not smile. I do this by providing opportunities whether they be with cosmetic services, like haircuts or hilarious videos.

Funding Dollars: $0

What led you to launch this venture? I started both efforts during COVID when I saw a lot of people across the world not being able to show their smiles due to them wearing a mask or just because it was a terrible time. So, I was inspired to provide a smile to people who need it, whether it by providing aa crispy haircut that’s affordable to the average college student or a YouTube video that makes them burst out laughing. Both businesses were created to spread joy throughout a world that doesn’t smile as much as it needs too, hence the name.

What has been your biggest accomplishment so far with venture? My biggest accomplishment has been providing affordable haircuts to the USF community while continuing to increase my clientele over my four years here on campus and continuing to grow my YouTube as well. I have grown my clientele to over 100+ people through my four years here at the institution as well as growing my YouTube account from 300 to more than 1,000 subscribers.

How has your business-related major helped you further this startup venture? My business major has allowed me the opportunity to learn how different businesses operate in such a niche market that I am in with college students, especially college students who on a low budget. However, it has also enabled me to market myself going forward as a young man who wants to provide opportunities and humor. In addition, it has taught me to do an analysis of what my strengths and weaknesses are within my business, as well as my competitors. All of this was learned from being in the School of Management at the University of San Francisco.

Which business class has been most valuable in building your startup? The class that influenced me the most was marketing principles. It taught me how to conduct an analysis of the different types of markets there were and the fields I was covering, whether it be entertainment or cosmetics. It helped me realize some of my businesses’ weaknesses and strengths, as well as how I could find opportunity to build upon those. Also, my professor provided a space where I could actively promote my business, such as talking about my haircuts in multiple classes. She would not only talk about my business to other classes, but actively show them the progress that I was making. Her support means so much, especially as I am far from home on the West Coast.

What business professor made a significant contribution to your plans and why? Michelle Hector was one of the most influential professors I’ve had on this campus. Not only was the first Black professor I had in the School of Management, but she took me under her wing and provided me with opportunities. I continue to say thank you to her every single time I see her. She really changed my life.

What founder or entrepreneur inspired you to start your own entrepreneurial journey? How did he or she prove motivational to you? I would say there were a lot of entrepreneurs who inspired me on this journey. One for starters is Rich Paul and his story about how he came up from selling jerseys outside the back of his car to now being the agent for a lot of high-quality people. His story really inspired me. Not only is being a sports agent something that I hope to do, but I also want to possess that entrepreneurial mindset of not being afraid to fail. He wasn’t given everything that he had in life. He had to work for it, and he had to learn his lessons that made him into the man he is today.

I also gained inspirations from a group of content creators that goes by the name of RDC. They are a group of young black men who started out making content videos with different types of skits, and they came together to make a beautiful community. Now RDC stands for real dreamers who changed the world. That resonated with me because it’s I want to do — change the world either with a smile on peoples’ faces from the videos that they watch of me or from the service I provided with the haircut. Smiles, in their own way, change daily lives, and I’m just so blessed that I’ve had the opportunity these last four years to build upon that and do something that I love.

What is your long-term goal with your startup? My long-term goal is to continue building upon what I started until I graduate and then finish graduate school. After earning my graduate degree, I plan to expand upon streaming, and I’m looking for new equipment now to get into the business of upgrading the quality of my videos to provide a better opportunity for people to watch them.

I want to be somebody who makes people smile, and I want to provide that opportunity to people where they may be stateside or across international waters.

How has your local startup ecosystem contributed to your venture’s development and success? I have an amazing village behind me here at the University of San Francisco School of Management. I am grateful to everyone promoting my businesses 24/7– whether they are rocking my haircut around campus and referring people to me or watching and promoting my YouTube videos because they genuinely enjoyed the content. All their support means the world to me.