Decision time for a young entrepreneur: Urbanology USA – in, out, or … ?

ABSTRACT

This teaching case looks at the path of Ryan Baird, a young entrepreneur who created Urbanology – an entertainment event business – while he was a university student. He used a venue that became a social scene – blending fashion, music, dance, food and shopping – that became embedded in the youthful urban hip-hop subculture of California’s Silicon Valley and Bay Area. The enterprise – operated as part of Fresh Entertainment LLC – helped to fund his university education. As graduation day nears, Ryan is facing some difficult decisions. Should he continue to focus on Urbanology or exit and move on? Will he be able to part with Urbanology – a company that reflects his creative efforts? Can he find a buyer who will continue to invest time and money in Urbanology? Is it time to move into the professional career for which he has prepared?

KEYWORDS:

• Start-up
• special entertainment events industry
• entrepreneurial motivation
• innovation
• business exit strategy

Acknowledgements

The authors prepared this case strictly for the purpose of teaching illustration. It should not be interpreted as the effective or ineffective handling of a business situation.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by a California State University System grant as well as the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.