COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KRHD) — Local business owners competed on a reality television show for entrepreneurs called "The Blox". Now, they’re bringing their business prowess to the Brazos Valley.
- The premise of the show is a week-long, live competition to help entrepreneurs hone in on their business skills, while networking with competitors across the country.
- Samuel Smith and Nina Kaczorowski were one of 60,000 businesses across the country to apply and one of just 80 to pack up their bags and head to Oklahoma for a week of filming.
- Smith founded the BCS Business Owners and Entrepreneurs Networking group and hopes to use what he’s learned to help boost businesses in the Brazos Valley.
- The show can be streamed on The Blox app and earlier seasons can be found on Amazon Video.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
“We essentially fix and flip businesses," said local business owner, Samuel Smith.
Smith took over the marketing campaign to sell this plot of land after it had been on the market for four years.
Once he took over, it was sold in less than five months, so when this competition came along, he took on the challenge.
“I hadn’t heard about it before and started looking into it, snd I always had the plan to — ‘Okay, when’s the next round?’ and the next round came up and I talked to Sam about doing it, and he did not want to do it," said Samuel's partner, Nina Kaczorowski.
“I was just not interested at all," Samuel said.
Kaczorowski eventually convinced him to apply.
"It was incredibly stressful — there's no do over. What you say is what's being recorded — that's your brand, And your brand is you're the ‘Small Business Surgeon’, you're the best at this — and so if you're not, then you're a liar," Smith said.
They were one of 60,000 businesses across the country to apply and one of just 80 to pack up their bags and head to Oklahoma for a week of filming.
“Every day they taught a different business class, and then every afternoon you went live for a presentation, and then they judged the best presentations, then the best of the best went to compete on the stage in the evening. “
With everything they’ve learned, they’re eager to bring it back to the Brazos Valley.
“In 2020 because the world shut down, I wanted to have an impact on my local community," Smith said.
"I started the BCS business owners and entrepreneurs networking group, and it went really well — the goal of the group is just to network people together, act as a conduit and help influence the local entrepreneur community.”