The Business & Entrepreneurship (B&E) Clinic stands out as a program that offers free business advice and services to Wisconsin-based small businesses and entrepreneurs. Established in August of 2013, the clinic, funded by the Wisconsin School of Business and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), has thrived under the leadership of Director Michael Williams, a seasoned financial and operations executive with over 23 years of experience.
Michael, along with a dynamic team of MBA students and senior-level undergraduates, includes consultant Barry Shepherd (Fellows ’24), who undertakes the various projects that these businesses require. Barry, who initially pursued an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at North Carolina State University before transferring to UW-Madison, has become an important part of the B&E Clinic. Graduating with his BS degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2017, Barry transitioned into the Wisconsin School of Business MBA program in September 2022, expanding his focus from engineering to marketing and the business world.
Reflecting this shift, Barry expresses, “In engineering, I was always so deep inside the product itself and I always wanted to start my own business. I realized that I needed more business-customer centric training to be able to do that.” Coming from a family of entrepreneurs, Barry knew that he eventually wanted to do the same. The B&E Clinic posed as a great opportunity for Barry to apply the business skills taught in his MBA classes to the issues that startups and small businesses face in the real world through the mentorship of Michael Williams.
Read more here: https://business.wisc.edu/centers/weinert/blog/business-entrepreneurship-clinic/