When Trinidad and Tobago-native Stefan Jugmohan arrived at Barry University, he was already a success story. After finishing high school, the young philanthropist created a charitable organization to support houseless and underprivileged children living in his home islands, 141 Foundations – One Smile For One Person. Before he graduated from Barry, he already started building his hugely accomplished and innovative second venture, branding agency The Business Toolkit.
Jugmohan graduated from Barry in the spring of 2020 with honors and a bachelor of science in Business Administration and a major in Finance. He was already working on creative solutions to marketing problems from his dorm room in Weber Hall. “I started analyzing and strategically planning a way to make passive income while in college,” he says. He wanted to spend little overhead and make maximum profit and found it by helping small businesses online with a stellar team and customer service.
“Companies in North Miami that surrounded Barry University were struggling because they undervalued their services due to poor branding and online presence,” Jugmohan says. “Every time I walked on Biscayne Boulevard, I saw so much potential but a lack of resources and opportunity. It became my mission to transform these companies.” Thus, the Business Toolkit was born. He named it as such “because we provide all the tools you need to be successful – we transform companies.” He launched this endeavor to support “mom and pop” stores in need of digital tools in June of 2020, just as the pandemic threatened the livelihood of many small businesses and as he married his wife and business partner. Before the New Year, they already accrued six-figures and are now working with around 5,100 business owners.
Barry prepared him for this undertaking. “Each Professor and class I entered played an integral role in my development and thus my company's success today,” he says. “I am a fond believer in quality over quantity and after discovering that class-sizes were on average between 10 to 30 [students], I saw it as the best opportunity to acquire a quality education. I didn't want to be a drop of water in the ocean.” He also valued Barry’s inclusivity, which made his transition from the islands to America that much easier.
His advice to those entering the workforce after graduating from his alma mater? “Forget about family, friends’ or society's opinion. If you have an idea with a plan that you're passionate about. Simply do it. The universe and your work ethic will take care of rest.”