For Professor Nick Smarrelli, entrepreneurship didn’t begin with a bold idea or a breakthrough moment. It started, ironically, with a club he created in college because it didn’t exist yet.
As a finance and psychology major at St. Louis University, he was convinced his future was in corporate leadership. He imagined climbing the ladder of a Fortune 500 company, not co-founding tech startups. And yet, that early instinct – to start something simply because it wasn’t there – would become the quiet through line of his career.
“I began the entrepreneurship club not because I wanted to be an entrepreneur,” he said with a laugh. “It was just the only club that didn’t exist yet. It let me build something, create opportunities, and practice leadership. Entrepreneurship came early, but it was almost by accident.”
After graduation, Professor Smarrelli joined Ingersoll Rand and lived the kind of global life young professionals dream about. He moved from St. Louis to New York, then to Shanghai, then Charlotte, Atlanta, and eventually Indianapolis – all with the same company. But somewhere between flights, hotel rooms, and elite frequent-flyer status, the path he once imagined stopped feeling like his.
One morning, sitting on a plane for the fourth time that week, he experienced what he calls his “Ghost of Christmas Future” moment.
“I looked around and realized – this is the next 40 years if I don’t change something,” the entrepreneurship and innovation lecturer said. “I took out my BlackBerry, texted two college friends who were starting a business, and said, ‘I want in. I don’t care what the salary is.’ Three months later, I was co-building my first company.”
That leap began a 15‑year journey as a founder, investor, and eventually CEO – leading companies like Ryvit and GadellNet through periods of intense growth. The secret to that success, he insists, had little to do with marketing or strategy.
“I always say 98% of leadership is psychology and 2% is business,” Professor Smarrelli said. “People are the complex part. People are the differentiator.”
That belief is what drove him back to graduate school for a master’s degree in industrial & organizational psychology at Harvard University – and what ultimately brought him to the Lacy School of Business.
“Butler is incredibly thoughtful and nimble,” the director of entrepreneurship said. “Higher education is under pressure to stay relevant. LSB has proven repeatedly that we can evolve quickly to serve students better. That’s what drew me here.”
That impact was formally recognized when Professor Smarrelli was named a Spring 2026 Leadership Impact Award recipient by the Butler University Family Council. Nominated by the families of Butler students, the award honors faculty and staff whose leadership makes a lasting difference in students’ learning and development.
He was recognized for his hands‑on, real‑world approach to entrepreneurship education, deep investment in students beyond the classroom, and unwavering belief in their potential.
Inside the classroom, Professor Smarrelli teaches the way he leads: with honesty, energy, and stories. Lots of stories.
“There’s not a class that goes by where I don’t tell a story,” he said. “Students can tell I’m still figuring out this teaching thing – and that I’m willing to share everything I’ve learned, including the mistakes.”
It’s why students connect with him not just as a professor, but as a mentor. His classes are filled with real-world cases, guest speakers from his professional network, and lessons shaped by 20+ years of scaling teams and building culture.
Professor Smarrelli lights up most when he sees students doing something for the first time: pitching an idea, traveling to a new city, testing a business concept, or experiencing the spark of real confidence.
Outside the classroom, Professor Smarrelli is an ultramarathon runner who has completed seven 100-mile races, and endurance sports shape nearly every part of his leadership philosophy.
“Big, scary goals are achieved in tiny steps,” he said. “Success is consistency over intensity. Rest matters. And no one does big things alone – there’s always a support system behind the scenes.”
That philosophy is the foundation of his forthcoming book, Next Two Steps, which explores how small, sustainable habits unlock long-term growth.
Beyond his teaching and writing, Professor Smarrelli is deeply involved in the Indianapolis community, serving on boards focused on youth, education, and early-intervention support. At home, he and his wife are raising three children – ages 13, 10, and 6 – who he describes as “the center of everything.”
As he looks ahead, his purpose is clear: invest in people so they can realize their potential.
“I want students to see the humanity behind business – the people behind the spreadsheets and forecasts,” Professor Smarrelli said. “If I can help them take the next step, believe in themselves, or find a path they didn’t know they could walk – that’s the impact I want.”
When asked what he’d tell his younger self, he paused.
“Care less about what people think,” he said. “It’s going to be hard, but it’s going to be worth it. And remember: no one is thinking about you as much as you think they are. So go do the thing.”
