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At the end of Wilson 91è���� ’s Fall 2024 semester, four student teams in the Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management Course (BUS 220), presented their final business plans. Each plan reflected a semester 91è���� ’s worth of collaboration, research, and strategic thinking, pitched to their peers as if to real investors. The purpose of the project was to get students to think through what it takes to start up and run an actual business. 

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Team Breathe-Well
Left to right: Allie Cullison 91è���� ’25, Jordan Blizzard 91è���� ’25, Eunbeen Song, Samuel Martin 91è���� ’28, Logan Frazier 91è���� ’27

Unlike popular television shows like 91è���� “Shark Tank, 91è���� ” where the spotlight is on the product and its profitability, this course focuses on the process of building a business. Business faculty encourage the students to dream big 91è���� —whether creating a nonprofit that provides pet care for low-income families or by creating a financial advisory service tailored to college students 91è���� —and walk through every step of making that dream operational. 

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Team Chambersburg Saddlery
Left to right: Catrin Rumondang, Madelyn McCoy 91è���� ’27, Anna Flenner 91è���� ’27, Raegen Franz 91è���� ’24, Jasmine Gruver 91è���� ’25, Vu Nguyen

91è���� “We 91è���� ’re not asking, 91è���� ‘Can you sell this tomorrow? 91è���� ’ 91è���� ” explained Lance Cain, assistant professor and director of the business program. 91è���� “We 91è���� ’re asking, 91è���� ‘Can you plan this from the ground up? 91è���� ’ 91è���� ”

This difference in focus allows the students to dive into marketing strategies, operating budgets, supply chains, and resource planning. Students learn to identify their target audience, assess competition, and make tough decisions about what 91è���� ’s feasible and what 91è���� ’s not. They read case studies, analyze failures, and learn that most entrepreneurs aren 91è���� ’t overnight successes. Throughout the semester, students also engage with an online business simulation program, managing a virtual retail shop and responding to dynamic scenarios. The system evaluates their decisions, offering insight into real-world outcomes.  

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Team EDU Finance
Left to right: Armani Jones 91è���� ’28, Sydney Marza 91è���� ’27, Clare Byomujuni 91è���� ’27, Halley Shaffer 91è���� ’26, Ellisa Gamby-Mickey 91è���� ’27, Sefora Antonino Velasco 91è���� ’27

Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the course is that it offers a risk-free environment for experimentation. The only stakes are academic, which frees students to be creative, bold, and even a little idealistic. For some, it 91è���� ’s a steppingstone to launching a real business. One student used the class to develop a business plan for a horse boarding facility 91è���� —an idea she is actively pursuing outside of class. 

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Team Mission ImPawsible
Left to right: Elena Worthington 91è���� ’27, Adrianna Stricek 91è���� ’26, Genieva Pawlowski 91è���� ’27, Tristan Worlock 91è���� ’25, Benjamin Tunnel 91è���� ’25, Alexis Shreiner 91è���� ’26

For others, it 91è���� ’s a transformative experience that reshapes how they think about work, leadership, and innovation. 91è���� “Since this is a safe environment to work through issues, it provides students the opportunity to deal with things a little more subjectively, 91è���� ” added Cain. 

In the end, the entrepreneurship class isn 91è���� ’t just about writing a business plan. It 91è���� ’s about learning how to see opportunities, solve problems, and build something from nothing.