Micah Toll – Student Entrepreneur: Based on what you see in the 5:36 video on Micah, how does his background and training as an undergraduate engineering student influence his entrepreneurial activities (i.e. how is an engineering student like Micah a good fit for an independent business-related activity)?
It is evident that both Micah’s personal background and training as an undergraduate engineer strongly influence his entrepreneurial endeavors. He experienced the childhood of a budding engineer, developing an interest in “tinkering,” which effectively laid the groundwork for his more profound innovation. While his personal life did not include specific business interest, he showed a valuable and marketable skill at a young age. Once this skill came into fruition, it truly turned into an entrepreneurial endeavor. The inciting incident of this evolution was the transition to undergraduate study, where he was provided the means to explore his passion and apply this to society. Once his passion leads him to such an innovation, the business-related aspects almost came naturally. An effective business strategy Micah used was an assessment of his market. After devising innovations that had already been created, he discovered a market with untapped potential and took advantage of it.
Pitt Business Students as Entrepreneurs: Now – thinking about how this video/topic could apply to you – how will your background and training as an undergraduate business student influence your entrepreneurial activities (i.e. how is a business student a good fit for an independent business-related activity?)
A business student is an excellent fit for such independent business-related activities because the whole premise of the study revolves around the assessment of marketable skills. This also includes the development of an intervention method into a preexisting market. Essentially, a business student is provided with the training to have the mindset of “What are my strengths?” This mindset allows business students to be effective in whichever market they are passionate about.
Other Examples Like This?: So – if you have the opportunity to work with student entrepreneurs like Micah (either as a peer or as their boss/manager one day) – what support would you give them to get them to fully develop their talents/skills?
If I, as a business student, were to work with an engineering student like Micah, it would allow for a more effective business model. While Micah has the innovation, passion, and the engineering background to develop the new product, he has no previous training in any business background. It is assumed that a business student has a passion for some facet of the business, whether it be finance, marketing, or supply chain management, just one of these skills can make the business model Micah created much more effective. This combines the passion of two individuals in order to create a truly revolutionary product. One individual cannot manage all facets of a business, it takes the collaboration of multiple passionate individuals to develop an effective business model.