Anticipating Challenges

By Megan McKinley and Amanda Sebesta

A case competition can be both a sprint and a marathon.  

Students are forced to work fast while their endurance is tested. Luckily, they don’t need to run it all alone. Like in a relay race, they have a teammate waiting at their marker with a hand extended, ready to take off with the baton. 

When Bauer MBA candidates Nnamdi Ogbogu, Dylan Zisman, Subhecha Niraula and Shaan Muhammad traveled this Spring to Utah, they were not just embarking on an expedition for a competition – they were also diving into a new challenge that would permanently change their way of presenting new ideas. 

Hosted by Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Business, the Big 12 Case Competition gave students 24 hours to analyze a real-world business problem and pitch a solution to industry professionals. 

"It’s basically the business world’s version of an escape room," Niraula said. "You get locked in, study the case, build a strategy and then present your recommendations. It’s intense, but it’s also a lot of fun." 

The team’s case focused on Weave, a company specializing in patient communications and management tools for dental and veterinary practices. The challenge was to propose a new product line or expansion strategy. 

"We all brought different skill sets to the table," Niraula said. "Because of that, we were able to piece our ideas together like a puzzle and come up with a unified solution. That diversity of background made a huge difference." 

These four MBA students each had their own personalized strengths and weaknesses that made them more confident in working together overall; they were confident in each other's skill sets and knew that in the areas where one of them faltered, another would pick them up.  

Muhammad was the “Finance Guy,” Zisman had an eye for the data analytics, Ogbogu’s focus was on entrepreneurship, sales and marketing, and Niraula was the heart of it all in structuring the presentation. 

“One of the biggest takeaways for me was learning to prioritize under pressure,” Muhammad said. “It wasn’t about having the perfect solution, but the most implementable one given time, budget and impact.” 

The team spent months preparing with support from Bauer Professor of Practice Carl Scott and Graduate Career and Alumni Career Senior Director Stacey Piefer.  

Scott created extensive pre-research packets to get the team familiar with the subject matter, while Piefer simulated high-pressure presentation environments and brought in guest coaches from across UH — even bringing in a theater teacher to help sharpen their presentation skills. 

Zisman said that they were great mentors who helped coach them in delivery and content, and many of his teammates echoed the same sentiments.  

"Stacey was there every step of the way. She brought in industry examples, made us question assumptions and really helped shape our thinking,” Muhammad said. “Carl brought deep strategy knowledge and experience. It felt like we had a whole village supporting us.” 

"We treated our practices like the real thing," Niraula said. "We had faculty and staff come in and grill us with questions. That helped us anticipate challenges and learn how to think on our feet." 

For Ogbogu, that preparation translated into confidence.  

“You don’t want to memorize lines. Stacey told us, ‘Be the slides.’ You have to internalize the information, so it becomes second nature. If you do the deep research, the knowledge will flow naturally, and I realized I’m at my best when I know exactly what I’m talking about.” 

As the team prepared months in advance, the cohort became more than just classmates, but friends, with the pressure of the competition testing their ability to collaborate. 

“All four of these students came to us with very different skill sets, and they used those to fill gaps and solve a problem,” Piefer said. “But it was also about learning how to work together in a cohesive and efficient way, getting to know each other's strengths and weaknesses, and understanding when one person should lead in one area and when someone else should take the lead in another." 

Muhammad agreed, reflecting on his own growth. “I’m usually the guy with the ideas and structure. But this time I had to learn to adjust quickly based on feedback and trust my teammates to step in when needed. That was powerful.” 

The competition also gave them a fresh take on networking. 

“One of the judges and I ended up bonding over chess,” Ogbogu said. “We talked for like 25 minutes about travel and chess sets. That conversation reminded me that networking doesn’t always mean wearing a suit and quoting stock tickers. It’s about real connections.” 

For Niraula, the experience reaffirmed their career path. “This solidified my interest in consulting. I realized how much I enjoy strategic problem solving under pressure and that’s exactly what I want to do.” 

As for Muhammad, the experience reinforced a mindset of continuous learning. 

“This competition showed me that even if you don’t know something at first you can figure it out, especially with the right people beside you,” he said. “That’s something I’ll carry with me into every challenge going forward.”