A Boot Camp for Business Ideas

PROVO, Utah – Mar 25, 2019 – In BYU Marriott's Startup Bootcamp course (ENT 313), about twenty students gather together in a classroom in the Tanner Building and discuss everyday problems and possible solutions, from figuring out how to reach the last chip in a Pringles can to preventing online bank identity theft.

The Startup Bootcamp is offered through the entrepreneurial management program at the BYU Marriott School of Business. Assistant professor of entrepreneurship Brian Reschke says no previous knowledge of business is required in order to participate. Whether someone is an undergraduate or PhD candidate, students from all majors on campus with an interest in learning more about entrepreneurship can register for the course.

Reschke says the Startup Bootcamp is an ideal option for students deciding on a major or wanting to apply entrepreneurial skills within their field of expertise. “Students who are still exploring majors can capture a glimpse of what the entrepreneurship major offers, while seniors who take the course can apply their specialty and talents,” Reschke says. “The course is not so much about who is a good fit but what effort and ideas are being brought in.”

The Startup Bootcamp is a one-credit course where students only attend two class sessions during a given semester but—as homework—are asked to observe the outside world to find daily problems and solutions that can be discussed and explored in the class setting.

Manufacturing engineering technology junior Tyson Nauman from Elma, Washington, is currently taking the course and says he now sees the world in a different way than he had before. “As I’m going about my day, I notice more of the annoyances that need to be fixed,” Nauman says. “I appreciate how the class is helping my own creativity and providing an innovative space where I can explore different ideas.” After several experiences and taking classes such as the Bootcamp, Nauman is now considering changing his major to entrepreneurship.

For students who have already decided on a major, the Bootcamp course can still be of great worth. Statistics major Joseph Arnesen, a junior from Pleasant Grove, Utah, says the Bootcamp has allowed him to realize his own potential as an entrepreneur using his background in statistical analysis. “I’ve been able to understand the abilities I already have and know how to best apply them to pursue a business idea,” says Arnesen. “I’ve even noticed talents I didn’t know I had before.”

Although students in the Startup Bootcamp are at different stages of their education and career goals, they work together to present ideas and receive feedback on how a proposed solution can be changed or improved. By applying entrepreneurial principles and theories, students gain hands-on experience in figuring out how one idea can turn into a successful business solution.

Graduating students have also seen the benefits of taking the Startup Bootcamp. Spanish translation major Laura Morales Villacrés from Quito, Equador, graduates this April 2019 and decided to take the Bootcamp course after becoming a mother and realizing her desire to one day start a business of her own.

“I want to be able to provide for my family, and I’ve learned tools in this class that would be difficult to learn on my own,” says Morales. “This is one of the most valuable courses I have taken during my time here at BYU.”