Colton Haymon ’20
Lacy School of Business
Major: Marketing
Hometown: Forest Park, IL
For Colton Haymon, Butler University was never the destination. It’s his gateway to the globe.
“I want to help small businesses connect with global markets and give them the confidence to compete,” he said. “I believe there’s a lack of strong morals and ethics in the business world, which can turn people away from it. But successful opportunities are out there waiting for small businesses to take advantage of, and where I will fit in is helping them get there.”
Let’s back up.
As he grew up in Forest Park, Illinois Colton’s interest in a business career began at a young age. Once his high school advisor told him about a small school in Indiana that might be the perfect fit for him, he applied to be a Bulldog and was on campus the following fall.
“A lot of people say that Butler felt like a second home right away, but for me it was more than that,” he said. “This felt like a place where I was going to be set up for success. Professors asked me what I wanted to accomplish and the rest of the conversation was always how they could help make it happen.”
Gaining experience beyond campus was near the top of his list. Fortunately, the Lacy School of Business’ (LSB) prioritization of internships (each LSB student completes at least two) fed right into that, and before long he was in the offices of Smart Moves Pediatrics, Inc.
There, he was able to spend valuable hours working directly with professionals while gaining hands-on accounting and web development experience, which shed a new light on what he was learning in class.
“What’s been great about Butler’s curriculum is that, in the classroom, you’re given the tools and knowledge you need to go out and succeed,” he said. “And once you do, you come back to class with a fresh perspective and an eagerness to apply what you’ve learned.”
That’s why Colton is ready for the global stage. He knew he had the potential to be a leader in the business world and timely encouragement from his professors was the exact push he needed.
He wants to help businesses in the same way by showing them they can accomplish whatever they want to. And, most importantly, do so without losing their essence.
“We can all make a bigger impact than we think,” he said. “I’m ready to make mine.”