If you’ve ever dropped into ENTR 407—better known as EHour—anytime in the past 15 years, chances are you’ve seen them. Maybe you’ve even sat right next to them. Two twin brothers. Always taking notes. Always in the same seats. Always—without fail—showing up.
Richard and Ronald Smith are more than just regulars at EHour. They’re a fixture. A tradition. Week after week, semester after semester, they’ve shown up to listen, learn, and engage.
The real question is: why?
For most people, attending EHour once is a great experience. A few times, and you’re engaged. But every single session for 15 years? That’s commitment on another level. And for the Smiths, it’s not just about routine—it’s about something much bigger.
The Unconventional Start to Their Entrepreneurial Journey
Richard and Ronald’s entrepreneurial journey isn’t your typical “built-an-app-in-a-dorm-room” tale. Their path has been a little weirder, a little windier, and fueled by pure curiosity. The story starts when Rich and Ron were just 12 years old, growing up in Detroit, MI.
One day, they saw some local kids delivering newspapers and had a thought that would become a common theme throughout their entire career: “We can do that ourselves, and we can do it better.” Soon, the 12-year olds found themselves working seven days a week delivering papers.
“Paper boys in Detroit were kind of like a franchise. You got a little route where you delivered papers, and you had a couple streets that were your territory. The idea was to get more customers and encourage people to subscribe to the paper,” Rich explains.
Young Rich and Ron were assigned the smallest route in the Northwest District of Detroit. It was a nice start, but they found themselves eager to take up more space on the map. Soon, they started buying out other paper boys and taking over their territories. Before they knew it, the duo owned the two largest routes in the city, eventually saving up enough money for a 1959 Chevrolet convertible.
“We thought we’d died and gone to heaven,” Ron says, smiling fondly at the memory.
This pattern—seeing opportunity and acting on it—continued throughout their childhood and careers. At 16, a friend of theirs got a job selling pest repellant and deodorizer door-to-door. A familiar realization washed over them: “We could do that, we could make that stuff.”
They got their hands on the product, expecting to spend thousands on testing to reverse-engineer it. On a whim, Rich and Ron took a can to a family friend who had recently retired as a pharmacist. Ron recalls, “He smells it, and says, ‘That’s paradichlorobenzene.’” Then he adds, laughing, “Also known as mothballs.”
Naturally, the twins started making their own version of the best-selling pest repellent in their basement. They added new perfumes and colors, improved the packaging, and soon enough, Rich and Ron had their own group of local kids selling them door-to-door.
“We got our father to help us incorporate and hired some high school buddies to sell it. We made a very tiny fortune – enough to help pay for classes at the University of Michigan,” Ron recalls.
From Classroom to Boardroom
Once they arrived at the University of Michigan, Rich and Ron pushed their entrepreneurial dreams aside to focus on other career aspirations. Ronald earned both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s in Industrial Engineering, While Richard obtained a BBA in Finance and an MBA in Quantitative Methods at what is now the Ross School of Business.
After a few years in consulting, that familiar phrase crept back in: “We can do that ourselves.” That’s when they started Amrigon, their marketing and consulting company in which they’ve made game-changing innovations for clients like Disney, Ford, AT&T, and Buick.
They didn’t stop there. Over the years, Rich and Ron have stayed busy building and innovating. They wrote the launch plans for nearly 30 cars, invented caller ID for AT&T, and developed groundbreaking survey research software—eventually licensing it to the University of Michigan. Later, they adapted a version of that software to predict consumer behavior, helping launch what became the third-largest retailer of vacation cruises before selling the company to American Express.
Their secret? Spotting everyday problems and solving them creatively. “You have to see what other people are missing. Sometimes, it’s staring everybody right in the face!” Ron exclaims.
So, Why Keep Coming Back to EHour?
Richard and Ronald hold advanced degrees in engineering and finance. They’ve been changing the game since they were 12 years old. They don’t need to be at EHour every week, but they wouldn’t dream of missing it.
It all started in 2010, when Rich read in the newspaper that Marissa Mayer, the first woman Software Engineer at Google and soon-to-be CEO of Yahoo, was speaking at the University of Michigan. “We said, ‘Well, that was kind of interesting,’ and we just kept coming back,” says Rich.
For them, EHour isn’t just about listening to cool speakers–it’s a chance to satisfy their curiosity and hunger for knowledge. “We come back every week because it’s always something new,” said Ron. The pair laughs while co-opting the famous quote from Forrest Gump: “EHour is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get!”
When asked if EHour has changed their relationship, they joke, “We’re twins. Nothing could change our relationship!” That doesn’t mean they always agree, though. According to Rich, “After class, we debate the lecture for about two hours.” These debates say less about their relationship as twins than they do about the Smith twins’ commitment to learning, growing, and exploring.
After 15 years, the Smiths aren’t just attendees. They’re mentors, connectors, and unofficial ambassadors of the EHour experience. They’ve seen the course grow from a small weekly gathering to one of the best networking opportunities for students and entrepreneurs alike.
They’ve made it a point to give back, offering advice and encouragement to students who are just getting started. While their businesses have evolved, one belief has stayed the same: great ideas come from staying open to learning—again and again.
Never Too Late to Keep Learning
So what’s next for Richard and Ronald? More businesses? More experiments? More problem-solving? Absolutely. But no matter where their next venture takes them, one thing is certain: you’ll still find them in the audience at EHour.
Their story proves that entrepreneurship isn’t about hitting a milestone and calling it quits. It’s about being in the room, staying in the conversation, and showing up—week after week, year after year.
And if you’re wondering whether EHour is worth attending? Just ask the two guys who’ve never missed a session.
Inspired by Richard and Ronald’s story? EHour is open to the public! Join us Fridays at 11:30AM at Stamps Auditorium on North Campus to take part in the magic. More about EHour here.