Month: June 2020

ENT Buzz | Kendall Artz

kathy_carrBaylor ENT Professor

Kendall Artz, Director Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship & Free Enterprise

 

WHO IS KENDALL ARTZ?

I grew up on a remote cattle ranch in Eastern Montana in the small town of Jordan (pop. 400). It took me a long time to decide what I really wanted to do; which led me first to getting an undergraduate degree in Finance from Montana State University, then an MBA from Arizona State, and finally, a PhD from Purdue. I married my hometown sweetheart, Colene, and we have been blessed to be together for nearly 30 years. We have one daughter, Alona, who lives in Seattle.


WHAT DO YOU DO AT BAYLOR?

I started working at Baylor in 1995 and have held a number of different positions. For as long as I can remember I have been passionate about entrepreneurship. At Baylor I had the opportunity to help build a world-class entrepreneurship program when I became the Chair of the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship (before Entrepreneurship was its own separate department) from 2000 to 2013, and then as Chair of the Entrepreneurship Department from 2013 to 2016. Since 2016, I’ve served as the Director of the Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship and Free Enterprise and as the Associate Chair of the department. It’s been so rewarding to work with everyone in the Entrepreneurship department to create new and impactful educational opportunities for our students.


WHAT’S SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT WORKING IN THE ENT DEPARTMENT?

All it takes is a single email or text from a student who graduated a decade ago, telling me what an impact Baylor made in their life, and I am reenergized and reminded of  how blessed we all are to have this opportunity.


WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BAYLOR TRADITION?

Diadeloso, hands down. It’s an April “holiday” so the weather is usually perfect, not too hot and not too cold. It’s close enough to the end of the semester, but far enough from finals that students, faculty and staff are all relaxed. Plus, since it’s scheduled in the middle of the week, it kind of feels like you’re playing hooky for the day!


WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A NEW ENT MAJOR?

Launch a business as soon as possible! Set aside excuses and fears and just do it. The initial business may not be successful from a financial point of view, but the lessons learned will be invaluable. The Entrepreneurship department provides fantastic tools like classes and mentoring, but nothing beats actual hands-on experience.

 

For more information on Baylor Entrepreneurship, please visit our website at baylor.edu/business/entrepreneurship/.

 

ENT Buzz | Marlene Reed

kathy_carrB.E.S.T.

Marlene Reed, Senior Lecturer, Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation

 

WHO IS MARLENE REED?

I am a proud Baylor graduate. Never in a million years did I ever imagine that I would end up getting my PhD and teaching at my alma mater. I’ve had the privilege of teaching students and faculty in England, Scotland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Armenia, Russia, China, Australia, New Zealand, Zambia and Rwanda. God has blessed me richly!


WHAT DO YOU DO AT BAYLOR?

At Baylor I’ve taught the Business Excellence Scholarship Team (BEST) and Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship. I love teaching these courses. I previously owned a Christian book store and I feel my first-hand experience as a business owner helps me understand problems that managers may run into while operating a business.


WHAT’S SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT WORKING IN THE ENT DEPARTMENT?

A funny and kind of weird thing that happened while working in the Entrepreneurship department is the time Mary Abrahams (former Associate Director of the Baugh Center) and I went to Europe to plan the first Entrepreneurship European Experience. Late one night while in Milan, we couldn’t find our way back to our hotel. To make things worse, a drunk young man kept following us telling us he would help us find our way. We finally lost him and wandered around for an hour until we found our hotel.


WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BAYLOR TRADITION?

I can’t pick just one favorite. I have two — Homecoming and Sing. I think I love Homecoming so much because I get to reconnect with friends from the past. Something that a lot of folks don’t know is I was actually a Baylor Homecoming Queen nominee. Unfortunately, the Asian flu was going around that year, and I got it. After appearing on the football field at halftime, my parents whisked me away to Houston because we had all been asked to leave school if we could. I also love Sing, and I just happen to be on the Sing Faculty Committee.


WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A NEW ENT MAJOR?

My advice to a new Entrepreneurship major is to enjoy every minute of your time at Baylor and get involved in everything that appeals to you. The time spent at Baylor is so short, and students need to get the very most out of. I certainly did.

For more information on Baylor Entrepreneurship, please visit our website at baylor.edu/business/entrepreneurship/.

 

ENT Buzz | Kathy Carr

kathy_carrBaylor Grad

Kathy Carr, Program Manager Baugh Center Entrepreneurship & Free Enterprise

 

WHO IS KATHY CARR?

I am a Baylor grad with a BBA in Marketing. My daughter, Emily, is a Nutrition Sciences major and she just wrapped up her freshman year here at Baylor. I love living in Waco. For me, the perfect Saturday morning in Waco is a long walk in Cameron Park and a stop by the Waco Downtown Farmers Market, followed up by coffee at one of the local coffee shops. I may or may not drink a little too much coffee, but thankfully Waco is full of locally owned coffee shops!


WHAT DO YOU DO AT BAYLOR?

I’ve been working in the Entrepreneurship department for almost five years. For most of my career, I worked in marketing and communications within franchising organizations. As a Program Manager in the Entrepreneurship department, I’ve been able to blend my past experiences within an academia setting. One of my favorite things is managing the Confessions of an Entrepreneur speaker series. I love getting to know local business owners and giving them a platform to talk about their entrepreneurial journey… a platform to confess. I feel that these business owners have so much insight to offer and that Baylor students can learn so much from them.


WHAT’S SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT WORKING IN THE ENT DEPARTMENT?

I was used to working with executives and business owners so the transition to working with professors has definitely been an adjustment. Who knew that stuffy business school professors could actually be quirky and cool! One Entrepreneurship professor rides his Razor Scooter to the office each day and another actually had his five-minutes-of-fame while unwittingly walking in the background of a TikTok video that was filmed in the business school. Good times!


WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BAYLOR TRADITION?

The Baylor Line is such an incredible experience that is unique to Baylor. It was so much fun watching my daughter run the line this past football season. I was never able to actually find her on the field in the sea of gold jerseys, but fortunately I did get a “Mom, I didn’t fall!” text each game.


WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A NEW ENT MAJOR?

Get to know the Entrepreneurship department faculty and staff! They may be quirky and cool, but they also have a ton of experience and know-how. 

For more information on Baylor Entrepreneurship, please visit our website at baylor.edu/business/entrepreneurship/.

 

ENT Buzz | Boris Nikolaev

kathy_carrBaylor ENT Professor

 

Boris Nikolaev, Assistant Professor, Entrepreneurship and Corporate Innovation

 

WHO IS BORIS NIKOLAEV?

I’m originally from Bulgaria, but I came to the United States right after high school with plans to get a college degree, become a marine biologist and eventually study whales in Kauai. But that’s not exactly how things worked out. I ended up changing my major at least five times, and finally graduated with degrees in Economics, Mathematics and Philosophy. What was I thinking trading the sandy shores of Kauai for an office? I went to Florida for a few years where I earned my PhD degree and helped out with a family business. Then I was off to Emory University to work as an economist for a bit before coming to the Entrepreneurship department at Baylor. I now live in Waco with my wife, Tabitha, and our two kids, Theo and Kennedy.


WHAT DO YOU DO AT BAYLOR?

I teach and research entrepreneurship. The research part can be a little lonely at times while spending hour after hour in front of the computer. But Baylor students more than make up for it. They are so creative and inspiring. I love what I do. I have a job that allows me to be curious, discover new knowledge, research obscure topics and continue to learn. I think this is where I would do a Sic’Em Bears, right?


WHAT’S SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT WORKING IN THE ENT DEPARTMENT?

I don’t necessarily have one specific favorite memory that stands out because working in the Entrepreneurship department is full of fun and unexpected moments. It’s kind of like watching The Office, but in real time. My coworkers are definitely an interesting cast of diverse characters. I never know what’s going to come up in a conversation.


WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BAYLOR TRADITION?

Truth be told, I’m still learning the Baylor traditions. If I had to pick just one, off the top of my head it would definitely have to be the Baylor Line. It’s so unique. I am excited to keep discovering new traditions!


WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A NEW ENT MAJOR?

Of course I would recommend taking my Entrepreneurship classes! Then I would say to take action and not overthink. So many students feel they have to have the perfect plan from beginning to end in order to start a business. That’s not really how entrepreneurship works. It’s not a straight arrow process. It’s more of a zig-zag, but the most difficult part is actually just getting started.

For more information on Baylor Entrepreneurship, please visit our website at baylor.edu/business/entrepreneurship/.

 

Michael Wyatt, Wyatt Brothers Moving Company

kathy_carrCommunity Entrepreneurship Program

“Do things better.“

-Michael Wyatt

Michael Wyatt grew up in the small town of Groesbeck, Texas. Like a lot of pre-teens, he took to mowing neighborhood lawns as a relatively easy way to earn a little extra cash. Michael soon developed friendships with his customers, especially the veteran who lived across the street. The two would sit for hours and talk. After graduating highschool, Michael went through the fire academy and became a firefighter in a neighboring town while also working as an EMT in Groesbeck at the Limestone Medical Center.

Michael’s brother, Danny, spent time in the Marines and later worked for a moving company in the Dallas area. Danny spent six months observing the business and running numbers. Michael and Danny would often talk about what it would take for the two brothers to start their own business. Should they…could they…what if… The back and forth went on for a while, then one night in November 2014 over a Texas-style BBQ dinner, Michael’s wife prodded, “You need to either do it, or don’t.”

Michael and Danny did it. Five weeks later Wyatt Brothers Moving Company was a reality, servicing a 500 mile radius from Waco.

The first goal for the new company was simple: find a move. It didn’t take long to find that first move. A customer asked the brothers to move a 1,100 pound safe to a third floor apartment. Let that sink in for just a minute: 1,100 pound safe to a third floor apartment. It took forty minutes, with additional help from the customer, to move the safe. That first move earned Wyatt Brothers $100. Michael describes the move with one word, “Terrible. It was just terrible.”

But hey, you have to start somewhere. With that safe move, the brothers officially met their first business goal. Word of mouth started to speed things up for the brothers. Michael talked with someone at a local apartment complex, which led to a working relationship that helped put Wyatt Brothers at the top of the list for four-sister company complexes.

On one particular job, they were moving a tenant from one building to another within the same complex. A trailer couldn’t be used, so Michael and Danny walked and carried everything from building to building. During the move, Michael noticed a guy standing in a stairway watching their every step. Every…single…step for one and a half hours.

The man finally approached Michael and asked if they were professional movers. He explained that he was with a production company and needed to move some appliances that afternoon to a house in Hubbard. Wyatt Brothers was able to move the appliances, leaving another satisfied customer.

When Michael told his wife the story about the stairway guy, her immediate response was, “I wonder if he was with Fixer Upper?”

A quick YouTube search confirmed that the hard-working brothers did indeed actually move appliances for Fixer Upper. Shortly after, the stairway guy called and asked the brothers to move some furniture. He admitted that it was pretty cool to watch the brothers in action and asked to film them.

On January 15 during the last episode of season one, Wyatt Brothers Moving Company was filmed as the mover for Fixer Upper. This small-town business that was established over a family BBQ dinner was featured in almost every Fixer Upper episode from then on. 

By the time Fixer Upper ended in April 2018, Wyatt Brothers had become a trusted, local name. There was a noticeable trend in repeat customer business. For Michael and Danny it was about establishing a family name legacy and providing stellar customer service with trust and transparency. 

In January of 2020, Michael enrolled in the Community Entrepreneurship Program (CEP), a faith-based community entrepreneurship training program developed by Baylor University. Local churches would host the meetings, while successful executives and entrepreneurs facilitated them. With CEP, Michael was able to network with other local, small-business owners as well as collect some significant take-aways in accounting, financing and marketing strategy.

The ultimate goal was to grow Wyatt Brothers, but to also keep the business small. During 2020 the brothers planned to bring on an additional three full-time movers and two part-time movers. But in March 2020 everything took a wonky turn with Covid-19 stay-home orders. 

While business did slow down a bit during that time, people were still moving. However, a lot of folks were working from home and had extra time to pack and move belongings without assistance. Normally in the spring, Wyatt Brothers would book out four weeks in advance. For 2020, it was closer to two weeks. 

As a medic, Michael knows the importance of PPE (personal protective equipment). With that in mind, masks became part of the Wyatt Brothers standard uniform. Some customers were initially uncomfortable with allowing a masked stranger into their home. To squash some of those fears, Michael now “meets” new customers via Zoom meetings and Facetime prior to on-site moves. 

Goals for the business didn’t change, but they were adjusted. With a go with the flow outlook, timelines were shifted to account for some of the unforeseen circumstances. A partnership was also added to the business plan. To enhance the overall customer experience, Wyatt Brothers partnered with Neat as a Pin to provide customers with additional packing, cleaning, unpacking and organizing services.

Michael prides himself on operating a personable company. From mowing to moving, he strives to do things better… no matter what’s thrown at him.

For more information about the John F. Baugh Center for Entrepreneurship & Free Enterprise, please visit our website at baylor.edu/business/entrepreneur/.