When Saxbys expanded its Experiential Learning Platform® to VCU this year, the company needed someone to run it: a student willing to take on profit-and-loss responsibility, manage a staff of peers and open a cafe from scratch, with no one at the university who had done it before. That student is Sean Campbell (B.S. ’28), a junior marketing major who this fall becomes VCU’s first Saxbys Student CEO.

Sean, who was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and moved to Virginia at 5, isn’t shy about why he wanted a job this hard. “It will be a lot of work,” he says, “but if it was easy then I wouldn’t learn anything.” He credits Alpha Kappa Psi, VCU’s business fraternity, with instilling that appetite for difficulty long before Saxbys ever came calling.

The role arrived, fittingly, through a cold LinkedIn message from a Saxbys recruiter. By August, Sean was in Philadelphia at the company’s CEO Camp, training beside Student CEOs from other campuses and learning the standards he’ll now be expected to uphold. He talks below about what a normal day behind the counter will look like, how he plans to lead classmates without becoming their boss and the order that will greet him at his own register: a strawberry matcha.

How did you hear about the Saxbys Student CEO role, and what made you go for it, knowing you’d be the first one at VCU?

I heard about this role from Anabel, a recruiter at Saxbys who messaged me on LinkedIn. I decided to go for this role knowing I would be the first because this is an amazing opportunity to grow professionally, connect with my community and learn skills that I wouldn’t learn for years to come. This is an experience that many people will never have; it would be a missed opportunity to pass this up.

You just got back from Saxbys CEO Camp. What was it like?

Saxbys Student CEO Camp was truly an unforgettable experience. I got to connect with other Student CEOs at other colleges and learn alongside them. While training was the main focus, we got to meet all of the headquarters team, try new products and explore Philly since it was only my second time there. I was nervous coming into it, but I wouldn’t trade the experience or bonds for anything.

Once the cafe is up and running, what's a normal day going to look like for you?

A normal day at my cafe will be serving each guest with speed of service. You will see students all around either studying or just enjoying themselves before class. People will be coming and going all day, but we will stay with them even after they leave because we will play a part in making everyone's life just a little bit better.

As Student CEO, you have real profit-and-loss responsibility. Does that feel more like pressure, opportunity or both?

That real profit and loss statement will feel more like pressure, but also more opportunity. More pressure in the sense that I have never dealt with a P&L statement before. More opportunity because I can use these statements to my benefit and ensure I am taking the necessary steps to continue profitability and success in my cafe.

You'll be managing a team of your peers, maybe even some in your own classes. What's that going to be like?

I’m hoping that although I will be managing a team of my peers, we can all grow and learn together. The whole point of this experience is to learn the fundamentals of running a business, and I want to foster that attitude within my cafe. I won’t be their boss but a leader who they can look up and come to when needed.

A year from now, what do you hope you'll have accomplished as Student CEO?

In a year from now I will have accomplished running a successful cafe and creating a warm, welcoming environment for staff, students and alumni. Saxbys will be a hub for the VCU community to reset and relax before they return to their busy days. Since this is the first Saxbys at VCU, hopefully everyone will know our name and our mission on campus.

What's your go-to Saxbys order?

My go to Saxbys order is the strawberry matcha. I already love a classic matcha, but the strawberry adds a fruity sweetness that I love.