Emily Long is an Engler Alumna of the Engler Entrepreneurship program, and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Communication. Long “stumbled upon” the Engler program during her freshman year of college, and credits the program for helping her find her purpose.

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“At the time, I had no interest in starting my own business, but it was a passion I had no idea I had until Tom pulled it out of me,” Long said. “In class he talked about how starting your own business could be a way to find your purpose…that resonated with me and I started brainstorming then what I wanted my business to be.”

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After much deliberation, Long decided in her sophomore year of college that she was going to create a business around her passion for clothing.

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“I thought about many ‘ag related’ business ideas but nothing stuck. I finally gave myself permission to have two passions…[I] had a love for putting outfits together and really loved helping my friends and family find the perfect outfits for events,” Long said.

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After working through college on her business idea, Long found it hard to take it to the next level and launch her business until she gained inspiration a week after she graduated from the program.

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“We went to Silicon Valley the week after graduation and that was really what face me that final push to start my business,” Long said. “So I literally started the business with a retailer’s license, a $50 logo and a Facebook group of 400 of my Facebook friends.”

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Since then, Long had launched her online boutique and works full time in Sales at Corteva Agriscience. Throughout building and launching her website, Long has found taking risks to be one of the greatest challenges.

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“I do think it takes women longer to take risks or to start their business… I tend to drag my feet on a scary step and I always end up regretting not doing it sooner,” Long said.

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Despite facing several challenges, Long’s online boutique hit its largest month of sales in October of 2019 and has been growing since.

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“I now sell clothes according to ‘color season’ which is to women that have been through a professional consultation that tells them what colors look best on them… things have been going well and for the first time I feel like I actually know what I’m doing and understand my business.”

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Along with her own hard work, Long believes the Engler program played a huge part in supporting her throughout her journey into entrepreneurship.

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“Engler helped me change my way of thinking that you don’t have to follow the traditional path. It pushed me to go out of my comfort zone, and it continues to do so,” Long said.