CAZENOVIA — Cazenovia High School graduate Caden Ackerman recently came in second place in the 2021 Dolphin Tank, Le Moyne College’s take on the business reality television series “Shark Tank.”

Ackerman, who received a bachelor of science in marketing from Le Moyne on May 28, 2021, went up against ten other student businesses to compete for a pool of $35,000.

During his five-minute presentation, Ackerman pitched “Keep On Adapting,” a marketing and advertising agency designed to help small businesses with content creation and social media management.

“Many small businesses wear all the hats in their businesses and don’t have time to learn new technology that changes quickly,” Ackerman said. “On top of that, they don’t have the budgets to pay large marketing companies. We come in at an affordable price that helps businesses adapt to the ever-changing world. Over the last several months, combined we have helped small businesses reach 1,500,000-plus people organically and managed 30,000-plus followers. We don’t use generic content; [instead,] we come onto business locations and take photos and videos.”

The entrepreneur added that his presentation also included a discussion of how his business has been working with local businesses recently and continues to grow rapidly.

Ackerman is using part of his $9,000 Dolphin Tank reward to launch the “2021 Keep On Adapting Awards,” an initiative designed to give back to small businesses in the Syracuse area.

In the first round of the contest, individuals are invited to vote on a business that they believe has adapted well throughout its lifecycle.

The top 10 businesses will each receive a free one-minute video — filmed and edited by Keep On Adapting — highlighting their stories.

During round two, voters will select one of the 10 businesses to receive a $3,000 grand prize.

Every voter will be entered to win a $50 gift card to a Syracuse area business. The 20 winners will be selected randomly.

Voting for round one ends June 30 at 11:59 p.m. Round two starts July 20 and ends Aug. 20.

“The whole premise of my business was to help small business owners adapt,” said Ackerman. “We live in a world where an online presence is essential to stay competitive. Social media allows people to vote with their voices and contributions. Our goal was to help small business owners stand out and have an affordable way to get their stories known. Every business has a story to tell. Whether it’s the struggles they went through to build their business or the community that has come together to support them. With this came the idea of the Keep on Adapting Award. It was a no-brainer to encourage small business participation [while also giving] some of the money we won in Dolphin Tank back to a small business. Although it is not hundreds of thousands of dollars, it is a way to let small businesses know that they are being supported and can rely on their local communities.”

Ackerman started making videos when he was around eight years old. Although he did not expect videography to be part of his career, he knew from a young age he wanted to own his own business.

According to Ackerman, his creativity and entrepreneurial spirit were, and continue to be, fueled by the consistent encouragement and support of his family.

After graduating high school in 2017, he took a “gap year” before starting at Le Moyne. During that time, he created his own woodworking business selling custom shelves online through Etsy.

“This is what truly sparked my passion, and I learned to love building a business,” Ackerman said. “There was something about the interaction with the customers and physically building a product for people to enjoy. There is [also] something great about the idea of one day creating a job for someone that they have always dreamed of (marketing, videography, etc.) . . .”

In college, Ackerman’s love of videography merged with a newfound passion for marketing.

“Although I had over 90 five-star reviews [on Etsy] and hundreds of previous orders, I decided to pivot and adapt,” he said. “I saw that local small businesses needed affordable marketing, [and] at the beginning of my senior year at Le Moyne, I started Keep On Adapting.”

To learn more about Keep On Adapting, visit keeponadapting.com or follow the business on Facebook or Instagram (keeponadapting).

Cazenovia businesses interested in receiving free flyers (and stands) for the 2021 Keep On Adapting Awards should email [email protected].

The annual Dolphin Tank competition is presented by The Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Creativity at Le Moyne College.

This year, the pitches were presented virtually in April. The submissions will be released to the public this month.

For more information on The Keenan Center, visit lemoyne.edu.