Cameron Allen started his first business as a freshman in high school.
After being gifted a book subscription box that contained a novel signed by the author, a tote bag, a mug and a bookmark, Allen decided to develop a similar business of his own.
“Over that winter break, I sat down and made some business plan spreadsheets,” said Allen, now a senior at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business.
A family friend offered to invest $10,000, and Allen set out to create Beacon Book Box, a successful endeavor that had him working with major publishing houses and New York Times best-selling authors such as Leigh Bardugo.
By the time Allen was a freshman at U-M, Beacon was thriving, and Allen was hosting a webinar with an author and 2,000 science-fiction fans in the middle of a school day.
“I was moderating this Beacon-sponsored webinar from a West Quad study room, and I was so afraid someone was going to walk in,” he said, laughing.
To focus on his studies and maximize his U-M experience, Allen ultimately put Beacon on pause. While he had always been a strong student, Allen knew his rural high school near Bath, Michigan, had not fully prepared him for the rigor of Ross.
Prior to arriving in Ann Arbor, Allen participated in the Ross Summer Connection, a six-week program that allows students from underrepresented backgrounds to take sample classes. During the school year, the program provides other supportive services too, such as personalized class coaching.
Allen also joined Living Business, a first-year residential community for Ross students, where he met some of his closest friends, and he took advantage of the wide range of opportunities outside the classroom.
Over his four years at U-M, Allen has been a Ross BBA ambassador and tour guide, joined a consulting club, and studied abroad twice — in Edinburgh, Scotland, and Milan, Italy.
He’s had a variety of internships as well, including one with a pickleball paddle manufacturer that sparked his own enthusiasm for the sport.
As a senior, Allen was selected as a Zell Entrepreneur to develop Novl’d, an app he and a friend conceived to provide social connections for media lovers.
Allen and his friend/business partner received $10,000 to fund the startup, and the Zell program has given them access to mentors, networking events — and the chance to travel with the Zell cohort. They went to Detroit last fall and will visit Dubai after graduation.
“The Zell opportunity has challenged me to think outside of the box, and the process has been very different from Beacon, when I was just bouncing ideas off my parents. There has been a lot more opportunity for discourse with Novl’d,” Allen said.
Post-graduation, Allen has a job lined up at EY-Parthenon in Boston, where he interned last summer, but he and his Novl’d partner hope to continue developing the app as well.
As his days in Ann Arbor wind down, Allen said he feels gratitude for all he gained at U-M.
“I’m just so grateful for all my experiences across different academic disciplines, the classes, club opportunities and recruiting experiences,” he said. “Everything that’s been instilled in me at Ross, and the broader University of Michigan, has prepared me so well for what’s next.”
