Michael Del Busto ’14 –

But business is also driven by selling and marketing strategies. For example, when selling products to a customer, always offer them the premium and best product available and one of two things will happen. One, the customer will buy the best product. Or two, (assuming that there are three general levels of price/quality products: low, middle, and high) the customer will buy the middle product instead of the inexpensive, low product because the more expensive, high-end product makes the middle product appear to be less expensive and more affordable.  In either result, this strategy helps to sell higher priced items and drive sales. Moreover, the customer will get a better product, and their satisfaction will increase.  But, we want more customers in the door in conjunction with high sales; we can achieve this by using specific marketing campaigns. Dr. Ciano is a firm believer in targeting specific, small groups of customers as opposed to advertising to the mass market. The smaller, more targeted marketing has a higher success rate, and it increases customer count more than mass marketing.

Business is not all about selling though; it is also about smart buying practices and minimizing costs. I have been able to accompany Dr. Ciano to numerous business meetings with such companies as Alcon and Baush+Lomb to discuss new products, to share selling strategies, and to haggle over pricing. Additionally, I have learned the value of networking and teamwork by attending an EyeDoc meeting. EyeDoc is a local group of optometrists who collaborate ideas and strategies together on how to grow their local practices. Last but not least, Dr. Ciano has taught me many invaluable lessons about eye health and disease. I have witnessed Dr. Ciano diagnose and treat such diseases as Congenital Nystagmus, hyphema, hypopyon, heterochromia iridis,  glaucoma, macular degeneration, and styes.

My internship at RevolutionEYES has taught me many different business fundamentals, but it has also provided me with many new and powerful perspectives on how to effectively and efficiently run a small business.  Competitive business and good health care can coexist, and a top-notch optometry clinic providing premium health care can also be a strong, profitable business. I would like to thank the generosity of the Lilly Endowment, Wabash alumni, friends, and family who have donated towards the Business Leaders Program.

We have worked on projects from transforming a 1980’s charter bus into a high-tech mobile clinic designed to treat dehydration and fatigue (CLICK HERE to see more), to working with mobile app developers to clean up the appearance of Archon’s iPad apps.  Tony and I have been learning new sales techniques from sales professionals and worked with marketing consultants in Indianapolis to promote new app releases.  Even within the app market, I have been exposed to diversified markets, from security applications to schools and education apps.

I was fortunate enough to come onboard at Archon when the culmination of many of Tony’s projects were preparing to take off.  The Recovery Bus made its debut appearance at the Indy 500 this past month and received a lot of press in the Indianapolis area prior to the event, appearing on WISH-TV and multiple Indy Star articles.  One of Archon’s main applications, Cirrus Security (CLICK HERE for more info), recently received an overhaul and I have been working to market, set up demos, and sell to it prospective clients.

One of the most important lessons I have learned from working on projects with Tony this summer has been that you must be committed if you want your business to succeed.  Running your own business is hard work and requires persistence, organization, and the focus necessary to get things done.  Being your own boss means that no one can tell you what to do, but it also means that no ones tells you what to do.  You have to go out and make business happen for yourself because it certainly isn’t going to fall into your lap.  Having a great idea or great product only scratches the surface of what it means to be an entrepreneur and run your own business.

I want to thank the Lilly Endowment and Wabash alumni, friends, and family who have donated to the Business Leaders Program because without your generosity this experience would not have been possible.  I have been exposed to many things and learned so much this summer about what it means to be an entrepreneur and none of it would have been possible without your support.  Thank you.

For more information on Archon Apps and the Recovery Bus follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

For Archon:
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https://www.facebook.com/rushtorecovery
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On Wednesday we had our first round of presentations. This was very exciting, but also very stressful. After practicing for at least 4 hours Tuesday night, my group of Jeremy, Tyler, and Rudy (make sure to read his blog too!) was ready to go. When we got into the room a panel of familiar faces greeted us ready to hear our pitch. Unfortunately, I was not as ready as the judges because I stumbled over much of my presentation after losing focus early in my part. I was not pleased with myself to say the least. Luckily for me, my teammates picked up the slack (big shout out to Jeremy, Tyler, and Rudy-way to go guys!) and we walked away with an extra $50,000 invested in our business.

On Thursday and Friday we focused on the consulting project. For this project we will be discussing how to best rework the ESH program. At the conclusion of this we will make recommendations to some of Wabash’s higher ups. They will hopefully keep our recommendations in mind when making the final decisions.  This project has been interesting to say the least. When we started the consulting project it seemed simple enough, but as the summer has progressed the problem has only grown bigger and bigger. Let’s just say the solution will not be simple and there will be plenty of critical thinking. Fortunately, we are Wabash men and thinking critically is something we have done every day since stepping on campus for Freshman Saturday.

While I was able to sum up the week a few short paragraphs, this week was a long one. It rivaled the toughest weeks I have faced as a Wabash student (yes including finals week), but I have come away a better man because of it. And, while it may seem that I am only finding career fields that do not interest me, this summer has actually been quite the opposite. For the first time since arriving at Wabash College I have some sense of direction for my future, and the BIP is largely responsible for that. The opportunity to work with a great group of guys on a broad range of business related problems, has allowed me to augment many skills that will be helpful in my last 2 years at Wabash (and will be absolutely necessary once I leave Wabash).

Rudy Duarte ’14

One of the main focuses of the program is to learn how come up and create a business plan. We were divided into four groups consisting of four members. Each team had an initial investment of $25,000 for the business idea. Our group came up with the idea of a device that monitors your blink rate to detect whether or not you are falling asleep. If you are, then an alarm will sound to warn you that you are falling asleep.

Our group had been working on this since the initial start of the project. This week though, was the first time we had to pitch our idea to some investors and convince them that their “money” will be a good investment in our idea. The way we do that is by presenting our idea and how we plan on executing the idea as well. This was the first time we were pitching our idea to “investors” outside our own class. Our team had the idea and the execution of the idea ready to go but we needed to practice how to present it to the investors.

The night before our team gathered in the Allen Center to start practicing for the presentation. We created a PowerPoint presentation and we each individually practiced our parts. We ended up practicing our presentation for five hours!

We were the first group to present our business idea to the investors, who on that day we found out were:  Deborah Woods, Steve Hoffman, James Jeffries, Betsy Knott and Roland Morin. We were extremely nervous but we went unscathed with just a few suggestions on our presentation. Fortunately, the practice paid off. Our team received investment money to be able to continue our business; we also happened to be the team that received the most amount of investment money. Luckily, this was just round one of the pitching our idea to potential investors and not the final one because I believe that even with the amount of practice we were not fully prepared.

The final round of pitching is taking place the last week of the BIP and that is something our team is really looking forward. Hopefully by then, our team will be fully confident in our presentation and know exactly what to expect from our potential investors.

Bill Kirst and Rob Shook speaking to Business Immersion students.

James Caum ’14 – This past week was Memorial Day week, so we had a paid day off on Monday. This gave a lot of guys, myself included, time to go home and visit their families. This also meant that the next steps in the assignments had less time during the week to get done. The groups wrote the environment and industry analysis section of their business plans.

Caum ’14

The main topic for the week was marketing. Mr. Morin, our instructor, titled the day’s sections as marketing 101, 102, and 103. We spent Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday discussing marketing and reading Harvard Business School cases on Land Rover, IKEA, and several others. We focused on how these companies used marketing and what strategies were effective. We debated the various options the companies had to choose from, and then decided whether we believed their choice to be correct, or whether we would have recommended a different option.

On Friday we had two guest speakers Rob Shook, ’84, IBM Chief Strategist Industry Solution and Bill Kirst, IBM Senior Managing Social Business Consultant. Rob is Bill’s mentor at IBM. Rob shared his decades of experience and Bill shared his own experiences. Both had been part of an IBM program to take IBM professionals overseas to a developing country and help them with various problems. Both men greatly enjoyed e experience and talked about how competitive the application process was, and how rewarding the experience was overall.

Bill felt a part of the Wabash community, even without being an alumnus. He gave a Chapel talk on campus before and is very great full to have had the opportunity to do so. He is very supportive of the school and was eager to return with Rob to talk to the Business Immersion Program and share stories and advice.

On Friday afternoon we were given a choice between working with our groups until 5, or going to the various colloquiums that were held on campus. I attended the session on the new marketing campaign that the college was starting. The talk covered the new technologies for targeting markets which had successful students, who were likely to be interested in Wabash, and who had a financial situation to make Wabash an option. The new “Seriously” marketing campaign seemed like a great new direction. It focuses on being bold and telling students that a Wabash man is not typical. The new material is unapologetic about being an all male institution and focuses on the difficulty of the education, but also the rewards that a great education has. The idea of marketing a serious side to 17 or 18 year old guys may seem crazy, but I think that this is a very good marketing program and as a current student, I am happy about the message that the material is sending about Wabash.

Dove ’15

The world of marketing and reaching young males with Wabash potential has changed drastically over the years. Wabash College has always been known for being generous with financial aid, but with the economic downturn of 2008 the college has had to find different ways to save money. Wabash is looking at a path to reach young men whose families don’t need the significant amount of financial aid that many families do. This is necessary in order to keep the prestigious academic programs which are customary of Wabash College. With the changing times, the marketing for Wabash has developed for the better.

This past year Wabash completely changed its marketing in order to better attract dedicated young men. Mr. Amidon spoke about the “Seriously” marketing campaign. The new marketing campaign is bold and enticing. It makes me wish I was recruited by these new methods. There are new postcards, booklets, and shirts that boast how serious Wabash truly is. It is meant to be very bold, not shying away from the rigorous academic standards Wabash holds. Of course Wabash tested these products with a small market before officially making this the staple for Wabash’s marketing. The results were nothing but success; young men loved reading about the seriousness Wabash possesses. The booklets were all about results; the success rates for Wabash men being accepted to graduate schools was a key statistic. One booklet had the Gentlemen’s rule on it and Wabash’s mission. The goal of every college or university marketing campaign is to have the young man or woman remember the name of the institution, but many of the young men who received Wabash booklets were able to recite the Gentlemen’s Rule and Wabash’s mission. Now that is impressive.

Wabash’s new “Seriously” marketing campaign is a game-changer. It lets young men know everything they need to know when making a college decision. There is no extra “fluff” to it; Wabash spoke the truth and didn’t shy away from the facts. The thing that I was impressed with most was the unique way Wabash is now mailing acceptance letters. The acceptance letter comes in a folder with big lettering on the front reading “Welcome to the Brotherhood”. It is a perfect deal-maker; it is professional, modern, and exciting. It speaks volumes of the Brotherhood that Wabash truly is. Also, it speaks volumes of the dedication and effort that the Wabash College Admissions and Marketing team put into making the new “Seriously” marketing campaign the best marketing campaign Wabash has ever seen.

Waldman ’93 at far left.

David was passionate about his idea; however, his tie-dye suit prevented me from taking him seriously. He also overstepped his bounds when he told one of the sharks, Laurie, that she was incorrect for believing wood carries bacteria. He overstepped his bounds and lost her investment. He walked out of the shark tank with no bids. With that being said, he did have some excellent wood working skills. The cutting boards looked awesome!

Following Shark Tank, the Business Immersion team climbed into the Wabash vans and traveled to the Triton Brewing Company in Indianapolis. David Waldman ’93 welcomed us and gave us an excellent tour of the establishment. He explained the origination of the name and their approach to brewing. He answered questions as we went along, explaining with great detail and enthusiasm. It was contagious. After the tour, the Business Immersion Program ran out to grab some French fries from Groovy Guy’s Fries. My Santa Fe chicken and fries were fantastic. I never thought that French fries with chicken and beans would ever taste that good. Afterwards, David took us out to their outside seating and answered our questions.

Jocelyn Hopkinson ’15, asked David about how often he needed to change his business model and what parts of it did he change the most. David explained that as Triton began to grow, his business plan needed to shift accordingly to the direction they needed to go. He told us that specifically that labor portion and the new distribution locations were changed. Triton was growing fast and they needed more help than what they initially thought. After weighing the ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ of selling their brew in Florida, they decided that it would be best if Triton’s brew was not sold in Florida for the time being.

Brainard ’16

It was Steve Hoffman ’85 who took the time to tell me the countless stories of successful businessmen who accepted Wabash’s calling, and it was from Steve that I first heard word of a program offered over the summer, that would span 8 weeks and teach me everything I needed to know about business.  The idea of a paid internship to learn about business sparked my interest, and the more I researched Wabash, the more I realized that a liberal arts education is exactly what a true businessman needs, and it was something that Wabash had to offer.  Now, a year later, I will be a sophomore come next fall, and we are two weeks into what is shaping up to be one of the greatest experiences of my life, the Business Immersion Program.

I remember sitting and hearing about what the BIP had to offer a year ago at the homecoming luncheon, but I never expected it to be so demanding and fulfilling.  Working with Roland Morin ’91 has exceeded all expectations of what I thought the BIP would be.  The first day, Roland made it very clear that this was our job and he expected us to be professional. That does not mean we do not have fun, but Roland and Betsy Knott have very high expectations for all 15 participants, as I am sure all who donate to the program do as well.  The best way I can describe the BIP is like 3 full semester business courses rolled up into an 8-week period.  And every week reveals something new.

This past week the group learned about negotiations.  And it was very interesting.  We split the group in half and created two teams, one representing management and one group representing the labor force of a large food packaging company.  I learned quickly that the tone of a negotiation is set right off the bat and there is no going back if you find yourself in a ditch.  You just have to adjust to the situation, which I have found to be a reoccurring theme even in just these past two weeks.  I could not be happier about the experiences I have been given by this program.  We are one quarter of the way done with the internship now and I am excited to see what the future has in store.

Anleitner

On our first day of the BIP, several ideas were discussed of how we could make the ESH program work more effectively. A key problem that has been brought up is that many ESH workers on campus do not earn their money. The guys who work in the Allen center serve as a good illustration of this problem. They are constantly on Facebook or working on their homework while “on the job”. Other ESH workers, such as those who work for Campus Services, actually do constructive things that are related to their jobs. As a way to solve this issue, we recommended a tier system. For example, student workers who work more will earn higher wages than those who are simply asked to “guard” the MXI or Forest Hall.

Outside of the classroom, we went to visit Bluefish, which is an organization that works with wireless devices. We were introduced to Charlie Kelly ‘11, a Wabash graduate who used to work for the organization. He shared some of his experiences as an entrepreneur and mentioned that he worked 70 to 80 hours a week while wrestling with ideas that could potentially develop into a business. “I did not drink any alcohol” were his exact words as he was describing this period in his life that lasted for 6 months.

Charlie gave us a tour of the company. While there, the people of Bluefish were disabling the cameras on the cell phones. They did this to prevent individuals from taking pictures of the technology that could be found at the organizations they work for. We were also introduced to the developers who work in what they call the “fish tank”. They simply work on their computers all day to develop programs or software for their customers.

After the trip, I realized that it would be important for me to have some basic knowledge of computers. Many industries are becoming centered around technology, and there are many jobs that require proficiency in software development. I plan to take at least one class in computer science before I graduate and recommend others to do the same.

The first week of the BIP was a great start. I have had the opportunity to get to know some of the guys in the program, and I believe that we will work well together. In the upcoming weeks, I look forward to learning more about business development and how that process works.

Binder

Upon arriving, we were greeted by Brian Deyo, Wabash class of ’08, an associate partner with DeveloperTown.  After a brief tour of the space, he sat us down and discussed different career paths in business with us.  Eventually, he even introduced us to some of his co-workers so that we could get a broader perspective of business pathways.  However, the definitive highlight of the day for me came when the founder of DeveloperTown, Michael Cloran, spoke to us about ideas.  Who knew such a simple topic could generate such an enthusiastic presentation?  Nonetheless, Mr. Cloran spoke energetically for nearly an hour, at times expressing his passion for his subject by going off on fascinating tangents about issues ranging from game theory to Thomas Edison.  Two insights I particularly took away from the talk were that an innovator ought to consider any absurd idea which pops into his head and that he should also take the time to analyze each idea carefully before he invests a significant amount of time into developing that idea.  Mr. Cloran told us that he has often made people cry because he tells them their idea simply will not work.  However, he feels justified knowing the amount of time, energy, and money he has just saved them.

Following our immersion into the world of idea development, Brian gave our group an opportunity to practice our skills.  He let us in on a type of software he is currently developing and gave us two hours to give him feedback on it.  If any of us doubted the seriousness with which he took our comments, the fact that Mr. Cloran had completely revamped the site’s interface by the time we left put our minds at ease.

All in all, I really enjoyed my time at DeveloperTown.  It was valuable for me to see Wabash critical thinking skills in action.  Business is a world to which I have had little exposure, and the Business Immersion Program is well on its way to showing me a whole new perspective not only on business styles, but on ideas themselves.