UM-Dearborn Summer Program Draws Young Entrepreneurs

At first, Beatriz Duran had no idea what to do. The Lincoln Park High School senior was at the Gibraltar Trade Center July 9 doing market research on a recipe-aggregating mobile phone app. And what people had to say, regarding both her product and her survey, took her off guard–at first.

“I wasn’t used to rejection,” Duran said. “I was like, ‘I hate this!’ But you have to get used to it–it’s a part of business.

Duran was one of 12 metro area students who took part in the 's Entrepreneurship Academy this month. The two-week program–sponsored by UM-Dearborn’s College of Business and run by its Students in Free Enterprise group–put local high school students into small teams to craft new, real-world products and accompanying business plans.

The fourth-year program culminated Saturday morning with a contest judged by local businesspeople. The top three groups out of five were awarded additional scholarships on top of the $250 they received for completing the free program.

This year’s winner–a vitamin-enriched popsicle for kids–was selected from a field that also included Duran’s mobile phone app and in-car software to help drivers locate emergency vehicles. Despite the ideas’ complexity, however, students crafted the potential products and business plans from the ground up, said Mike Callahan, director of UM-Dearborn’s Career Planning & Development.

“We don’t really constrain (the students),” Callahan said. “It’s a couple weeks after school lets out, so it’s the (students) who want to be here. They’re not sitting here, falling asleep. They’ve got business ideas, they’re cooking, they’re excited about it.”

Students attended morning lectures by College of Business professors and visiting businesspeople before separating into groups to work with SIFE mentors. While the college-age advisers provided guidance and business know-how, they made sure not to step on the students’ toes, said Tyler Whitsett, SIFE’s director of media relations and a UM-Dearborn junior.

“If we’re just telling you how to do everything, you’re never going to really work and learn,” he said. “Go try something, and if it doesn’t work, try something different.”

Callahan, who directs the program, said allowing students the freedom to develop their own concepts gives interesting insight on hot trends in the business world. Since 2008, students’ focuses have shifted from green technology to smart phone apps to personal hygiene and health products, he said.

And although these budding entrepreneurs are still on the right side of 18, that’s not to say things don’t get serious during the program, Callahan said.

“They don’t compare notes in the class,” Callahan said. “They get secretive. It’s competitive.” 

In addition to the lectures and business plans, students conducted market research at the Gibraltar Trade Center, networked with local businesspeople and blogged about the entire experience.

For Chris Phillips, Duran’s teammate and a Southfield High School senior, the program presented an opportunity to become more versatile and marketable, not only for college recruiters, but also in the real world.

“I like having this background in business now, and it looks good on my resume,” said Phillips, who wants to study medicine. “If I did actually want to start a business one day, I would have the knowledge to do so.”