In Brief

Hi there!

My name is Robert Vesco and I'm doctoral student at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business.

I want people to pursue opportunities and happiness and I believe entrepreneurship is one important way people can do that.

My main research interests include understanding (a) why some areas are more entrepreneurial than others, (b) what drives people to pursue entrepreneurship, and (c) how can policies foster effective and sustainable entrepreneurship.

My Story

In the beginning…

My first exposure to entrepreneurship started in high school. After a brief flirtation with a sketchy telemarketing firm selling pizza for high school club donations, I had the fortune to work with one of those crazy, driven entrepreneurs working out of what was essentially a giant garage. But this wasn’t a garage where new computers were being built a la Dell, Hewlett or Packard. Instead it involved dried fruits, nuts and candy. I traveled up and down the East coast selling this stuff at every show imaginable – from bluegrass festivals to rock concerts. It was awesome and I learned about hard work, perseverance, and money.

In college, however, my thoughts about entrepreneurship went away – somewhat. In college I had the opportunity to pursue my interests in agriculture, development and environmental issues. I worked on farms tending to livestock, I tracked endangered animals for the Fish and Wildlife Service, and I worked for a gourmet foods distributor. Life was good. At the end of College, I was fortunate to land a job on a USAID funded project to

assist in the rehabilitation of Honduras after hurricane Mitch. This hurricane killed thousands of people and set the country back decades in terms of architecture. The picture to the right shows were a major highway once existed. It was completely obliterated. This was a transformative experience for me that renewed my interest in business and entrepreneurship.

It’s not that simple

So I went to Honduras to assist farm growing regions in environmental management. You see one of the major reasons hurricane Mitch was so devastating was due to mountain top agriculture. This type of agriculture generally involves cutting down the trees on the tops of mountains to make way for coffee or livestock. The consequences of this practice include (a) less fresh water since trees collect dew from mountains and (b) mudslides and flash flooding since trees break the fall of the rain and slow the runoff. So help with this issue we worked with local community and business leaders as well as mayors, governors, and senators. We visited dozens and dozens of communities training leaders about these issues and giving them the tools to train others. It was an amazing experience. People understood the problem and were eager to change their ways. Except. Except farmers said, “yeah, I understand, and I agree, but you see my kids over there? They’re hungry. What do you want me to do?” Community leaders pleaded for resources and jobs. Business leaders pleaded for access to markets. Political leaders asked requested help with economic development. Everyone understood the environmental and social issues involved, but what the people wanted were opportunities. What I learned from my experience is that environmental and social goals – even when the consequences are concrete and tangible – may not be successful if people can’t provide for their families and communities.

One side of the table

So with this idea in my mind that environmental and social issues could not proceed if people didn’t have access to jobs and opportunities led me to work with New Ventures and project of the World Resources Institute. During my time with New Ventures I had the opportunity to meet and learn from many entrepreneurs. I got to see their joy when funding and market opportunities came their way and I got to see heart ache when things didn’t work out. Also, while entrepreneurship is difficult no matter what country you are in starting a business in developing countries can be even more challenging. Not only is it difficult to secure capital and access to markets – but people in your own country may think you’re crazy. Many people in the US take for granted how open the idea of entrepreneurship is. While this is certainly changing in countries like China and India, in many countries Mom and Dad still want you to get a cushy government job or join a multinational corporation. Anyway, after several wonderful years at New Ventures and WRI, I decided it was time to jump in the game. I wanted to experience what it was like actually working for a startup rather than helping them from the outside.

You can’t imagine

Startups are hard. Entrepreneurs are like firefighters in this regard. When there is a fire, most humans run away from it, but firefighters run toward it. Entrepreneurs run toward the fire. Starting a business is not easy. Especially when it is a real business. And by real business I mean, there are products and services and not just expensive bloviating or fancy financial models like in consulting or finance (sorry if I offended you, but let’s be honest). Wondering if payroll will be met, dealing with defective products, lost cargo, firing old people, firing pregnant women, firing friends, dealing with lawsuits, and the list goes on. There are always fire to be put out in a new business. You must be willing to run toward them all and deal with them all. Sounds scary, no? It is, but it’s also gift. Growing a business means pushing the boundaries of who you are, exploring new worlds, and hopefully, providing jobs and opportunities for others while making some money too. I’ve had the great fortune to work for gourmet food distributors and producers, an animation company, and a variety of other small business and non-profits.

Unexpected events and a life of inquiry

When I was ~27-28 years old, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. This type of diabetes cannot be managed by exercise and diet and requires life-long injections of insulin. No one in my family has it so I guess I  won the lottery. At the time, this was devastating for me. I didn’t know what to do. However, I knew the startup life was an inhospitable one for my long-term survival and so I began to reassess my options. Academia seemed like a great place for me. I could pursue theoretical and empirical questions about entrepreneurship that haunted me during my time with New Ventures and I could share my love for entrepreneurship with my students. So here I am. In academia and I love it.