Walton College Senior Makes Lasting Impact for Startup

Carly Stokes spent a semester in the entrepreneurial trenches of Northwest Arkansas, becoming an integral member of a local startup as she helped expand the company's online presence.   

A marketing major from Claremore, Oklahoma, Stokes joined the Venture Internship Program in fall 2023 after being drawn to its unique feature of embedding students with startups. Stokes had interned previously with larger companies and said she was interested in seeing "the other perspective."

Stokes, who launched her own company, Rooted Socials, to help small businesses build an online presence, was paired with Candles By Whitney, which produces luxury candles. 

During her three-month tenure, Stokes became "more than an intern," according to Whitney King, the company's founder.  

"She brought her expertise in business, marketing and sales, and it showed," King said. 

"Carly had free reign on the online side of things. She improved my website, SEO, social media and overall engagement." 

Ostensibly hired to assist only with marketing, Stokes' duties quickly expanded, and she began helping with much of the day-to-day workload. King said Stokes gave her the freedom to focus on other aspects of Candles By Whitney without sacrificing the company's online presence. 

Soon Stokes was arriving near dawn at local farmer's markets to anchor the company's booth. She also helped redesign its studio and assisted at a pop-up shop. Then she got the ultimate hands-on experience: making the candles. 

"I will say waking up early on Saturday may not have been my favorite thing, but it was fun," Stokes said, laughing. "I really got to see other people in the community and …  built relationships that way." 

Stokes said the primary impression from her VIP experience was the constant balancing act required by a small business owner. 

"I think a lot of times when people see small businesses, they're like, 'well they just make the product and that's it,' but they're having to do their finances, they have to do the marketing," Stokes said. "Instead of a big company having one person do one job, you're doing all those jobs." 

After graduation, Stokes said she will probably look to a larger company to begin her career, but added she was grateful for the "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" VIP provided. 

Led by the U of A Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, VIP pairs undergraduate students with early-stage ventures, entrepreneurship support organizations, regional accelerator programs and investor networks across NWA for a semester. 

Since launching in 2020, VIP has provided more than 200 students exposure to the workings of early-stage ventures and the NWA entrepreneurial ecosystem. The paid, 12-week assignment matches students with a host organization, as well as supplemental training opportunities, cohort meetings and coaching/support from experienced mentors.    

This interdisciplinary group of students, representing diverse majors from six colleges, has also aided over 180 startups and support organizations since the inception of the program.    

About the U of A Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation: The Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation creates and curates innovation and entrepreneurship experiences for students across all disciplines. Through the Brewer Family Entrepreneurship Hub, McMillon Innovation Studio, Startup Village and Greenhouse at the Bentonville Collaborative, OEI provides free workshops and programs — including social and corporate innovation design teams, venture internships, competitions and startup coaching. A unit of the Sam M. Walton College of Business and Division of Economic Development, OEI also offers on-demand support for students who will be innovators within existing organizations and entrepreneurs who start something new.