Nineteen founders graduated from the Master of Business Creation (MBC) Online at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business following the summer 2024 semester. It is the second group to go through the online program.
Salt Lake City, Utah, Aug. 22, 2024
Nineteen founders graduated from the Master of Business Creation (MBC) Online at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business following the summer 2024 semester. It is the second group to graduate from the flexile, online option in this unique, affordable and award-winning program designed specifically for entrepreneurs, and follows the May graduation of over 40 students from the MBC program.
The group includes founders of 18 companies. One of the companies had two cofounders who enrolled in the program together.
The MBC program is an academic offering provided by the Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy in partnership with the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute. Both are part of the Eccles School, which is ranked among the top 10 schools nationally for entrepreneurship by U.S. News & World Report and the Princeton Review.
“The online option of the MBC program is growing fast, because it provides the flexibility that founders need to grow their companies at any location and at times that work best for them,” said Paul Brown, director of the MBC program and a faculty member in the Department of Entrepreneurship & Strategy. “We invite founders everywhere to explore the MBC program and see how it can help them build their business.”
Founders in the MBC program receive mentorship and resources to grow and scale their companies. All benefit from Eccles School courses, applied curriculum workshops, practicum labs, networking opportunities, one-on-one mentoring, access to grants, and the intense learn-by-doing that occurs when lessons are applied to their own businesses.
The MBC program is one of the latest additions to the Eccles School, which celebrates entrepreneurship as a core value and fosters it throughout its undergraduate and graduate programs. The program was recently recognized by the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers for “Excellence in Entrepreneurship Teaching and Pedagogical Innovation,” and the program won first place recently in the professional-services category in the Utah Innovation Awards managed by Utah Business and Foley & Lardner.
The MBC program was created to blend the best attributes of a business curriculum with a startup accelerator. The founders develop their startups while taking classes from leading experts and receiving extensive resources and mentorship to help them address their immediate business needs.
“The Master of Business Creation is unlike any other degree,” Brown said. “We designed the program for working entrepreneurs. It is customized to the special needs of a founder who wants to grow their business with help from personalize support, networking opportunities, a great group experience, and access to funding and other resources.”
Sabrina Sherwood, shown below, is one of the founders to graduate from MBC Online. A clinical pharmacist from Boise, Idaho, Sherwood is co-founder of Idaho Barkery that she started in a 50 square foot kitchen trying to come up a natural treat to feed her dog, Rocky, that suffered from allergies and could not tolerate store bought dog treats.
“I enrolled in the MBC program to learn the business side of owning a company,” she said. “As a pharmacist, my experience with business education was limited.”
The MBC program was making a big impact on Sherwood’s business soon after enrolling. “I have already tripled my revenue and number of partnerships since joining the program,” she said while enrolled in the program. “The faculty and mentors are really invested in my success.”
Other graduating founders, husband and wife Matt and Stephanie Eau Claire enrolled from Pleasant Grove, Utah (below right and center). They are cofounders of Clear Water Distilling, a company that creates unique, innovative liquors.
Matt said “the single most valuable thing” he has gained from the program was the simplification of their financial model. Previously, the Eau Claires struggled with a large, complicated financial matrix. After completing the MBC program, they were able to streamline their financial model, aligning it with the language understood by investors, banks and business professionals.
“Having all that coursework apply to your already established business, you can’t beat that model. Other programs are theoretical – most of the coursework is centered around things that are not concrete. In the MBC, you can derive benefits from it almost immediately,” said Matt.
Learn more about the Master of Business Creation and apply here.
MBC Online Graduates for Summer 2024: