Thomas More College alumni pursue a wide variety of careers after earning their degrees. In the case of Richard Worsham ’07, his path led him to becoming the co-founder of Janus Motorcycles, where they “make simple, beautiful machines that are a joy to own and ride.” For Richard, his education has been central to becoming a successful business owner in the modern world. He answered some questions for us about his experience at TMC, as he applies his education to different aspects of life—from graduate school, to the shop, to the open road.
What interested you in attending TMC?
Thomas More College was one of three “Great Books” liberal arts colleges that I applied to, but the only one I actually considered to be an option. My interest was sparked by their focus on primary texts, their whole-school humanities lectures, the printed lectures from faculty that made up the entirety of their limited published material, the lack of marketing propaganda, and their dedication to a truly liberal education, grounded in what I would come to learn was the Cowan program. Walking down into the Caf. sealed my decision when I visited in the spring of 2002, prior to attending.
After graduating, what inspired you to found your own motorcycle business?
My decision to co-found Janus Motorcycles shortly after graduate school was inspired by my love of vintage small-displacement bikes, of design, and a longtime dream of starting a vehicle company. While it wasn’t the most logical progression from literature to classical architecture to motorcycles, my education has absolutely been central to my ability to navigate the modern world, balance family life and work, and have the vision to build steadily and incrementally in the face of the challenges that come with entrepreneurship.
How has what you learned during your time at the College served you as a business owner and in other areas of your life?
I think if there were one way of describing the modern era, it would be that we are in a crisis of choices and are constantly bombarded with too many options at every juncture. Too many options are worse than none at all if we don’t have a means of staying alert and choosing rightly. A liberal arts education equips one with the ability to be a primary thinker—a person who is capable of putting choices in a larger context, interpreting raw experiences and information, forging their own path, making decisions, and being comfortable with sometimes flying in the face of convention.
What advice do you have for current students who are interested in starting a business?
I would say that there is a lot of knowledge out there in every community. Taking advantage of that by making friends and learning from experienced entrepreneurs in your area is probably the best thing you can do. While every business is different, a lot of what it takes to be an entrepreneur is fairly universal. There are a great many resources for setting up a business, bookkeeping, payroll, marketing, sales, etc., and unlike the way I did it, not all of those things have to be invented from scratch. The counter to this is that most of the time, the best thing you can do is give something your best effort, try it out, and fail as quickly as possible—then do it again until you find something that works.
For further reading:
Alumna Works to Defend the Family: An Interview with Emily LaFata, ’18
How TMC Prepared Me for Grad School: An Interview with Esther Jermann ’20
