Eric Janssen
Western University, Ivey Business School
“Eric Janssen has truly changed my life. His ‘Sales Foundation Course’ was the most valuable and impactful class I’ve ever taken. The course taught me how to navigate real-life scenarios, how to effectively sell myself, and ultimately helped me secure a job before even graduating. Eric’s research on strategies and his ability to distill them into actionable theories and equations gave me a clear understanding of the goals I need to set for success. Despite his busy schedule, Eric consistently provides detailed and thoughtful feedback on every assignment. His evaluations are more than just grades – they offer genuine insights into how we are applying these skills in real-world contexts and provide strategies to refine our approach.” – Faryal Irfan
Eric Janssen, 38, is a lecturer in entrepreneurship at Western University, Ivey Business School. He also is Executive Director of the Ivey New Venture Project.
His expertise lies at the intersection of sales, strategy, entrepreneurship, and innovation. He is a highly regarded educator, recognized for his outstanding impact on students, notably receiving Ivey’s highest teaching honor: the David G. Burgoyne Teaching Award in 2021, and 2024. In 2022, Janssen was recognized as an emerging leader in The Peak’s Emerging Leaders list: a community of bold, young leaders who are shaping the course of their industry
Janssen’s teaching, research, writing, and consulting interests are all centered around revenue growth, customer acquisition, and go-to-market strategy. His focus extends to equipping founders and sales teams with effective methodologies for securing initial customers, validating business models, and addressing challenges inherent in constructing and amplifying a robust revenue engine for accelerating growth.
Prior to his full-time academic career, Janssen amassed extensive experience in the private sector as a founder and early-stage employee in several venture-backed, high-growth companies. Currently, he remains active in the industry as a Limited Partner at Stage 2 Capital, and provides mentorship, coaching and strategic guidance to start-up and scale-up companies.
BACKGROUND
At current institution since what year? 2018
Education: HBA and MBA from the Ivey Business School
List of Undergraduate courses you teach:
- Hustle & Grit
- Sales Foundations
- New Venture Creation
- New Venture Project
TELL US ABOUT LIFE AS A BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFESSOR
I knew I wanted to be a business school professor when …
I taught the fundamentals of entrepreneurship during my senior year in Togliatti, Russia.
What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery you’ve made from it?
I’m currently writing an article with a mentor from the Harvard Business School on what we’re calling “sales debt”: choosing short-term revenue growth over long-term customer fit. We’re aiming to make the customer selection process less of an art and more of a science.
Our most significant discovery is that customer selection is actually the most important decision that a founder can make because the downstream impact on product, customer service, sales, marketing, etc. is enormous.
If I weren’t a business school professor, I’d be …
A Chief Revenue Officer or entrepreneur.
What do you think makes you stand out as a professor?
My willingness to experiment and push the boundaries of what a college/university class “should” be. The more I think outside of the box and experiment with new ideas and ways of teaching, the more students appreciate it.
One word that describes my first time teaching: Humbling.
Here’s what I wish someone would’ve told me about being a business school professor:
There is at least a 20:1 ratio between time spent preparing to teach, and time spent in front of the class. You must love the process of preparation, research, content creation, mentorship, and office hours, not just the “on stage” moments.
Professor I most admire and why: Adam Grant. Despite the demands on his time outside of the classroom, he still manages to prioritize being a great teacher in addition to a present father, a prolific author, and an inspiring entrepreneur and thought leader.
TEACHING BUSINESS SCHOOL STUDENTS
What do you enjoy most about teaching business students?
I feel privileged that I get to teach some of the best and brightest in the country. I love that they challenge me to be better, and to re-think what I think I know.
What is most challenging?
Catering the medium and the message to a diverse group of students. We have so many students now taking dual-degrees and that are interested in a wide range of industries and career paths. To cater the content and delivery in order to make a meaningful connection with each of them is often intellectually challenging.
In one word, describe your favorite type of student:
Present.
In one word, describe your least favorite type of student:
Apathetic.
When it comes to grading, I think students would describe me as …
More demanding than they anticipated. While I aim to be approachable and amiable in class, I have incredibly high expectations and my grading reflects that. I think that people rise to the expectations that other people have of them and I have very high expectations of my students.
LIFE OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
What are your hobbies?
Travel with my family, fitness, live music, bowling (but that one is a secret)
How will you spend your summer?
I spend most of July at our lake house with my wife and kids, and go on an epic camping trip every year.
Favorite place(s) to vacation: Syros, Greece. We lived there for three months as part of our world trip, and it is a magical place.
Favorite book(s): How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen
What is currently your favorite movie and/or show and what is it about the film or program that you enjoy so much?
A Few Good Men. When I was growing up, I wanted to be a lawyer, and I think Tom Cruises courtroom performances in that movie are legendary. I believe teaching is also entertainment and I take a lot of inspiration for my teaching style from the best actors, stage performers and artists that I’ve watched over the years.
What is your favorite type of music or artist(s) and why?
Noah Kahan. For one of my classes, I studied his “sudden” (not so sudden) rise to fame and used his story to emphasize some key lessons in entrepreneurship:
To be the best, you need to do it for decades.
Innovation is iteration.
Get on stage.
We rise to the expectations of others.
THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS
If I had my way, the business school of the future would have much more of this …
Practical and tactical skills that will help new graduates tangibly add value as quickly as possible.
In my opinion, companies and organizations today need to do a better job at …
Onboarding. Most companies offer a week of “training” but humans don’t want to be trained. Dogs are trained. People are guided, taught, and mentored.
I’m grateful for …
A friend asked me what I would be doing in my life if there were no restrictions and I answered: what I’m doing right now. I’m doing the job, and living the life that I want, on my own terms and it’s a wonderful gift that I’m grateful for every single day.
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