Bee Bold: Lessons from Ellie Symes, founder of The Bee Corp

Ellie Symes is the founder of The Bee Corp, an internet-of-things technology startup focused on helping bee colonies thrive by tracking the health of their queen bee.

Ellie graduated from IU in 2016 with an undergraduate degree in Environmental Management at SPEA. Now, she is pursuing a Master’s in Public Affairs with a concentration in Information Systems. Since she came to IU 5 years ago, Ellie has launched a student-led beehive, founded a Beekeeping Club, grew the club to 300 members, and designed cutting edge devices to assist beekeepers in tracking the health and safety of their queen bee.

I had the privilege of meeting with Ellie before Winter Break to learn more about her story, and I’d love to share it with you.

What advice would you give student entrepreneurs?

“You can just do things. Sometimes you don’t even need partners.”

Ellie found out how to start her beehive by asking the right people, and she did it all without spending money of her own.

“Start your business now. It’s so much easier when you’re a student. IU is here to support students and their initiatives.”

Ellie says that she found everything she needed — funding, partners, mentors, and more — in Bloomington. As a student, she had the freedom and flexibility to try and fail. If she had waited until after college to pursue her dream, the responsibilities of a full-time job and bills may have kept her from being able to fully commit to her dream.

What do you think contributed to your success?

“We never assumed we knew anything. We learned by doing. I’ve avoided mistakes because of advice I’ve gotten from others.”

Reaching out and asking for help gave Ellie advice from people who had much more experience than her at the time, and grew her network. Ellie says that being coachable was integral to her success. She not only received advice, but she reflected on that advice and used it.

In 2016, when The Bee Corp was still an idea, Ellie and her team competed in the BEST competition for student entrepreneurs at IU. After winning 1st place, the panel told the team that the potential social impact of their idea and the team’s dynamic made them stand above the rest. As bee colonies have collapsed in the last decade, food security has become a major concern because bees pollinate our crops. The Bee Corp’s mission fought to help bee colonies thrive. Also, the team was comprised of go-getters. They were dedicated to their mission, and they had done a lot — by founding the Beekeeping Club at IU and speaking to classrooms — to prove they were dedicated to seeing the idea come to fruition.

What advice did your mentors give you that helped you succeed?

“No’s are a part of earning little pieces of the yes.”

One great piece of advice Ellie received was to think about how grant writing and meeting investors pays off in the long run. One of her mentors told her to divide the total amount of money she receives by the time spent working on grants and meeting with investors. Instead of giving up after not initially receiving investment, Ellie viewed each no as insight into improving her pitch and her business until she received her eventual yes. Grant writing was rigorous, she said, but school work prepared her for it and it was worth it in the end.

“Hire slowly, fire quickly.”

Starting a business is hard work, and it’s easy to hire on anyone willing to help. Ellie says that finding a partner who is the right fit is key at an early stage of developing a business. She was very conscious about who she brought in, and it helped her out. Although it wasn’t easy, firing someone who wasn’t the right match was crucial to her building the right team.

Read more about Ellie and her team at The Bee Corp website, here.