In order to apply to present a Case Study, you must first be registered to attend the Hirshberg Entrepreneurship Institute in person. 

Registration


 

Case Studies

The Hirshberg Entrepreneurship Institute is built around cases submitted by attendees. Cases are real problems or challenges that entrepreneurs and growing brands would like our panelists to address. Panelists will ask clarifying questions and then provide feedback, and as time allows, audience members are invited to contribute as well.

Case Study Topics for 2024:

  • Financing Your Business – Brands might ask about seeking equity, debt, or other kinds of investment; structuring financing; crafting the appropriate financing strategy and finding backers. Entrepreneurs might want to ask a basic question about whether the case even makes sense and how to improve your pitch for investors.
  • Positioning Your Brand Story – These cases will cover anything related to products or services, including design, packaging, pricing, marketing, communicating, and otherwise building the case for your brand or business, as well as advertising, social media, and  PR questions.
  • Experiences with E-commerce – Brands participating in this session may ask about how to reach consumers directly or through e-commerce partners and how to optimize their e-commerce strategies.

If you are unsure of where a Case Study fits, just submit it and we will figure that out for you!

 

Case Study Format

Here is how the Case Study sessions work:

The facilitator introduces the Case Study session and reviews the ground rules. The presenting entrepreneur then takes up to 5 minutes to introduce the enterprise and the challenge. The panel then asks clarifying questions. The presenting entrepreneur then switches over to “listening mode” as the respondents give feedback and constructive suggestions followed by concise ideas from the audience. At the conclusion, the presenter is given a chance to make some brief closing comments. Each case gets about 45 minutes total in the spotlight.

Case Study Guidelines

Case Study sessions are most effective when these guidelines are observed:

  • Confidentiality – Everything shared from Case Studies is 100% confidential. We ask all audience members to observe a code of confidentiality.
  • Honesty – We encourage the presenting entrepreneur and respondents to be as honest and direct as possible.
  • Brevity – In order to keep the session as interactive as possible, we encourage presenters and audience members to keep their comments brief.

 

Submit a Case for Consideration

All attendees are welcome to submit one or more cases for any of the topic areas.  A committee comprised of panelists and lead sponsors will select the final cases to be presented based on the following criteria:

  • Impact of the problem – How big a challenge does this problem pose to the enterprise? 
  • The clarity of the problem and presenter – Does the presenter seem to have a good grasp and understanding of the problem and do they communicate clearly?
  • The potential relevance of this challenge for all attendees – Will this case have the potential to be interesting, instructive or relevant to all attendees?
  • Will the audience find the case interesting?

To be considered, we must receive applications by ___. 

 

Name*

Prefix

First

Last

Email*

Company Name*

Website

Company Address

Street Address

Address Line 2

City

State

ZIP Code

Phone Number*

How long have you been in business?*

Business Segment or Category:*

What case topic would you like to submit?*

  •  Financing Your Business
  •  Positioning Your Brand Story
  •  E-commerce
  •  Unsure where my case fits

Please describe the business problem or challenge you’d like to discuss.*

Be as open, honest and specific as you can. The more we hear about your real challenges, the easier it is to understand your challenge and offer helpful advice. Ideally please keep your answer to no more than 1-2 typed pages.

What is the impact of this challenge or opportunity for your business?

Please describe how this problem or challenge impacts your ability to operate and compete, and the importance it can play in your business.

What other resources or sources of guidance have you sought to help with this problem or challenge, if any, and how has that advice been helpful?*