Course

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of course:

“The David Grutman Experience”

What prompted the idea for the course?

• When David clarified that he wanted to teach an entire course on entrepreneurship – drawing from his own experiences – I thought it would be a great opportunity.
• Naively, I started sharing tips on how to run the class, based on Florida International University’s academic framework.
• Similarly, Bad Bunny told students he cannot work on a project without feeling the passion and identifying with it.
• His last class in spring of 2024 had 400-plus students – so many that we had to use a ballroom as his classroom.

What does the course explore?

David focuses on the cornerstones of success in hospitality: authenticity, relationships, taking it personally, the pros and cons of first-generation versus second-generation establishments, picking a niche, work-life balance and much more. He also goes in depth and shares his business successes as well as failures.

What’s a critical lesson from the course?

• The strongest and most lasting lesson is probably about tenacity and not giving up.
• For instance, David shared stories of his successes as much as he shared stories of his failures.
• In each of those cases, David shared what he learned from the failures and how he avoided the same mistakes going forward.

What will the course prepare students to do?

• This lesson underlined the importance of collaboration and constructive feedback in entrepreneurship.
• He emphasized aligning with personal values to establish credibility and attract partnerships, which fosters community engagement and ecosystem growth.

Michael Cheng does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.