Enspire founder and CEO Bjorn Billhardt recently spoke on a panel of Austin entrepreneurs to University of Texas students about their experiences starting businesses at the “Becoming an Entrepreneur” career panel, hosted by the career counselors in the School of Undergraduate Studies. While the panelists come from a variety of educational backgrounds and have businesses in different industries, they all emphasized the importance of passion, hard work, mentors, and strong teammates when starting a business. The panelists detailed how they conceived of and executed their entrepreneurial ventures, discussed the challenges and rewards that come with starting and running a company, and talked about how their educational background helped them get where they are today.
One piece of advice Bjorn offered the students was that it’s not the idea that counts, it’s the execution. A million other people could have the same idea, so you have to be passionate about the idea you are pursuing to have a shot at making it a reality.
The panel featured:
Starr Million Baker: Co-founder and President of INK Public Relations. Graduated from UT Austin with a degree in Journalism with a Public Relations concentration and has an Accreditation in Public Relations (APR).
Dave Lemley: Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Tabbed Out. Majored in Electrical Engineering.
Leon Chen: Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Tiff’s Treats. Majored in business (specifically, marketing) at UT Austin.
Bjorn Billhardt: Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Enspire Learning. Graduated from UT Austin as a Plan II and Business double major. Received his MBA from Harvard Business School.
