New Kickstarter Course Empowers First-Year Students to Launch Entrepreneurial Journeys

During the fall 2024 semester, the School of Business launched a new course, TPC: Business Kickstarter, created by Dean Dan Connolly and Dr. Chantz B. Miles, who taught the course.

The course is designed to serve as the launchpad to a first-year student’s business journey and serve as the gateway to their business studies at Fisher. First-year business students Brennan Conn and Sara Haidari were part of the inaugural cohort. 

“The first time I heard about the course was during a tour of the School of Business after meeting Dr. Miles for the first time. The topic of the class interested me and with good luck, my advisor placed me in the class,” said Conn. 

It is near impossible to anticipate and plan for all potential challenges with a new course, but Connolly said he and Miles prepared for as many as they could with two at the forefront of their minds. 

“Two primary challenges, especially for an introductory, project-based course like this, are how much content to include and how to set the appropriate pace to maximize student learning. This course is meant to provide both breadth and depth, which is always a delicate balance,” said Connolly. 

The TPC Business Kickstarter gives students a solid business foundation, teaching them important principles that will help them succeed in their academic and professional lives. During the course, students investigate why businesses exist, how they are organized, and how they are managed, all while learning essential language and previewing important business themes for future courses. Additionally, students develop an entrepreneurial mindset, which is essential for navigating the competitive and ever-changing business market. They also learn how to recognize opportunities and challenges, use critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, and devise novel solutions to real-world problems.

“My initial impression of the course helped me understand the essence of the School of Business at Fisher and positively impacted my ability to generate new business ideas. Dr. Miles’ engaging approach inspired me to consider stepping out of my comfort zone and starting my own makeup business, despite initially wanting to sell insurance,” Haidari stated.

For Connolly, the course’s success will be determined by course evaluations and student satisfaction, among other factors. 

“Work quality, community impact, and students’ performance are all part of succeeding courses. We also consider this course as an essential component of our business curriculum, which is one of the many reasons students pick Fisher for their business studies,” added Connolly.

For Miles, success was determined through academic and personal growth inside and outside of the classroom.

“From an instructional perspective, I considered the course successful if students walked away feeling more confident in their ability to approach business problems, think critically, and apply what they learned in real-world settings. Beyond the classroom, it was rewarding to see students continue refining their business ideas, exploring new opportunities, and embracing the mindset that business is about continuous learning and adaptation,” Miles emphasized.

The successful outcome was shown first-hand in Conn. After completing the course, he reached out to Miles separately and joined the Entrepreneurship Club. Conn applied the skills and knowledge he learned in the course through Fish Tank, a friendly competition during Entrepreneurship Week that allows students to pitch their personal business to a panel of judges. Conn ended up winning the first-place prize, but there was a more important goal in mind for him. 

“I had the opportunity to pitch my business to the judges and ended up winning the first-place prize of $300. However, more than that, I was introduced to so many helpful, experienced entrepreneurs who gave me some amazing advice,” he said.

A win-win, from Miles’ perspective.

“The primary goal of this course was to introduce students, regardless of their prior experience, to fundamental business concepts and practical applications through an experiential learning approach. By the end of the semester, students developed a strong foundation in business strategy, problem-solving, and adaptability,” said Dr. Miles.

This article was written by Drew Smith, a senior marketing major, who is working as an intern in the Office of Marketing and Communications at Fisher for the 2024-2025 academic year.