Not everyone wants to go to work for someone else. Instead, they want to be the boss. Entrepreneurship is the cornerstone of our economy, with new businesses entering the marketplace and taking a chance on the future. Dr. Jimmy Dongwook Kim, Assistant Professor Management, is leading his students into this great unknown with an academic adventure this semester that finds them having to pitch their ideas just like entrepreneurs do on TV’s Shark Tank. It’s all happening in his MGT 3332 Entrepreneurship class.
“The goal of this class project is to enhance students’ understanding of the entrepreneurial process—particularly the initial stages of idea generation, development, and presentation,” Kim explained. “This semester, we are partnering with the West Texas A&M Enterprise Center, giving top-performing students the opportunity to present their ideas to a larger audience beyond the classroom.”
This type of project is common in entrepreneurship and new venture courses. But, as Kim continued, it is the collaboration with the Enterprise Center that makes his course unique. “The idea to connect the class with the Enterprise Center’s Global Entrepreneurship Week event originated from Dr. Andrew Li, and I was happy to help facilitate that connection.”
Kim recalled that he had participated in a similar initiative while he was at North Dakota State University, where he was a post-doctoral researcher. “There, I collaborated with the Center for Family Business and Entrepreneurship to have students present their semester projects at a local entrepreneurial event hosted by the center.”
A primary benefit of his class is that it provides students with the opportunity to engage with the local entrepreneurial community. “By presenting their ideas to a public audience, students can share their creativity, gain confidence, and receive valuable feedback,” he added. It goes beyond this, though, because students engage with one another, witnessing their peers developing innovative ideas. This serves to strengthen their interest in entrepreneurship.
There are six student groups working on projects this semester, ranging from an all-natural and organic toothpaste, to a resale store for college students and a vending machine on wheels. “These projects reflect the creativity and diverse thinking our students bring to the table,” Kim boasted.
The project fosters creativity and critical thinking about how their ideas can be applied in the real world. “I believe many students have great ideas—they just need the right opportunity and encouragement to bring them to life,” he rationalized. “This experience can serve as a powerful first step toward turning their dreams into reality. Entrepreneurship, after all, is about creating something new that didn’t exist before—and through this process, students are learning how to build new possibilities and shape the future.”
Additionally, the new and improved version of MGT 3332 is part of an effort to bolster the Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management specialization.
Dr. Jimmy Dongwook Kim is an Assistant Professor in the management department of West Texas A&M University. Originally from South Korea, he moved to the United States to pursue his Ph.D. in Business Administration. His research focuses on strategic management and entrepreneurship, with specific interests in corporate entrepreneurship, creativity, commercialization, and human capital resources.