How a college student's pitch called Puente is reshaping what it means to market Hispanic-owned businesses in northwest Iowa, and what it taught her coach along the way.

A coach spent 2 hours with 6 student entrepreneurs using one method: reflection, not advice. It started at Sunday night's meet and greet — two of their stories are still with her.

Twenty years of OEI, my second year coaching. A night at Tom Bedell's former home, a family legacy, and what I hope to learn from this year's students.

After meeting Bolu at OEI and watching her journey unfold this year—winning 1st place at the Global CEO Conference Pitch Competition in Tampa Bay, placing 1st in ISU's Pappajohn Fall Startup Pitch Competition, earning recognition at multiple events—I knew her story needed to be shared beyond just pitch competitions and award ceremonies.

I prefer sitting at empty tables at professional events—it's where I'm most comfortable. Over time, I've noticed who naturally includes others and who doesn't. These observations reveal character traits that matter in business: empathy, confidence, and collaborative spirit.

After three intensive coaching days at OEI, I discovered brilliant students with perfect research solving the wrong problems. An engineer thought he needed better software - turns out volunteers just needed more time with kids. Sometimes the most valuable question is: 'What if we're solving the wrong problem?'