The next big opportunity for Winona State University’s College of Business students? Walking tours through Walkabout Winona.
In the fall of 2016, the College of Business (COB) was presented with a very unique opportunity: taking over control of a walking tour business created by a local seventeen year old. The COB saw this as a chance to give college students a glimpse into what it takes to start a brand new company. The model and product were already created. Scaling the model would be the challenge.
Operating under the name Pointour before the COB took over, just under 100 people were given the tour in 2016. Having now rebranded, Walkabout Winona is shooting for the stars and is hoping to reach 800 people taking the tour in 2017. A team of 10 students is taking on this project under the direction of COB Dean Hamid Akbari, faculty advisor Lee Gundersheimer, and the creator of the business Bailey Bestul.
The team has already accomplished big things in preparing for Walkabout Winona to launch in Fall 2017. A complete business plan was presented to the entire COB faculty back in February. A new logo has been developed and partnerships have been formed with local businesses and universities. A new website is in the works as well as the hiring and training of tour guides.
Having already locked in a couple major tour groups for months in advance, Walkabout Winona is already on its way to accomplishing big things in its first year of operation under the COB.
Nathan Krause Marketing Senior