As Program Director, Sam McCabe shares how New Orleans' Loyola University's Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development launches start ups.

Sam McCabe's 10 Close The Deal Mindset Success Quotes:

1. "You can't do everything on your own."
2. "Who's on your team? Who’s on the bus?"
3. "Having empathy and understanding who your customer is—that’s something people often skip over."
4. "Entrepreneurship isn’t just about starting a business, it’s about problem-solving and executing solutions."
5. "You have to be incredibly thoughtful about your next steps to succeed."
6. "Don't give up on what you're passionate about."
7. "Everything in business, whether it’s music or startups, comes down to marketing yourself and your brand."
8. "We tore down business models and built them back up."
9. "If I had treated certain opportunities a little more seriously, things might have turned out differently."
10. "Lean into what excites you—what makes your life tick."

Learn more about New Orleans' Loyola University's Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development

 https://startup.loyno.edu/

Connect with Sam McCabe

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gsmccabe/

Show Notes With Sam McCabe

00:00.54

ewellsmith

All right, disruptors, we have a very special guest, Sam McCabe. He is the director for Loyola University in New Orleans. He's in charge of their center for and and entrepreneurship and community development.

00:14.37

ewellsmith

Now, Sam, you and I have a few things in common. You started your career at PJ's Coffee, a franchise.

00:20.40

Sam McCabe

Yes, I did.

00:21.42

ewellsmith

I started my career at a college at a franchise at Applebee's. So there we go.

00:26.75

Sam McCabe

but you

00:26.84

ewellsmith

So we got two franchise backgrounds. While I was in high school, I went to through Junior Achievement Program as a student, and you helped run a program for Junior Achievement leading up leading up to where you are today.

00:35.24

Sam McCabe

I did.

00:40.44

ewellsmith

All right.

00:40.70

Sam McCabe

That's right.

00:41.45

ewellsmith

So before we go any further, we'll back we'll unpack all that, because all this ties back to that guitar in the back of your wall over there. And um we're going to unpack all this and and talk about what you do today and how you help people get into entrepreneurship.

00:56.14

Sam McCabe

Yeah.

00:56.15

ewellsmith

First of all, you are in New Orleans, obviously, you're loyal to the University of New Orleans.

01:02.68

Sam McCabe

That's right.

01:02.82

ewellsmith

what is your fate This is a topic us New Orleansians talk about incessantly. We start talking about it at breakfast, talking about what's for lunch. At lunch, we start talking about what's for dinner.

01:13.99

Sam McCabe

That's right.

01:14.02

ewellsmith

What's your favorite place to take somebody to close the deal?

01:18.15

Sam McCabe

You know, I'll be honest with you, lately it has been Urban South for a week. Like if I've got, like usually if I'm meeting with somebody trying to work with and work with some students or find some new mentors or whatever, I grab a Friday afternoon, they have a great lunchtime happy hour deal, have a couple of beers and a burger, and it's a great environment over there.

01:37.20

Sam McCabe

Plus it's on my way home from campus going back to the West Bank. So it's it not hits all the boxes for me, you know?

01:43.84

ewellsmith

that i ah I love it. I love it. I love it. All right. Who or what are you grateful for the help you get you ah where you are along your journey?

01:53.58

Sam McCabe

I mean, number one has to be my wife. My wife Cherie is who I met when I was a student here undergrad at Loyola. She is just just supports me in ways that I could never imagine.

02:07.37

Sam McCabe

She just she's the best.

02:07.58

ewellsmith

Mm hmm.

02:09.38

Sam McCabe

She's literally texting me right now about, hey, I've got to realize we didn't have groceries tonight, so I'm going to go handle that and take care of that and then pick up the kids and and allows me it allows me to continue to support our students and and our community here at Loyola as best as I can.

02:16.24

ewellsmith

Absolutely. 100%.

02:21.03

ewellsmith

Yes.

02:23.80

ewellsmith

Mm-hmm.

02:23.92

Sam McCabe

Um, and then, you know, my kids too, obviously, and then obviously like after that, just a couple of my colleagues here at Loyola, um, we're, you know, we're a small liberal arts school.

02:34.50

Sam McCabe

Um, we all were a tight knit team that all take care of each other and we wouldn't be able to do the things that we do at the center without the help of the whole college of business and beyond here at Loyola.

02:35.30

ewellsmith

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

02:45.29

Sam McCabe

So.

02:45.90

ewellsmith

That's very cool. All right. So you, and you got a great program.

02:47.04

Sam McCabe

Yeah.

02:48.66

ewellsmith

And before we dive into the program, obviously students are coming to the program to learn some things about, okay, they're obviously, they've got somebody playing the seed with them to become an entrepreneur.

02:49.12

Sam McCabe

Thanks. Sure.

02:58.65

ewellsmith

And they're going into that specific program. Uh, what, before we start unpacking what your program does and what that looks like, what are some of the common mistakes you see that businesses, uh, new entrepreneurs make or could avoid making?

03:06.33

Sam McCabe

Yeah.

03:16.42

Sam McCabe

Yeah.

03:16.55

ewellsmith

had they gone through a program like yours.

03:20.06

Sam McCabe

Yeah, I mean. Honestly, number one for me is always, is always who's on your team, right? um You know, i I come from the music industry initially, and and so we always used to say, who's on the bus, right?

03:31.14

Sam McCabe

Who's on the tour bus? And, you know, having having that right team set up um to be able to help you succeed is is just number one in my book, right?

03:40.02

ewellsmith

Mm hmm.

03:40.33

Sam McCabe

you You can't do everything on your own, you know, whether you come up with some great idea or you're, you know, starting a new franchise and some business, whatever it is that you're doing, um You don't have all the knowledge. You don't have all the skills. um And having people that work well with you and know how to do the things that you can't do is the biggest piece, in my opinion, of of having something successful. We all want to be a jack of all trades. We all want to be able to say we can do everything. but once And you can initially, sure. right you know I mean, so many of these ideas are somebody coming up with an idea, starting an LLC, and then starting to work on it themselves.

04:20.48

Sam McCabe

But um the in my opinion, like the best way to actually be able to succeed is having that right team and those right people that are going to be able to support you in in the ways that you need it.

04:32.95

Sam McCabe

so

04:33.81

ewellsmith

All right. What's another key factor? Maybe it's a mistake somebody makes. They don't do when they're considering this. because main People people get out get out ahead of themselves too many times when they're going into entrepreneurship, not realizing exactly what they're getting into.

04:45.57

Sam McCabe

Yeah.

04:51.57

Sam McCabe

Right. um you know For me, I really think this thing like having having empathy and and understanding of of like who is who your customer is is and and who what you're what and who you're doing this for right um is is something that that people maybe skip over sometimes, or they don't want to put the focus into it as much as they should.

05:02.41

ewellsmith

Mm hmm. Mm hmm.

05:10.73

ewellsmith

Mm hmm.

05:14.73

Sam McCabe

Right. um You know, i on top of running all this programming, I teach a class to first year students here at Loyola. That's kind of an intro to entrepreneurship and it's it's based around like the design thinking process of really really understanding the problems that you see around you first before trying to find a solution. right And the big piece of that is is really engaging with potential customers and and and you know learning more about the situation that they're in before trying to shoehorn a solution into their life. To really understand what it is that your your potential customer actually needs or actually wants

05:55.38

Sam McCabe

instead of what you think they want. um And, you know, sometimes those two things are different. Sometimes those those two things are the same thing.

06:00.85

ewellsmith

Yeah.

06:03.15

Sam McCabe

Right. But, you know, I've worked with a ton of students and a ton of different community members around here who have come into a program of ours that have had this you know one specific idea.

06:14.63

Sam McCabe

um And they do know who their customer is. But after they actually start to do all that research, they say, wow, this is This is a problem and this is something that these people want solved, but the way that I thought they would want it solved is not something that they're going to want.

06:26.95

ewellsmith

yeah

06:28.32

Sam McCabe

so you know we We lean into that that that empathy idea a lot over here.

06:30.51

ewellsmith

Yeah.

06:35.16

Sam McCabe

right is having that Having empathy and having the ability to understand exactly what those customers might want um is number one. right

06:43.70

ewellsmith

and and And that comes from leadership because good leaders always are generally empathetic leaders.

06:48.02

Sam McCabe

Yeah.

06:48.80

ewellsmith

I mean, they they they understand the pain points a person is going through and then they find that solution to solve that pain point.

06:49.10

Sam McCabe

yeah

06:54.70

Sam McCabe

Yeah. Absolutely.

06:56.82

ewellsmith

yeah yeah so yup Yeah.

06:57.38

Sam McCabe

Yeah. so Sure.

06:59.80

ewellsmith

So let's let's pack in back up a little bit, too. You kind of entered this world because of that. I'm looking at the guitar sitting behind you.

07:08.41

Sam McCabe

Yeah.

07:09.19

ewellsmith

And if there's any business that's hard as can be, it's the music business.

07:09.36

Sam McCabe

Yes.

07:12.96

Sam McCabe

Oh, yeah.

07:14.29

ewellsmith

And people trying to get in and musicians think as artists, hey, I want to

07:14.74

Sam McCabe

Yeah.

07:19.73

ewellsmith

I'm going to go out there and make a record or make ah you my songs and put it out there and I'm going to be famous. They don't talk about the business side of it, the financial side of it, all of those variables that are key and understanding truly how to market themselves because the way the but the way the music industry is marketed today, it's really the artists doing the marketing to get the attention and backing into it.

07:25.88

Sam McCabe

Mm hmm. Now.

07:38.85

Sam McCabe

That's right. That's right.

07:40.65

ewellsmith

So you backed into this. Talk about how you backed into this.

07:44.06

Sam McCabe

Yeah, absolutely. Well, um so in 2010, I moved to New Orleans from from St. Louis to to come here to go to Loyola as an undergrad. um I had gone to a Jesuit high school in St. Louis and I started playing music when I was like, shoot, like seven or eight. I don't know, like second or third grade. I couldn't tell you at this point.

08:04.14

Sam McCabe

um I was always in bands with Abbot's twin brother. I was in inbe almost always in a band with him and some other friends here and there from you know like fifth fifth or sixth grade all the way through through college and beyond.

08:17.24

Sam McCabe

And you know what what brought us down here really was that that that culture and the music and that and then Loyola too has a really great music industry studies and music business program and degree programs.

08:27.28

ewellsmith

Mm hmm. Hmm.

08:33.85

Sam McCabe

And my brother wanted to do that program. I really didn't. I was a I ended up being a psychology student and all that. um But yeah, you know, once once we started really working down here and and touring a lot and putting out a lot of records and and doing a lot of that stuff, we.

08:50.40

Sam McCabe

Learned very quickly that you had to operate it as a business yet to be incredibly thoughtful about what your next steps were To be able to succeed you right and you know we we succeeded to a point right like it's hard for an indie rock band who is you know just broke as hell to be able to do a whole lot right, but we it was something you know we we felt successful at the time. right we We did some pretty significant regional and and national touring. We played some festivals, had had a record chart on the CMJ 200 countdown, which was pretty cool. you know we didn' we but yeah but But that was all because we were really thoughtful about that team. We were really thoughtful about planning and marketing. And and who specifically were we making this this record for? It goes back to what I was talking about earlier.

09:40.72

Sam McCabe

And um yeah yeah, and then, you know, we hit a point where it was kind of time to start figuring out what we wanted to do as grownups because it was, you know, we graduated a few years beforehand and we're still pouring coffee and and trying to make it work. And so, you know, about that time, ah my wife and I had, my wife had our our our first kid, Daddy,

10:03.29

Sam McCabe

um And then around then is kind of when um I finished a degree in education from LSU and literally did that whole degree while I was in the back of a van while we were on tour pretty much for two years.

10:16.27

ewellsmith

Oh, wow.

10:16.77

Sam McCabe

And yeah, it was fun.

10:18.02

ewellsmith

Yeah, you live the life.

10:18.60

Sam McCabe

But I tried.

10:19.36

ewellsmith

ah

10:20.29

Sam McCabe

it slept I slept on a lot of floors and drank a lot of PBR. But we But yeah, you know, about that time that we had that my wife and I had had our our our son, i I ended up falling into a connection with some folks over a junior team. And they were looking for somebody to take over some entrepreneurship program they had. um And I ended up Larry Washington over there, their president over there took a chance on me and hired me. And and I loved that job. I loved working over there. And I

10:51.63

Sam McCabe

learned a lot about entrepreneurship. I learned a lot about our ecosystem here in New Orleans. um I met a lot of incredible people. um And a couple years later, I kind of I wasn't really even looking for a job and this role for um an assistant director at that time for the center here at Loyola came up.

11:10.38

Sam McCabe

um And I was just super excited to be able to get the opportunity to come back to Loyola, the place that brought me to New Orleans and continue to do um this type of work for for our community here, as well as you know New Orleans and beyond.

11:24.61

Sam McCabe

so Now, three years in, I'm now the the director. I run all of our our programming from ah different panel events to a couple of different competitions that we run.

11:35.91

Sam McCabe

um I get to work with the entire Loyola community, with alumni and students and faculty and staff. And um it's it's just a blast.

11:43.70

ewellsmith

Yeah.

11:44.77

Sam McCabe

you know i I laugh because I never so much took never so much as but one business class when I was an undergrad over here. And now, somehow, I teach in the College of Business. and And really, really enjoyed it.

11:56.41

Sam McCabe

And it's just really, really a lot of fun.

11:58.04

ewellsmith

Well, you all took on the ultimate. I mean, seriously, going door to door, flipbi promoting your brand, your band.

12:05.52

Sam McCabe

Yeah. Uh-huh.

12:06.37

ewellsmith

in it while while traveling the country in a van is as grassroots marketing as it gets and as it's as gritty as it gets and it's as survival as it gets and you pick you pick up some amazing skills.

12:09.93

Sam McCabe

Pretty much.

12:17.03

Sam McCabe

Yeah.

12:19.30

ewellsmith

Now, you in in the students, I would imagine if I was a student in your class, I'm like, man, this guy's cool. I can relate to him. And that's the connection, that's the connection, right?

12:27.26

Sam McCabe

I hope.

12:29.73

Sam McCabe

Right. Right. and And that's what it does help. Right. it's You know, I've i've had students ask me, you know, how I got into this and I tell them that story and it's like, oh, well, you know, that's not really running the business.

12:41.10

Sam McCabe

I'm like, no, it absolutely is. Right. And we were, you know, we it it was.

12:42.94

ewellsmith

100%.

12:46.38

Sam McCabe

we there was We spent more time on the couch like planning and and executing different flocking and different you know promotional strategies and and how we're going to put out this next record and when we're going to record these things and all that. and you know i mean It's just as much project management and entrepreneurship as it is playing the actual guitar.

13:04.88

ewellsmith

Yeah.

13:04.96

Sam McCabe

so You know, it was, um, it was a blast and it I wouldn't have the experiences in that and the, and the, uh, the life that I have right now without doing that. I don't necessarily miss sleeping on floors, but, uh, yeah, sure.

13:15.69

ewellsmith

I don't blame you. Well, but the experience you've got is amazing. All right. So let's, let's talk about the today, you know, where we are today and you're in an amazing position, impact in lives, because there's a lot of people who do think, okay, ah maybe I do want to go into business and talk talk about the program at Loyola.

13:26.92

Sam McCabe

I appreciate it. Mm-hmm.

13:33.58

ewellsmith

How does it, what is the structure like? Who's coming to it? I guess first of it, who is it for really?

13:37.40

Sam McCabe

Yeah.

13:38.80

ewellsmith

Is it, is it Is it all young people or is it people mid career, later career, later in life saying, you know, I kind of would like to go back to school. Who does it appeal to?

13:50.05

ewellsmith

I guess. Who's that?

13:51.20

Sam McCabe

Yeah, I mean academically, we you know, we we have ah ah a, you can get a degree from the College of Business in in entrepreneurship. We've got a major and a minor, right? So, you know, that's a lot of, of you know, 18 to 22 year olds, a lot of young people who,

14:05.55

Sam McCabe

want to see either want learn either the skills to start their own business or or how to be innovators within whatever career path they choose after that. right um But you know with most of the like programming we do, the practical side of things that we like to call it over here, is you know we have our our Wolfpack wants you pitch competition that just wrapped up.

14:13.27

ewellsmith

Gotcha.

14:25.49

Sam McCabe

And that is open to anyone in the Loyola community. So that's students, both undergrad and graduate, but also faculty, staff, alumni, and then even parents as well.

14:36.98

Sam McCabe

So so this year's cohort for our our teams for that program, which lasts all summer and then ends up in September with a $30,000 pitch competition, right?

14:47.91

Sam McCabe

We had teams

14:47.84

ewellsmith

Okay.

14:49.26

Sam McCabe

ah a handful of teams are students who had just graduated. We had one student team that was is a rising sophomore. He's 19 years old. We also had a couple of ah parent teams who you know they they had a kid they have a kid here at Loyola that they saw an email about this program and were like, hey, I'm trying to start this business. like you know I'm part of this as well, um as well as some faculty and staff. um With that program, the first year we did that program two years ago,

15:19.28

Sam McCabe

we had an alumni from the class of 1978 apply and join the program.

15:23.05

ewellsmith

There you go.

15:24.83

Sam McCabe

So, you know, we've had a really diverse group of people as as part of that program. um And, you know, that's that's kind of the biggest touch point that we have across campus, right?

15:35.20

Sam McCabe

That that program is, you know, um it takes about, it's about five months long. It starts in May and and just wrapped up in September. um And and that's that's a big one. um We get to work with a lot of really exciting, everything from ideas to to companies that are ready to scale.

15:50.92

ewellsmith

So your, so your program is not a degree.

15:51.03

Sam McCabe

um

15:53.62

ewellsmith

It's it's an addition to the degree or compliments the degree.

15:56.15

Sam McCabe

Yeah, essentially, yeah.

15:56.65

ewellsmith

Okay.

15:58.00

Sam McCabe

So so the center is... within the College of Business here on on campus.

16:02.82

ewellsmith

Right.

16:02.91

Sam McCabe

And we you know we do have those academic major and minors that I teach part of those classes as well. um But yeah, the the center is is open to anyone on campus, off campus, that's part of the loyal community.

16:16.76

Sam McCabe

um And we also have just serve, you know, i've had I've had folks in my office that are just like, semi-related to somebody on campus that are like, hey, somebody sent me your way that you might have some resources that might help me out.

16:27.64

Sam McCabe

right um you know New Orleans, our our ecosystem here is is really growing at a really great pace.

16:28.16

ewellsmith

gotcha

16:34.08

Sam McCabe

And and this this city is such a great place for entrepreneurs that you know having as many of these resource hubs as we can to support the just incredible variety of entrepreneurs we've got around here, um that's that's kind of one of our goals.

16:36.80

ewellsmith

Gotcha.

16:47.56

Sam McCabe

right so

16:48.98

ewellsmith

how How many classes, how well how many, you you refer to them as cohorts, is, okay.

16:53.74

Sam McCabe

Sure.

16:54.81

ewellsmith

So how many of those a year do y'all put on, two or three?

16:57.81

Sam McCabe

um Right now, we've kind of only got the bandwidth to do one.

17:01.04

ewellsmith

okay Okay.

17:01.37

Sam McCabe

So we're a pretty small team right now. ah It's myself and and a couple of part-time people. um And so yeah, so we, like Wolfpack wants you, that that program specifically starts applications that are usually due by by the beginning of April.

17:08.99

ewellsmith

Gotcha.

17:18.30

Sam McCabe

And then we pair those teams. ah we Pair that down in about 20 teams, invite them, do a week-long intensive bootcamp here on campus in May.

17:29.09

Sam McCabe

And then pair them with a mentor from either the alumni network or the ecosystem just in general in New Orleans.

17:34.82

ewellsmith

Okay.

17:36.72

Sam McCabe

So work across the summer. um And then the top eight teams get to pitch in September. But that's not the only thing we do.

17:42.79

ewellsmith

and they're going for And they're going for real dollars. Now, who funds the who funds the the money, the award for the $30,000 or whatever the number is at the time coming up next?

17:45.81

Sam McCabe

Yeah.

17:49.48

Sam McCabe

Sure. Sure.

17:54.93

Sam McCabe

Yeah, it's it's been 30. Let's see, the first year we did it, the Dean kicked in an extra five grand. um So it was 35K the first year, but the past two years has been $30,000.

18:04.62

ewellsmith

ah Okay.

18:04.87

Sam McCabe

Most of that funding, actually all of that prize funding is coming from from Dr. Bobby Sabwa and his wife Lori.

18:11.73

ewellsmith

okay

18:11.81

Sam McCabe

um They are they're really great great.

18:12.14

ewellsmith

Okay.

18:14.65

Sam McCabe

Well, Bobby's actually the the dean of the College of Business here now, and they're they're great people.

18:17.20

ewellsmith

Okay.

18:19.36

Sam McCabe

they They are really supportive of entrepreneurship and and innovation here in New Orleans and and beyond, and we're very grateful for for all their support. um Yeah, with that program and then

18:28.09

ewellsmith

That's awesome.

18:31.30

Sam McCabe

We do another program as well called the Idea Corps MBA Consulting Challenge that brings in MBA students from around the country from 10 or 12 different universities.

18:35.43

ewellsmith

Mm-hmm.

18:43.00

Sam McCabe

um It pairs them with local startups and then they they create a ah strategy for them for the next 18 months. um And there's about

18:49.76

ewellsmith

So it's like an in is it is it like an internship for them for 18 months? Or was is it actually a job?

18:53.91

Sam McCabe

ah No, not exactly.

18:55.02

ewellsmith

or Okay.

18:56.53

Sam McCabe

um So they do the MBA teams that work with the companies for for six weeks virtually, and then they come in during New Orleans Entrepreneur Week in the spring and pitch those strategies with a bunch of prize money.

19:08.52

ewellsmith

Gotcha.

19:10.56

Sam McCabe

So then the goal is that whoever wins that prize money goes towards implementing that strategy that these MBA students have put together for them. so So we're working on doing some recruiting for that program right now.

19:22.55

Sam McCabe

That that program kind of takes up my whole spring, but yeah.

19:25.83

ewellsmith

So the the name is important, too, um because of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Community, because I think I think about like, you know, I'm in the franchising space in a big part of when somebody becomes a franchisee is they're plugged into the community of that particular franchise.

19:28.57

Sam McCabe

Yeah.

19:35.92

Sam McCabe

Yeah.

19:43.39

Sam McCabe

yeah

19:43.37

ewellsmith

So they get to network with everybody, networking. Talk about that. These folks are meeting their peers from all over the country for those coming in.

19:50.95

Sam McCabe

Yeah.

19:51.42

ewellsmith

And then of course, a lot of students are from all over the country. And then of course, you got the alumni who strong base here in New Orleans and so forth.

19:58.64

Sam McCabe

and Yeah, absolutely.

19:59.51

ewellsmith

You, you're building a community, an ecosystem, I guess you should, should where people can tap into each other's resources.

20:06.57

Sam McCabe

I mean, you know, one of the goals with with with what we do over here is yet to one build that entrepreneurial community here on campus, but then really to connect our campus community to that community here in New Orleans.

20:18.73

ewellsmith

Yeah.

20:18.86

Sam McCabe

Right. um You know, there's there's so much available, so many resources and so many opportunities for entrepreneurs of all types here that um really and whether that's, you know, like I said, we with a degree, it's to encourage students to either start their own business or to be innovators in whatever career path they choose. And one of the things we really talk about here is entrepreneurship is really not only about like starting a business, but being able to problem solve and and execute on those solutions um in whatever career path you're in. whether that's in ah Whether you're an accountant or starting your own company or somewhere in between, you know you you are able to look at what's in front of you, solve that problem, and then hopefully you know execute on the solution.

21:05.63

Sam McCabe

right

21:05.76

ewellsmith

Are you, when you all are putting this, putting all this together for them, is that including their marketing, their financing, all the aspects of running the business as well? Or is it focused on solving the problem and coming up the solution for that problem?

21:15.03

Sam McCabe

Yeah, no, absolutely.

21:18.22

Sam McCabe

Yeah, no, we hit as much of it as we can.

21:21.84

ewellsmith

Gotcha.

21:22.73

Sam McCabe

The for lunch, you get like that program. Like I said, we've got that week long boot camp that we spend with these teams um where they, you know, we we kind of tear down their business model and then build it back up there.

21:34.13

Sam McCabe

um And then over the course of the summer, while they're working with those mentors, um we meet with them every other week on Zoom to

21:34.36

ewellsmith

Gotcha.

21:42.52

Sam McCabe

Bring them a speaker about see this year we had a couple about legal and IP. We had at least one about marketing. We had one about team building and leadership and kind of all these aspects to make sure that, you know, if they do end up getting some funding and succeeding and want to take this further, that they're going to have the background and the understanding to to succeed and be be able to to be proud of what they're doing, you know.

21:51.96

ewellsmith

yeah Yeah.

22:04.77

ewellsmith

I love it. Any other last details you want to make sure we cover for the program itself?

22:06.12

Sam McCabe

Yeah.

22:09.66

Sam McCabe

You know, I mean, we're just, we're here, right? it's People, i I talked to somebody recently and they're like, I didn't even know we had a Loyola in New Orleans.

22:19.92

Sam McCabe

I'm like, yeah, we're smaller, we're we're we're we're uptown, we're, you know, right next door to Tulane. But we we have a really great group of of students and alumni and really awesome resources here on campus that are

22:31.64

ewellsmith

Yeah, it's a great universe, great campus too.

22:33.97

Sam McCabe

Yeah. Oh, I appreciate it. You know, this place is really special to me. i Like I said, I moved down here to go here in 2010. Yeah. And like I said, I met my wife while I was here and now I'm stuck in Louisiana forever.

22:46.64

Sam McCabe

But that's not a problem. That's not a bad thing.

22:48.68

ewellsmith

I did that to my wife.

22:49.31

Sam McCabe

So nice. There you go.

22:50.40

ewellsmith

She's from South Carolina.

22:50.95

Sam McCabe

Yeah. There you go. Yeah, no, I mean, what's not to like? But you got the food, you got the music, you got the culture, you got entrepreneurship, you got people who are really trying to make a difference. And, you know, um it's, yeah, it's, it's, ah I love getting to do this.

23:01.83

ewellsmith

I love it.

23:05.91

Sam McCabe

And I love getting to work with these people and whether they're, like I said, whether they're just getting here as a new student or, or somebody who's an alumni that wants to be involved, you know, we're, we're, or anybody in between.

23:17.51

Sam McCabe

Right. So.

23:18.61

ewellsmith

Well, I'll before you do the call to action to

23:22.04

Sam McCabe

Yeah.

23:22.12

ewellsmith

so people can find you to get in July with the program because I love what you all do.

23:25.54

Sam McCabe

Oh, thank you.

23:26.34

ewellsmith

There's a few programs are in the city that just really do embrace the entrepreneurial spirit in the city and the city is really you can feel that vibe happening in this city.

23:34.08

Sam McCabe

Yeah.

23:35.10

ewellsmith

Big time with so so real quick.

23:35.20

Sam McCabe

Yeah.

23:38.90

ewellsmith

If you had to do something differently, normally I ask people, what's the one piece of guide you leave people with? I'm going to change it up a little bit.

23:44.72

Sam McCabe

Sure.

23:45.76

ewellsmith

If you had to do something differently, what was that one thing that you would do differently that you would guide people on doing?

23:52.76

Sam McCabe

Ooh, okay, say that again. One thing I would do differently.

23:58.13

ewellsmith

from their past that maybe you would have done a little bit differently that you would advise people on today.

23:59.49

Sam McCabe

Okay.

24:04.26

Sam McCabe

You know, I, as much as I love where I'm at right now, right? um I can't say I wouldn't love to be be have doing the the music industry thing more and being, you know, a little more more successful in that piece. And there, I don't know. there's

24:23.91

Sam McCabe

don't give up on on what it is that you that you're passionate about is what I'm trying to get to.

24:26.57

ewellsmith

There you go.

24:27.89

Sam McCabe

there right is you know and And I haven't.

24:28.19

ewellsmith

Yeah.

24:30.19

Sam McCabe

like I'm in a cover band and i still I still play around a lot. and it like I love love getting to do all that stuff.

24:32.72

ewellsmith

Absolutely.

24:35.45

Sam McCabe

But actually, and that has been really tweaking my my entrepreneurial wheels as in a very different way lately, working with X. But no, you know, stick with what you're passionate about and and really be really lean into what it is that that that makes your life tick and what makes what makes you excited.

24:57.57

Sam McCabe

Right. um You know, there have been there were were times, I mean, a decade ago where I look back and I'm like, oh, man, there was this experience that if I had treated it it a little bit more ah seriously, I could have, you know, maybe that would have ended up a little differently and that maybe that record would have done a little better or whatever.

24:58.40

ewellsmith

yeah

25:02.09

ewellsmith

Yeah.

25:12.68

ewellsmith

Yeah.

25:15.31

Sam McCabe

Um, you know, yeah.

25:17.48

ewellsmith

You know, that those things are part of life's journey, though, you know, in in in in those things formed you to where you are today. Otherwise, you would not be fortunate to be doing what you are today, you know,

25:26.92

Sam McCabe

That's, that's exactly right. And, and I was gonna, and I was getting there with that. Was that like, oh yeah, you know, as much as it is to, to stick with what you're passionate about and all that, don't be afraid to also like.

25:30.55

ewellsmith

Yeah.

25:37.91

Sam McCabe

move like Don't stick to regrets like that, right? it's it's you know Things keep moving and things happen for a reason and they and they they hopefully we'll will turn out well for you.

25:40.69

ewellsmith

Yeah.

25:47.81

Sam McCabe

But it's ah you know it's it's important to to to really ah be focused on on what it is that that is impactful and matters to you too. right

25:57.22

ewellsmith

Yeah, I i agree 100%. I tell that to people all the time, consulting with them on what they what business they should they go in.

26:02.11

Sam McCabe

Yeah.

26:02.97

ewellsmith

I said, well, for starters, you should at least have a genuine interest in it. Because, I mean, I had my i had my one and only ulcer at the age of 24 in a job that was not right for me.

26:07.40

Sam McCabe

Yes. Right.

26:13.02

Sam McCabe

Jesus.

26:13.61

ewellsmith

It was great people around me, but it was the wrong job. And I'm like, 14 months into the job, I've gotten also like, I'm 24 years old, that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

26:17.28

Sam McCabe

Right. Right.

26:23.05

ewellsmith

so

26:23.62

Sam McCabe

Oh man.

26:24.15

ewellsmith

so So that guidance you just provided is very, very helpful for folks. How do people get in touch with you or this or the or the school or the program to learn more, to get involved with the program and Okay.

26:36.23

Sam McCabe

Yeah, absolutely. um So you can check out our website. It's startup dot.loino dot.edu. um That's the easiest way to find out about the programming that we do and all that.

26:47.03

Sam McCabe

um LinkedIn, we're Loyal University New Orleans Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development.

26:53.14

ewellsmith

Okay.

26:54.15

Sam McCabe

Terribly long name, working on that. ah and ah or you know that Most of our stuff gets posted on Instagram as well at startup.loino.

27:03.07

ewellsmith

Yeah.

27:03.93

Sam McCabe

So that's that's kind of the best place to get in touch with the center. I'm on LinkedIn too, it's just Sam McCabe.

27:10.19

ewellsmith

but Awesome.

27:10.71

Sam McCabe

You can find me, I'm easy.

27:12.64

ewellsmith

Action.

27:12.90

Sam McCabe

And yeah, that's kind of the best place. um Yeah, I'm not gonna give you my Twitter account.

27:18.93

ewellsmith

Well, Sam, we we will, we will have the links in our, when when we, on the show notes for the page, we create for you and in this interview and anybody listening, plug in.

27:25.35

Sam McCabe

Great.

27:27.89

ewellsmith

This is it's great. You know, loyal is a phenomenal school, phenomenal programs. And you're you're very, fortunate you're very fortunate to have the job you have.

27:33.21

Sam McCabe

how We appreciate it.

27:36.05

Sam McCabe

Oh, thanks.

27:36.43

ewellsmith

Appreciate it.

27:36.83

Sam McCabe

you know Like I said, I love it here. It's a special place to be. And I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. So thank you all so much.

27:42.37

ewellsmith

Thank you, Sam.

27:43.52

Sam McCabe

This is a lot of fun.

27:44.68

ewellsmith

Appreciate it, Sam. Thank you.

27:46.07

Sam McCabe

Appreciate it.