How a Bentley Education and a Nantucket Childhood Shaped This Entrepreneur
Within a year of graduating from Bentley in 2020, Renee Hopkins founded Blue Seven Studio, a full-service marketing company, and went on to earn two industry awards for entrepreneurship. Then in May 2026, her company was recognized by the Boston Business Journal as one of the fastest-growing private firms in Massachusetts.
Hopkins credits her success to a childhood surrounded by entrepreneurs and a Bentley education that equipped her with a comprehensive skill set rooted in accounting and marketing.
A Nantucket native, Renee Hopkins grew up talking shop with her parents and two brothers about their family-owned tour boat and whale-watching business.
“Our family dinners were often like brainstorming sessions with everyone sharing ideas on how to improve services and reach new customers,” says Hopkins. “At a very young age, I really fell in love with the creative side of things, especially when it came to marketing.”
In addition, many friends and neighbors were business owners. “Because Nantucket is a small island, there’s always a local need for skills like landscaping or bookkeeping or real estate,” Hopkins says. “Being an entrepreneur was never considered a crazy idea. It was the norm.
In this childhood photo, Hopkins is pictured off the coast of Nantucket, where she spent her early years helping with her family’s boating business.
Finding the Right Fit at Bentley
Hopkins was drawn to Bentley for its reputation as a premier business school that offers rigorous academics. She majored in both marketing and earth, environment and global sustainability. She was also a member of the Women’s Soccer Team, an experience she says helped her build leadership and teamwork skills, while also fostering friendships.
She took a deep dive in marketing courses where she developed skills in market research and analytics as well as website building and coding. “Classes like GB 112 (Tools and Concepts in Accounting and Finance) and GB 212 (Practice and Applications in Accounting and Finance) taught me how to create financial reports and to read and understand them,” Hopkins says. “That was a huge struggle for me at the time, but I am so grateful now — I am literally in QuickBooks every single day and those classes have proven to be invaluable in my career.”
She completed two internships, one at a larger marketing agency and another at Creative TK Consulting, which at the time was a one-woman operation. The small size worked to her advantage. “I was sitting in on client meetings, doing photo shoots, creating content and running advertising,” Hopkins says. “It really gave me confidence and a feeling like I was capable of doing this work.”
Hopkins met her husband, Chris Hopkins ’20, a finance major, while at Bentley.
Pivoting to Entrepreneurship
Hopkins’ original post-graduation plan was to work in a corporate environment for a few years and then decide her next steps. But as a member of the Class of 2020, she watched interview opportunities disappear as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold.
She returned to Nantucket and while working a series of odd jobs, she recognized an opportunity to help local businesses navigate the pandemic with new approaches to marketing.
“I started going door-to-door, saying that I had just graduated and here is what I can do for you,” Hopkins says. “I got five clients right away and then it just blew up.”
Eventually, local companies started referring Hopkins to off-island businesses, and she relocated to Boston to accommodate the expansion. “Blue Seven Studio grew out of that entrepreneurial hustle,” she says.
Today, her company has five full-time employees — one of whom is a fellow Bentley alum — as well as several independent contractors supporting over 40 marketing services across 300 clients to date, such as Cape Cod Potato Chips, Nantucket Film Festival, and Tubac Golf Resort & Spa in Arizona.
“It’s incredible to think of how far we’ve come in six years, but I still feel like we’re just getting started,” Hopkins adds. “My goal is to build Blue Seven into one of the leading independent marketing agencies in the Northeast. I’m constantly thinking about what the company needs to look like in 2030 and beyond, and what we need to build today to get there.”
Entrepreneurial Insights from Blue Seven Studio Founder Renee Hopkins
- Love what you do. “We’ve been in business for six years, but sometimes I feel like I’ve invested 12 years of myself into it. Work weeks can go beyond 40 hours, so loving the work makes the difference.”
- Understand your client’s product and market. “You need to wholly and completely know what your client is selling and know who the audience is. You have to understand how to meet that audience where they are.”
- Build a business that doesn’t depend entirely on you. “Working hard can get a company off the ground, but it won’t necessarily help you scale. As we’ve grown, I’ve learned how important it is to build systems, document processes and create a team that can make decisions and move the business forward.”
- Develop a thick skin. “Not everyone will take a young entrepreneur seriously. It’s important to understand you won’t be everyone’s choice.”
- Aim for a measured approach. “You’re going to experience highs and lows but try to stay even-keeled. Celebrate successes and then think about how you can apply what you’ve learned to the next project.”
- Give yourself grace. “You will not be perfect in every situation. I know I am going to make mistakes and regret certain choices. But it’s so important to push through it and know that there are better times ahead.”