A textbook might try its best, but when it comes to actually learning about what goes into entrepreneurship, nothing beats hearing from an actual entrepreneur.
However, by their very natures, entrepreneurs are busy people, and asking them to take the time to travel to a college campus can be a tough sell. Kipp Krukowski, a clinical professor of entrepreneurship at Colorado State University, has his own solution: Go to them.
“I went out and interviewed five different CSU alums who are entrepreneurs and used those roughly hour-and-a-half-long conversations to create videos that can be shared across multiple sections of classes for multiple semesters,” Krukowski said. “Unlike a guest lecturer, who might speak at a fixed time that’s not accessible for all students, everyone gets to hear directly from these alumni during their scheduled class time. Students get to realize that these entrepreneurs were all sitting in the same seats as them not long ago, and they have the potential to achieve the same great things.”
Krukowski was able to conduct these interviews and produce the ensuing videos thanks to the Tinberg Teaching Innovation Grant, which aimed in part at empowering faculty to design unique course content.
CSU alum imparts major lessons to next generation of entrepreneurs
The video series means that even though Gear Fisher has never spoken in person in a CSU entrepreneurship class, 175 students and counting have heard about the lessons he learned when he founded the popular fitness app TrainingPeaks and his latest athletic app known as OnForm, a platform that allows coaches to analyze videos of athletes’ performances and critique their technique using a built-in skeleton tool.
“In essence, if a picture is worth 1,000 words, a video is worth a million,” Fisher said.
In the video Krukowski shared with students, Fisher describes how he conceptualized the app while watching his daughter learn how to ride horses. But in the time since, he’s realized his platform is better suited to sports like golf or track – with equestrianism being near the bottom of disciplines it serves.
Being willing to learn on the fly is just one lesson Fisher teaches CSU students during his video. He’s also quick to say that a great product is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to actually being a successful entrepreneur.
“From a business standpoint, you can have the greatest product ever, but if you can’t get customers’ attention and interest in it, you’re dead in the water,” he said.
Luckily, Fisher’s latest product has resonated with its audience and numerous programs have adopted OnForm to improve their training, including CSU’s track and field team.
Fisher graduated from CSU with a degree in engineering, and called his years building businesses a “real-time MBA” full of lessons that he was excited to impart on the next generation.
“I love talking about business and the application of all the things you learn in school,” Fisher said. “There’s the academic version of it and then the tactical version of it – and it’s exciting to talk about both sides.”
While Fisher’s story might have been new to most of the students in the spring MGT 340 Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship class, it had already inspired one second-year accounting student to pursue business before she ever saw his video lecture.
“There are obviously different sides to a person, and I’ve seen more of the dad side of him than the business professional side,” said Kendal Fisher, a second-year accounting student. “After the video, it was interesting to see my classmates discuss how insightful it was and to talk really highly about his work – it took them a while to realize that he’s my dad.”
Kendal said watching her father build businesses inspired her to pursue a certificate in entrepreneurship, and that she’s happy her classmates and others that follow will get to hear those same lessons.
“It’s cool to see him share his knowledge, and that it can be interpreted by others in a positive and inspiring way,” she said.
Five entrepreneurs, countless lessons
In addition to Fisher, Krukowski interviewed four other CSU alums who have launched successful ventures or led their companies through intrapreneurship:
- Jen Henderson, entrepreneur, founder and CEO of TiLT.
- Stefan Wenger, entrepreneur, CEO of UV-Concepts, Inc.
- Pete Jokisch, entrepreneur, founder of Teakoe.
- Rich Tinberg, CEO of the Bradford Hammacher Group, an entrepreneur, and the donor behind the Tinberg Teaching Innovation Grant.
Krukowski and a videographer team consisting of Ryan Crist and Emily Luft conducted most of the interviews at the places of business. Afterward, they condensed the hour-and-a-half-long conversations into shorter, more focused videos to share with students.
In addition to using the videos in MGT 340 Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship, Krukowski also uses portions of their interviews specific to business ethics in his MGT 420 New Venture Creation course.
“During my own academic journey, I’ve learned a lot from guest speakers – hearing their challenges and successes, and being able to tie it back to what we teach in the classroom is valuable,” Krukowski said. “Hearing about entrepreneurship from a professor has its place, but hearing directly from these successful entrepreneurs is very powerful in that it shows what truly happens in the real world. While I have plenty of real stories of my own, hearing more from others increases the student experience.”
