‘Solving real-world problems’: Jonathan Duron, car dealership software startup creator 

Do you have a startup or business?

I currently have a startup called TagLink. It is a software for used car dealerships for them to store and retrieve information more efficiently. The idea came to me a year ago from a car dealer owner who was frustrated with his mechanics calling him constantly asking for the repair order he left for them to fix. I took on the challenge and came up with a solution to help his problem and since then, it’s been a lot of iteration through the software from feedback from other dealerships I’ve been working with.

Value of Iowa State’s innovation/entrepreneurial resources

The value just from the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship is amazing. The whole crew there are all willing to help you with your business, either through direct guidance or by connecting you with someone in their network that has answers. They also host a lot of other events that help you better your entrepreneurial skills, whether that is a pitch competition or business model competition. I also enjoy going to the entrepreneur club and entrepreneur project development club meetings because I am surrounded by a lot of like-minded people, whether they have a business and have lessons that I can learn from or an amazing idea that they plan on executing on.

Taking this mindset into your career

I see the entrepreneurial mindset as an essential to my career success, regardless of whether I’m running my own business or working within an organization. For me, this means approaching challenges with creativity, taking initiative, and always looking for innovative solutions. Throughout my career, I plan to embrace this mindset by actively identifying opportunities for improvement in any role I take on. This could mean developing new processes to increase efficiency, proposing creative solutions to workplace challenges, or spotting market gaps that could benefit my organization.

How do you hope to change the world?

Through my entrepreneurial journey, I aim to make an impact by solving real-world problems while inspiring other students to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams. I’m passionate about identifying challenges and creating innovative solutions that can improve people’s lives or businesses. My natural problem-solving mindset drives me to look at issues from different angles and develop creative approaches to address them.

The moment you saw yourself as an innovator/entrepreneur

I feel like I have always had the entrepreneurial spirit; my earliest memory is selling lemonade and trading baseball cards in elementary school. However, the defining moment came when I learned programming. This opened my eyes to a world of possibilities where I could create real solutions to everyday problems. It was a pivotal realization that I had the tools to not just identify problems but actually create and implement solutions for them. This combination of my natural entrepreneurial instincts from childhood and the technical skills I’ve developed has shaped my identity as an entrepreneur. It’s no longer just about making trades or sales — it’s about using my skills to solve real problems and create valuable solutions.