What does a meat connoisseur, a Western fashionista and a multimedia guru all have in common?

All are University of Wyoming College of Agriculture and Natural Resources graduates with a passion for entrepreneurship.

Kelcey Christensen, owner of 307 Meat Company in Laramie, found his passion for the meat industry early. Both his grandfathers and his father were butchers, and he spent nearly 11 years working for the University of Wyoming Meat Lab.

As time went on, he noticed capacity for slaughter and processing in the region was drastically declining. The meat lab was getting more and more calls from people needing help.

“A lot of the help was needed for small ranchers trying to direct consumer market their livestock, so I set out to fix part of the problem,” said Christensen, who graduated from UW in 2005 with a bachelor of science in animal and vet sciences and a minor in business management.

The company serves the state of Wyoming in meat processing; specifically, it helps small label, private meat companies and serves as a craft butcher shop, explained Christensen.

“I wouldn’t have ever tried to take this step without my time spent in the industry,” said Christensen. “There are a lot of regulatory restrictions and regulation that go on meat processing plants and having an idea of those as well as product management, product flow, employee management, were all things I learned at UW that are valuable.”

Christensen incorporated 307 Meat Company in 2016 and began operation this year in March when COVID-19 hit.

He explained due to COVID, the company has faced issues getting supplies like hairnets and gloves because they lacked established relationships with suppliers but since the business has opened, it has seen more interest with the private label side as well as the craft butchery.

“We started off doing freezer beef for people, one or two, but it’s really started to pick up with the private label business that I set out to help,” said Christensen. “Those are becoming more and more every day, and our retail craft butcher shop is doing way better than we had ever projected in the beginning years.”

Christensen explained that, when starting a business, taking time to do research by identifying costs, employee sources, and seeking advice from others is important.

“All of us went through this to start a business, and it’s still to be determined if we succeed or fail, but even those who fail learn lessons that would help others, and the people who succeed learn lessons that can help,” said Christensen.

Like Christensen, Ashley Hyche, owner of LUK Ranch Boutique, notes her network has helped expand her business.

“The Western fashion industry is full of so many strong, remarkable women,” said Hyche. “There is no way I would have met all of them without my business.”

Hyche, who graduated from UW in 2020 with a bachelor of science in agricultural communications, started her boutique her junior year in November 2018. Her boutique is online and focuses on Western women’s clothing, fine art, home décor and Native American jewelry.

“I have always loved fashion and Western style,” said Hyche. “Every month, my mom would get the Cowgirl Magazine, and I’d look through it and fall in love with the colors and the art behind it.”

After spending a summer cleaning houses, Hyche decided to invest that money into inventory and start a boutique. Originally, she expected her boutique to be a fun hobby but within the first two months, she made back her investment.

She credits her boutique experience and time at UW to helping her land a full-time position at WyoTech in Laramie as director of marketing.

“If I didn’t have that knowledge in my toolbox, there is no way I could do the job that I have now,” said Hyche.

Ultimately, she wants to open a store somewhere, but right now she’s taking it day by day to build and to create the brand and style she believes in.

Kenzie Holmberg, owner of KNZ Brand, LLC, recently made the jump to take her business full time this June. Like Hyche, she started her business while in college.

“I did it as a side hustle to help me pay my way through college,” said Holmberg, who graduated in 2018 with a bachelor of science in agricultural communications.

KNZ Brand, LLC, is her main business where she specializes in graphic design like logos, websites, flyers, posters and cover art mostly focused on the Western industry but open to anything. She also operates Castilleja Cowgirl, a Western lifestyle photography business, where she sells prints for décor and does family photography, engagements, equine sale photography and a few weddings.

It wasn’t until she took a multimedia course at UW with a unit focused on photography that she expanded her toolbox of skills.

“I had an assignment to go take some photos, and I borrowed a friend’s camera to go do that, and I actually enjoyed what I was doing,” said Holmberg. “I thought that might be beneficial to add to my already existing services because before I was having to hire people to go take photos with me.”

Her days begin around 6 a.m. to feed horses and clean stalls because she also owns and operates Knockout Performance Horses, where she sells and trains horses. After taking care of the horses, she gets started with her design work, checking emails, making website edits, and creating and sending content to and from clients for approval.

“I get to really do something that I love, and I enjoy what I do so it doesn’t really feel much like work,” said Holmberg.

Like Christensen and Hyche, Holmberg believes finding and doing something you are passionate about is important when considering starting your own business. She relates having your own business may seem like an opportunity to be independent but that building your network and collaborating with others is an important part of owning your business.

“A good business isn’t built without the help of multiple people,” said Holmberg.