On January 14, the Deerfield Men of Color Alliance (DMOC) and the Entrepreneurship Club organized a three-hour-long introduction to entrepreneurship lecture with Professor Max Miller.
Professor Miller who is an associate Professor of Business and Entrepreneurship at Washington & Jefferson College and Director of Entrepreneurship Studies, is also best friends with Science Teacher Jim Perry from Law School at the University of Rochester and have stayed in touch for the past thirty years.
Mr. Perry, who is the faculty advisor of DMOC, then asked Professor Miller to come up to Deerfield to host a lecture, as he felt that “black entrepreneurs are underrepresented, and entrepreneurship is especially important to talk about in today’s economy.”
During his lecture, Professor Miller emphasized the importance of education in entrepreneurship from a young age to better prepare students for entering a competitive field, especially in a dynamic economy. He said that while these educational opportunities are limited, events like his lecture “are great for high schoolers to gain exposure to crucial knowledge in the field of entrepreneurship.”
Professor Miller said that “immersion” — direct experience in entrepreneurial projects — is the most valuable asset an aspiring student entrepreneur can have to achieve success. Since new entrepreneurs don’t fully understand how receptive a market will be for their product, and aren’t aware of pitfalls to avoid, they can improve their knowledge by observing sector leaders to learn how to model their own business and break into the market. Professor Miller also stated that although “immersion is, at many times, difficult and stressful,” it is ultimately “the best thing an entrepreneur can experience.”
In addition, Professor Miller noted that entrepreneurship requires students to develop a diligent work ethic as well as persistence in the face of uncertainty. Entrepreneurs deal with “all kinds of challenges, at every moment,” he said, adding that staying dedicated in the face of adversity is “the appeal of entrepreneurship and makes being an entrepreneur worth it.”
Kabir Sheth ’25, Co-founder of the Entrepreneurship Club, expressed his gratitude for Professor Miller’s session, saying that he taught Deerfield students “not only how to create a successful startup, but also on how to become leaders in school or a future job.”
Professor Miller hopes that Deerfield students can experience more opportunities like this event to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.