Taking care of business: Entrepreneurs bring new ways of thinking to Wareham

Wareham is no stranger to family businesses. Local families have set up shop all across town and one resident plans to use what he learned from another to help make the grass a little greener in Wareham and beyond.

Brigitte Muehlmann is a graduate professor at Babson College who lives in Wareham. She recently spoke at the college’s commencement and was recognized by Babson students and awarded the Kennedy Award for Excellence in Teaching and she has developed a unique program to help future entrepreneurs succeed in their endeavors. 

“Business is meant to be a career in service to humanity,” Muehlmann said.

She has centered her graduate course, financial and sustainability reporting, around the idea that business is meant to solve a problem and work for its customers.

“When we notice a pain-point that we want to eliminate, we can develop something that has purpose,” she said

One of the keys to this, she said, is for entrepreneurs to be life-long learners.

“We’re all born with a growth mindset but some people allow themselves to give it up,” she said. 

Several Babson students have taken the idea to do good and never stop learning around the world to create their own businesses. Muehlmann said she has a former student with a successful matcha tea business in Mexico and another who plans to incorporate her teachings in Wareham.

Adam Davenport lives in Wareham and recently graduated from Babson College with a Masters of Business Administration and earned a Bachelor's degree from Lasell University in corporate finance.

“I really wanted to go to a school that had this entrepreneurial mindset and that was Babson,” Davenport said.

Davenport said he is looking for different jobs in business administration and has even taught senior citizens about artificial intelligence. Currently he helps run a family landscaping business near Indian Neck with his father and said he wants to use what he learned to grow the business.

“I would like to scale the business and reach into other neighborhoods that are close by,” he said.

One of the main points he is taking from the classroom to the real world is to be a life-long learner.

“That’s how I’m going to live my life, I’m going to be open and committed to constantly learning for life,” he said.

The other key point from school Davenport said he is carrying with him is the importance of building and maintaining relationships.

“Somebody that lives in the neighborhood five or six months out of the year would love it if we took care of they’re property while they’re away,” he said. “By doing that we’re able to build a really strong relationship because they’ll come back and see their home is ready to live in.”

He added maintaining relationships within the family is important too.

“When I talk to my father and brother instead of telling you, ask questions and you make sure you approach topics with a sense of humility,” he said.