2018 Best & Brightest: Danny Sheridan, University of Michigan (Ross)

Danny Sheridan

University of Michigan (Ross)

Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio

High School: Beachwood High School

Major: Bachelors of Business Administration

Minor: N/A

Favorite Business Course: Management and Organizations: Behavioral Theory of Management

Extracurricular Activities, Community Work and Leadership Roles During College:

  • Founder & President, Woodside Distributors
  • Founder & President, Wolverine Crypto Trading
  • 1st Place Winner, The Startup Competition @ UMich
  • Sam Zell Entrepreneurial Scholar @ UMich
  • Member, Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity
  • Member, Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity

Where have you interned during your college career?

  • Woodside Distributors, President, Ann Arbor
  • Amazon, Product Manager Intern, Seattle

Where will you be working after graduation? Amazon, Product Manager, Seattle

What did you enjoy most about your business school? It was the emphasis on extracurricular activities and time to build and create outside of the classroom. Learning how to work in teams from group projects to businesses will make me a more valuable asset as I enter the workforce.

What advice would you give to a student looking to major in a business-related field?

Start a project of your own. You will learn more outside of the classroom than in it.

“If I didn’t major in business, I would be majoring in or studying…data science because turning unstructured data into business insights will be the largest challenge of the coming decade.”

What has surprised you most about majoring in business?The emphasis on out-of-the-classroom learning was a surprise for me as I reflect on my time in the BBA program. The classes are designed for students to be active in clubs, activities, and personal passions. There is room built-in for hobbies and self-interest. I found that I filled that time with building a business achieving $8M of revenue throughout my college career selling on the Amazon Marketplace that enables entrepreneurs to have technology previously available exclusively to publicly traded retailers.

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? Both of my parents received graduate degrees to study business-related topics (dad – business administration and mom – marketing and branding).

Which academic, extracurricular or personal achievement are you most proud of? I am most proud of building Woodside Distributors from a hobby in high school to a small business in college. The business matured from selling goods online via eBay out of my bedroom to a $3M revenue business in 2017 with 11 team members. Growing through talent acquisition of data analysts, account managers and developers sped up the products we offered to customers on Amazon.com exponentially faster than me trying to do it myself. I learned the value of a team that collaborates and has incentive structures that are well developed.

Favorite book: Right now, it is Principles by Ray Dalio. Decision making is an art that requires bigger data. Looking at a decision as an independent is a disservice to statistics. Instead we need to look at thousands of decisions we make and figure out overarching themes that we can point to when making a decision.

Favorite vacation spot: Anywhere I can go scuba diving!

What are your hobbies? Learning about e-commerce (mainly Amazon’s business) and blockchain applications in the coming years!

What made Danny such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2018?

“Danny is a conscientious, motivated and community-oriented student who has been an exemplary colleague since before joining Ross. Danny, as founder and CEO of Woodside Distributors prior to coming to Ross, brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the Ross community. His excitement and engagement with classes and concepts is infectious and positively impacts those around him. Even his casual conversations are filled with energy and eagerness to try new things. Danny approaches challenges and colleagues with the same open mind and a focus on learning. Not one to rest on the status quo, he has consistently sought ways to expand his business knowledge and his own firm while exploring new opportunities. His interest in crypto-currencies and emerging financial technologies has led to the creation of new student organizations based on these interests. I expect that his future success will be newsworthy and very rewarding. I look forward to reading about Danny in the headlines.”

Paul Kirsch
Managing Director of the Office of Undergraduate Programs
Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan

DON’T MISS: THE BEST & BRIGHTEST BUSINESS MAJORS OF 2018 — THE COMPLETE LIST