Before racing in France, launching several successful businesses, or teaching at Colorado Mesa University, Mitch Hagy’s workdays started before sunrise in the cornfields of Indiana.
At 14, he spent his first summer job detasseling corn, riding machinery through rows of wet fields and pulling tassels by hand. The work was repetitive, the mornings were early and the pay was modest, but the experience left a lasting impression.
“It made me realize I wanted to be my own boss someday and do something that had meaning,” he said.
That early desire for independence followed him into adulthood, through racing, entrepreneurship and eventually into the classroom.
Growing up in Indiana meant living near the famed Indy 500, and motorsports quickly became a passion for Hagy. His interest in racing eventually took him to France, where he raced Formula Renault in hopes of securing a sponsorship and moving closer to Formula One, a level only a small fraction of drivers ever reach. But like many aspiring racers, he soon faced a familiar reality.
“You’ve got to have a lot of money to go racing,” said Hagy.
Facing the financial reality of the sport, Hagy chose to pivot and enrolled at the University of North Texas, where he minored in business to build the skills and financial stability that he knew could eventually create new opportunities.
Over the years, he continued his education, also earning a Master of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.
While pursuing his education, he worked across several areas of business, including sales, operational management and small business consulting. During one consulting job, an unexpected opportunity forced him to step into a role he hadn’t planned for, and it changed the direction of his career.
While consulting a local photographer, Hagy, after doing market research, recommended the client expand into sports photography to reach Dallas-Fort Worth’s high school athletics market. The photographer declined, but the job had already been booked.
“So, I had to go rent a camera and a lens,” Hagy said. “I sat in the stands for an hour before a volleyball event, teaching myself how to use it. I ended up taking the worst pictures I ever did in my life, but I made $2,000 and the light came on.”
That scramble to fulfill a booked job revealed an opportunity. Seeing the market potential for high-quality coverage of high school athletics, he began building what would become FOTOSPORT, a sports photography and publishing company that grew to serve more than 187 schools and reached annual revenue of about $1 million.
He ran the company for more than 14 years, growing it into a regional operation before shifting his focus toward education.
Teaching wasn’t part of his original plan. In 2023, he was invited to teach marketing as an adjunct professor at the University of North Texas. The classroom gave him something he hadn’t expected: a chance to help students recognize their own potential.
“I found that I loved it,” he said. “I enjoy encouraging those who may not feel like they have the confidence to finally realize that they do have what it takes.”
His experience as an adjunct shifted his career again, leading him to pursue a PhD and eventually move into teaching full-time. He later joined San Jacinto College in Houston from 2024 to 2025, where he helped develop the entrepreneurship program.
Hagy joined CMU in August 2025, bringing with him his years of entrepreneurial experience and a belief that students learn best when they can practice real decision-making.
That perspective is reflected in his book, The Entrepreneur’s Toolbox: A Mindset for Creation and Innovation, which focuses on qualities like critical thinking, emotional intelligence and adaptability. For Hagy, entrepreneurship involves learning to make thoughtful decisions when outcomes are uncertain.
It’s also the foundation behind AEON NCI, an artificial intelligence consultative platform he’s currently developing and testing in his classes. The platform begins with an Entrepreneurial Neural Value Index (ENVI) assessment that helps students understand how they approach challenges and make decisions under pressure.
From there, students can use an AI feature called “askAlistar,” which guides them through different perspectives rather than handing them answers. The tool is designed to provide structured feedback, similar to hiring a consultant, without the cost barrier that often limits early entrepreneurs. All feedback is based upon Hagy’s written frameworks and consultative content.
The dashboard for the tool displays mindset scores, reflections and simulation prompts that encourage students to slow down and think through their next move as they work through real business scenarios.
“The goal isn’t to tell them what to do,” Hagy said. “It’s to help them think through the decision.”
About 116 students have taken the assessment so far, and Hagy continues refining the platform through classroom testing. He hopes to expand it with simulation modules that mirror real business dilemmas, giving students a safe space to practice before they face those challenges in their careers.
For Hagy, the most meaningful part of teaching isn’t the technology itself. It’s watching students recognize their own potential.
“I want them to realize they can do this,” he said. “They don’t have to be daredevils, nor do they have to be brilliant. They just need the confidence to start.”
Early mornings in Indiana cornfields, laps on racetracks in France and now mentoring students in Grand Junction have shaped the mindset Hagy brings into his classroom: adapt when plans change, keep learning and keep moving forward.
In his office, reminders of his wide-ranging career fill the shelves and walls. Racing memorabilia reflects a life that once moved at high speed, where decisions had to be made in seconds. Today, his focus has shifted. In the classroom, he encourages students to pause, ask questions and trust their ability to figure things out.
The work may look different than the paths he followed earlier in life, but the mindset remains the same. Each step has led him toward helping others build something meaningful before they feel completely ready. Now, the stakes are not a podium finish. The stakes are students discovering what they’re capable of and leaving CMU with the confidence and skills to prove it.