2019 MWC Competition Results

163 students from around the globe, 97 firms and two weeks of intense competition – we now have the Winner of the 2019 MikesBikes World Champs.

The 2019 MikesBikes World Champs Winner is Mila Lee from University of Auckland!

We are proud to announce that Mila Lee of PedalPals from University of Auckland is the 2019 MikesBikes World Champs Winner! Congratulations Mila for this outstanding achievement!

After the first rollover, Mila came in at third place. However, she has successfully managed to retain the top position throughout the remaining rollovers. Your determination and dedication to succeed certainly showed. We are sure that a lot of students will be inspired by your success.

In Second Place, we have Jin Fong and Luther Gray from Manukau Institute of Technology!

Congratulations Jin Fong and Luther Gray from Manukau Institute of Technology for coming in at second place!

We have seen your journey throughout the competition. There were certainly a lot of ups and downs. However, because of your drive to succeed and your impressive abilities, you were able to achieve success in this year’s competition.

Full Scoreboard

Pos	Firm	SHV	Team Members	Institution
1	PedalPals	$136.18	Mila Lee	University of Auckland
2	Montague Bikes	$118.21	Jin Fong | Luther Gray	Manukau Institute of Technology
3	One T Cycles	$95.03	Mat Millard	TAFE SA
4	Rice Inc.	$61.36	Taylor Rice	Arizona State University
5	Tindug	$50.46	Dung Nguyen	Selkirk College
6	Super Velos	$44.55	Shawn Recca	University of Oregon
7	RDU Bikes	$35.58	George Van Campen | Kaitlyn Stol	Red Deer College
8	H and A Co.	$34.86	Aaron Hirahara | Dylan Allen	Santa Clara University
9	Mikecycles	$2.23	Daniel Oldak	Duquesne University
10	Nicks Bees	$0.01	Nicolas Vallejo	Broward College

2018 MWC Competition Results

Our 2018 MikesBikes World Champs is Whatever-Go from University of Auckland! Big congratulations to Wiput Tantulaphongse, Yijing Tang, Meiyicong Lin, Zhen  Peng and Fengkai Han for this outstanding achievement! They have managed to achieve the second highest Shareholder Value from the past 9 MikesBikes World Champs!

In second place, we have Swan from De Anza College with Makysm Chernenko and in third place, we have NGUYEN Inc with Nguyen Pham from Selkirk College. Incredible work, well done!

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the competition! You have all done very well and carried your school with pride!

Pos	Firm	SHV	Team Members	School
1	Whatever – Go	$490.59	Wiput Tantulaphongse | Yijing Tang | Meiyicong Lin | Zhen Peng | Fengkai Han	University of Auckland
2	Swan	$241.53	Maksym Chernenko	De Anza College
3	NGUYEN Inc	$140.16	Nguyen Pham	Selkirk College
4	Booster Inc.	$134.60	Ahmet Yasin Kuzucu	Dokuz Eylul University
5	Momentum Bikes	$41.73	Alicia Covert | Mike Covert	Baker University
6	CyclePath	$34.04	William George Jr | Maxwell Schuler | Jonas Correa | Jared Lerner | Axel Miazga	Quinnipiac University
7	Rough Riders	$5.00	Monica Lannen | Noah Trone	Christopher Newport University
8	vakn	$0.90	Kha Phan | Ashby Creighton	Des Moines Area Community College
9	Rad Penny Farthings	$0.01	Michael McCafferty	Linn Benton Community College
10	Shiba Ninja	$0.01	Quang Nguyen | Zoe Tran	Drexel University

View the Full Scoreboard

2017 MWC Competition Results

The 2017 MikesBikes World Championship has finished with a bang! Team Exodus from The University of Auckland has secured the top position as 2017’s MikesBikes Champs and have joined the MikesBikes Wall of Champions. Team GOFAST, also from The University of Auckland, came in close second with an impressive performance! These top two teams certainly had the will to succeed and win the competition.

These two teams were neck-and-neck in the last few rounds of the competition battling for first place. Both teams constantly putting pressure on each other to adapt to their market and make growth-orientated decisions.

A huge congratulations to all the teams who have participated in the 2017 MikesBikes World Champs!

Here are the Final Round’s Rollover Results:

Position	Firm	SHV	Team Members	Institution
1	Exodus	$327.81	Siyi Tang | William Setiawan | Jiedong Chen | Jayca Y. Siddayao | Mingchang Liang | Robbi A. Harnass	University of Auckland
2	GOFAST	$313.41	Harriet Zhang | Golf Tantulaphongse | Xu Wang	University of Auckland
3	Infinity	$152.80	Sunil Ravindran | Thi Thu Vu | Manfei Cheng | Zhaonan Liu	University of Auckland
4	Pedal to the Medal	$88.06	Peter Bojsza	Drexel University
5	Scooty Puff Legends	$86.79	Jamison stewart | Zachary Khan | Nathan Jarrad	Linn Benton Community College
6	Square Tires	$2.80	Chris Mitchell | Nick Dawson | Darrell Davis	Indiana University Southeast
7	Apex Bikes Co.	$0.01	Zachary Abel	Des Moines Area Community College
8	K2K	$0.01	Kimberly Dowe	Linn Benton Community College
9	SB Corp.	$0.01	Kaushik Shah	Midwestern State University
10	Van der Zwan AJ Inc.	$0.01	AJ van der Zwan	Ithaca College

Winning at MikesBikes isn’t about luck, shortcuts, or guessing what your competitors might do next. It’s about dedication, smart decision-making, and learning from every rollover. Robinson Lu proved exactly that by earning a place on the MikesBikes Hall of Fame. In this article, we break down the key lessons behind their success and reveal the practical strategies you can use to improve your results, build confidence in your decisions, and give your team a competitive edge in the simulation.

Master the Basics: Practice Makes Progress

Top-performing students spend time early understanding how pricing, marketing, production, and distribution decisions interact. The more familiar you are with the reports and dashboards, the faster you’ll spot patterns and opportunities.

Think Strategically About Profit

Winning teams focus on shareholder value, not just short-term profit. That means balancing pricing, production volume, marketing spend, and long-term brand development.

Study the Market and Your Competitors

Markets evolve every rollover. Consumer preferences change, competitors shift strategy, and successful teams adapt using data rather than instinct.

Learn From Mistakes

Every poor decision is a data point. High-performing players reflect on what didn’t work and adjust their strategy rather than panic or overcorrect.

Use the Resources Available

Tutorial videos, manuals, and reports exist to help you succeed. Students who consistently use these resources gain a measurable advantage.

Check out the Smartsims Support Center for additional support.

Mindset Matters

Confidence, curiosity, and consistency separate top teams from average performers. Treat MikesBikes like a real business and the results will follow.

Learn more about business strategy in MikesBikes:

• How do I win MikesBikes?

• How do I develop strategy in MikesBikes?

Teaching strategy at the senior undergraduate or MBA level presents a familiar challenge: students may understand individual business concepts, but struggle to integrate them into cohesive, defensible strategic decisions. Case studies offer valuable discussion, yet they rarely allow students to experience the consequences of their choices.

This is where MikesBikes Advanced excels. As a comprehensive strategy simulation game and management simulation, it enables students to apply theory, test assumptions, and adapt strategy in a competitive, data-driven environment — making it particularly effective as a capstone simulation for higher-education business programs.

Learning Strategy Through Consequences, Not Just Concepts

A recent classroom experience illustrates the power of simulation-based learning. During a strategic management competition at NJIT, one student team entered the MikesBikes Advanced simulation confident in their planning — only to drive their company into bankruptcy in the early rounds. Rather than being penalized academically, the failure became a turning point.

Students revisited financial statements, reassessed their market positioning, and reconsidered operational trade-offs. With each subsequent decision round, they refined their strategy, responding to competitive signals and performance data. By the end of the simulation, the same team had recovered and delivered one of the strongest overall performances.

Why MikesBikes Advanced Works in Higher Education

MikesBikes Advanced is designed for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate learners who are ready to synthesize knowledge across disciplines. Students manage a virtual bicycle manufacturing firm, making integrated decisions across strategy and competitive positioning, marketing and pricing, operations and capacity planning, product development, and financial performance.

A Natural Fit for Capstone and Strategic Management Courses

Instructors often seek a capstone simulation that encourages holistic thinking rather than isolated functional optimization. MikesBikes Advanced supports this by requiring students to develop a clear competitive strategy, align functional decisions with long-term objectives, interpret complex performance data, and adapt strategies based on market and competitor feedback.

Supporting Evidence-Based Teaching and Assessment

For instructors, MikesBikes Advanced also offers strong alignment with learning assurance and assessment requirements. Performance metrics, decision logs, and comparative results provide tangible evidence of student engagement and learning progression.

MikesBikes Advanced really moves students beyond theory, enabling them to experience the complexity, ambiguity, and consequences of real-world strategic management. Request a demo, access instructor resources, or speak with an academic advisor to explore how MikesBikes Advanced can support your strategic management or capstone course.

As high schools place greater emphasis on real-world learning and career readiness, business courses face a familiar challenge: how to make foundational concepts engaging, relevant and memorable for students with little to no prior exposure to business.

One instructional approach gaining traction is the use of business simulations, which allow students to learn by doing, making decisions, seeing outcomes, and adjusting strategies in a realistic business environment.

What Research Tells Us

A 2024 study examining the Effect of Business Games on High School Students’ Learning Perception and Satisfaction found that students who participated in business games reported higher levels of perceived learning and satisfaction compared to more traditional instructional approaches. Importantly, these positive effects were observed at the high-school level, reinforcing that simulations are not just effective in higher education, but also appropriate for secondary learners.

These findings align with broader research on experiential learning, which shows that students learn more effectively when they actively apply concepts rather than passively receiving information.

Why Simulations Work for High School Business Students

High School Business courses introduce a wide range of concepts: marketing, finance, operations, management, and strategy. For many students, these topics can feel abstract when taught in isolation.

Business simulations help by:

• Placing concepts in a realistic, integrated context
• Encouraging decision-making and critical thinking
• Providing immediate feedback on decisions
• Increasing engagement and motivation through active participation

Rather than memorizing definitions, students experience how business decisions interact and affect outcomes.

A Research-Aligned Approach to Business Education

Business simulations such as MikesBikes Introduction are designed specifically for High School students. The simulation mirrors core business functions while remaining intuitive for first-time learners, allowing teachers to focus on discussion, reflection and concept reinforcement.

Key design principles include:

• Gradual introduction of new decision areas so students don’t get overwhelmed with business concepts
• Balanced complexity for high school students
• Opportunities for teamwork, reflection, and strategy adjustment

This approach reflects what current research suggests: when students are actively involved in realistic business scenarios, they are more likely to perceive the learning as meaningful and engaging.

Supporting Teachers and Students

Instructors consistently report that simulations help:

• Connect theory to real-world application
• Increase student confidence in understanding business concepts
• Spark richer classroom discussions

When used alongside traditional instruction, business simulations can serve as a powerful tool to reinforce learning and prepare students for further business education.

Research continues to highlight the value of business simulations in high school education, particularly for improving student engagement and perceived learning. For high school business courses, simulations offer a practical way to bring foundational concepts to life, helping students not just learn about business, but experience it.

Interested in bringing simulation-based learning into your classroom? Explore how Smartsims can support your teaching goals.

The MikesBikes World Champs (MWC) is an opportunity for the best performing MikesBikes Business Simulation teams from around the world to compete for the title of MikesBikes World Champion.

View: All-Time MWC Wall of Champions

How do I enter the competition?

Smartsims will invite the top teams from courses around the world who have used either our MikesBikes Introduction or MikesBikes Advanced business simulations. Any number of members from the team can compete, but there can only be one competing team per invitation. Entrance is FREE for all participants.

Please note the competition will be conducted using the MikesBikes Advanced simulation.

Your response to our invitation email must be received prior to TBA

You can convert the times below to your local timezone here.

How is a winner determined?

At the end of the Final Round, the firm with the highest Shareholder Value will be crowned the MikesBikes World Champion. Both the winner and runner up will be featured on our website.

The winners will join previous title holders featured on the Wall of Champions. Both first and second place will receive a certificate, and an article on their achievement which we will promote externally (often published on university websites and newsletters). This achievement and the published article will be a great addition to your resume and are accessible by prospective employers.

How will the competition be structured?

The competition will run in two rounds: a Qualification Round and a Final Round.

In the Qualification Round, you will be competing against other students. After the fourth rollover of the Qualifying Round, the Top 10 companies ranked by Shareholder Value across all qualifying firms will move to the Final Round where competitors start a new simulation and complete a final 6 rollovers.

The qualifying participant(s) will be determined by the highest Shareholder Value in the Qualifying Round. Where two or more teams qualify from the same school, only the top team based on Shareholder Value will be admitted to the Final Round.

In the Final Round, the Top 10 teams will be competing against each other in one Multi-Player World.

Note: After each rollover you can identify where your company is ranked by referring to the Competition Scoreboard that will be featured on this page.

Competition Decision Deadlines

You can convert the times below to your local timezone here.

Qualifying Round Rollover Schedule

TBA

Final Round Rollover Schedule

TBA

Notes:

• The last rollover for both the Qualifying and Final Rounds will be a double-rollover.
• The Takeovers feature will be disabled for the entire duration of the competition.

What if I have only used MikesBikes Introduction?

Don’t be intimidated! Previous winners of the competition only used MikesBikes Introduction in their course. We will provide you with access to MikesBikes Advanced prior to the competition so you can practice.

Instructors love Smartsims Business Simulations because they transform classrooms into engaging, hands-on learning experiences where students can apply theory to realistic scenarios in a low-risk environment. They make learning more fun and practical, encouraging students to become independent, strategic learners as they take a more active role in their education. 

• Interactive and hands-on: Smartsims Business Simulations provide an interactive, hands-on learning experience that engages students more deeply than traditional methods.
• Real-world application: The platform helps students see how their classroom learning applies to real-world situations, which can make complex topics more understandable and memorable.
• Student-led learning: It shifts the focus to a student-led approach, where students take more initiative in their learning journey, which can lead to greater success and retention.
• Positive student outcomes: The simulations contribute to high student ratings and have been shown to provide a strong foundation for students’ future learning and success in other courses.

Ready to elevate student engagement and outcomes? Explore Smartsims Business Simulations today.

In today’s fast-paced, complex business environment, developing strategic thinking, decision-making and leadership skills is more critical than ever. Business simulations offer interactive, experiential learning tools to offer learners the chance to engage in lifelike decision-making in a controlled environment. This article explores how scaffolding strategies can elevate the learning impact of business simulations, ensuring participants are supported without being spoon-fed.

What is Scaffolding in Learning?

Scaffolding refers to the temporary support provided by educators or systems to help learners bridge the gap between what they can do independently and what they can achieve with assistance. Like how builders require scaffolding to reach new heights during construction, scaffolding in education ensures that learners acquire skills and confidence until they can perform tasks unaided. It’s aligned with Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development.

Why Business Simulations?

Business simulations immerse learners in realistic environments where they must apply theoretical knowledge to solve practical problems like launching new products, analyzing market data, managing teams or navigating crises. These business simulations mimic real-world complexity while offering the safety of a learning environment. However, without adequate scaffolding, participants may become overwhelmed, disengaged, or focus solely on “winning” instead of learning.

Scaffolding in Action: The Simulation Journey of Santa Clara University

Let’s walk through a scaffolded simulation experience of Introduction to Business students from Santa Clara University using the MikesBikes Introduction simulation.

1. Pre-Simulation Preparation (I Do)

Before the simulation begins, instructors touch on every aspect of business and give learners an in-depth introduction. This is often done via lectures, sample case studies and majority of the instructors themselves have experience becoming a CEO or a president of their own companies – this gives students an opportunity to ask questions and learn from their experiences.

2. Single-Player Practice Phase (Scaffolded Solo Expedition)

Learners engage with the simulation individually in the Single-Player practice phase. They only compete against a single-computer opponent and can control the progress and pace of the simulation in their own time. This helps them learn through trial and error by testing different decisions and strategies – giving them the ability to apply theoretical concepts they have learned so far, familiarize themselves with the interface and build confidence without peer pressure.

This is scaffolded with immediate feedback through the reports that are immediately available to the students after each rollover (decision round) that they complete.

2. Guided Participation (We Do)

In the Multi-Player, competitive phase of the simulation, students make decisions collaboratively, guided by prompts, checklists and structured reflection questions.

Debriefing sessions after each rollover allow learners to analyze results, compare strategies and adjust based on feedback.

3. Peer Collaboration (You Do Together)

As learners grow in confidence, instructor support decreases. Peer learning becomes more central, with teams discussing trade-offs and refining their decision-making. The instructor and teaching assistants now act more like a mentor than a guide, intervening only to challenge assumptions or encourage deeper thinking.

4. Independent Mastery (You Do Alone)

By the final rounds of the simulation, learners operate independently. They navigate ambiguity, defend their strategies and present their company’s performance. The scaffolds have been removed, allowing for authentic, autonomous learning.

Best Practices for Facilitators

• Lay the groundwork for critical content.
• Design reflective checkpoints at key stages.
• Provide decision-making frameworks, not answers.
  • Smartsims offers optional written assignments to support and guide students in forming and reflecting on their strategy.
• Encourage peer coaching as scaffolds fade.
• Use post-simulation debriefs to reinforce lessons and connect theory to practice.

Scaffolding transforms business simulations from competitive games into powerful learning experiences. When designed thoughtfully, scaffolding ensures that learners not only play the simulation but deeply learn from it. They gain insights into strategic thinking, collaboration and leadership. As educators and facilitators, your role is to strike the right balance between support and challenge, creating experiences that are as rich as they are rigorous.

Scaffolding today’s learners into tomorrow’s business leaders. Experience the power of simulation-based learning with Smartsims. Contact us to get started.

The 2024/25 MikesBikes World Champs brought together the top MikesBikes Introduction and MikesBikes Advanced students from around the world. These competitors tested their expertise in the MikesBikes Advanced business simulation. After weeks of intense decision-making, fierce competition, and strategic pivots, the top contenders emerged victorious—showcasing innovation, resilience, and leadership in the ever-evolving business landscape.

In this article, we celebrate the 2024/25 MikesBikes World Champions, Imranur Rahman (pictured on the left in the featured image) and Matthew Lane (pictured on the right in the featured image) from Saint Mary’s University. They share their journey to the top, the challenges they overcame, and the key strategies that set them apart from the competition.

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Hello future competitors, thank you for your interest in reading about our experience of the MikesBikes World Championship Competition! We’ll walk you through our strategy, the challenges we faced, how we overcame them, and the key factors that led to our success. You’ll find a lot of valuable insights here to help craft your own business strategy within the MikesBikes Advanced simulation. – Imranur and Matthew

Can you walk us through your journey from the Qualifying Rounds to becoming the 2024/25 MikesBikes World Champs?

Our journey began with the qualifying rounds, where 77 firms and 136 participants competed across 11 worlds, with 7 firms per world. We knew that securing a top 10 spot to advance to the finals would be highly competitive.

The qualifiers consisted of five rollovers, with the final one being a double rollover. Knowing that the time was limited, we focused on optimizing internal systems efficiency and rapidly expanding our market share. This approach was essential to maximizing shareholder value in such a short timeframe. We secured first place in our world, and 8th place overall in the qualifiers, earning us a position in the finals

The final game consisted of 10 firms in one world competing over 7 rollovers and ending with a double rollover. The competition was intense in the finals, and every firm put up a strong fight and captured significant market share. Shareholder values were exceptionally high across the board, and most firms’ shareholder values were very close to ours throughout the game. This left little room for error, making every decision critical. We knew that to secure victory; we had to stay vigilant and execute our strategy flawlessly.

Our early, middle, and late game strategies

Our strategy in a nutshell was to gain as much market share as possible by building strong awareness and offering competitive, well-rounded products at the best cost for consumers. All the while paying very close attention to competitors and incrementally improving our internal systems efficiency to maintain a strong competitive edge.

In the early rollovers we aimed to maximize market share and carefully balance investment into areas that gave us the best cost-benefit for both the short- and long-term, while still aiming to maximize current profits and prioritize maximum share repurchasing while our share price was still low.

In the middle to late rollovers, we continued to aggressively increase our market share. We shifted focus to heavily investing in all internal systems to minimize factory wastage and reduce COGS. This ensured that in future rollovers, we could produce high-quality products at lower costs.

In the final rollovers, all segments were saturated and highly competitive, and we had excess factory capacity, so we allocated this factory capacity to product specifications to further increase demand for our products and attack our competitors’ market share.

In the double rollover, we were able to cut our internal systems costs in half while maintaining the same level of efficiency, this allowed us to maximize profits while maintaining the company’s long-term financial health. (We also made sure to forecast for the demand of the second double rollover which gave us an edge as many competitors did not do this, and we were able to capitalize on their missed sales).

What were the most challenging aspects of the competition, and how did you overcome them?

One of the most challenging aspects of the competition was accurately predicting how many units to produce in each market segment, especially given the uncertainty of how many new competitors would enter each segment with every rollover. Overproducing led to high inventory storage costs that cut into profits, while underproducing was even worse—it allowed competitors to take our market share and meant we didn’t fully capitalize on our cost of sales. To navigate this, we spent a lot of time analyzing the market summary reports, historical market summary reports, market research reports, and industry benchmark reports, all of which were crucial for forecasting our product’s demand. We would also use these reports to identify competitor trends which helped in predicting their next moves and plan for ours. More importantly, studying these reports helped us determine the optimal level of product improvements required to meet our high sales targets at the lowest cost.

A huge aspect of our success was launching a product into segments that had little to no competition and predicting how many new competitors would enter into each of our segments. It’s challenging and is truly unpredictable, but calculated guesses can be made. For example, we noticed a trend of which segment firms would enter into first, the majority of competitors would always launch into the Road Bike segment on the second rollover. This was always the case when we did the simulation at our university and in the qualifiers (yet again this was true in the final round). So we knew this segment would be crowded from the start and avoided it. On paper, the Road bike market has a slight advantage over the other segments in terms of potential profits (if you have a market leading bike), which is probably why competitors decided to launch into it first, but the immediate saturation makes it difficult and expensive to grow your market share in the segment, which diminishes the profitability advantage that the Road bike has.

Entering segments that we predicted to have few to no competitors allowed us to sell significantly more units than if we had competed in crowded markets. We were able to take advantage of the fundamental economic principles—high demand for the product and low supply of it. Because of this, we were able to spend less on initial marketing, charge a higher price, and still have high sales due to the sheer excess demand that was not being fulfilled. This made it easy to grow our market share and establish market dominance before competitors arrived.

Did you experience any pivotal moments when you realized your strategy was working?

We learned the best strategies early on when we did the simulation at Saint Mary’s for not only MikesBikes, but for all businesses. This is a snippet from a slide in our final interim presentation from when we first did the simulation in our university class. All of these aspects have stood true throughout every simulation we competed in:

• We learned that the best ways to increase shareholder value is to maximize market share, maximize profits, minimize shares outstanding, and once the shares outstanding are low enough, then prioritize paying dividends.​
• We learned that cost reduction on products, increasing factory efficiency, increasing employee productivity, and decreasing supplier margins while incrementally increasing supplier support were the most important in deriving more profits from our gross margin.
• We learned that it’s extremely important to keep track of your competitors by paying close attention to all marketing related reports, and that high consumer preferences & sensitivities have a major impact on increasing sales. Offering well-rounded products in relation to competitors while marketing heavily is the most important factor in gaining high market share, which consequently maximizes profits.

How did you divide responsibilities and make decisions as a team?

One of our greatest strengths was our synergistic teamwork. Both of us would brainstorm and come up with different plans of action after each rollover. We dug deep into the reports to find the best strategies based on the current market situation. Whichever strategy was the strongest was the one we would put into action. With both of us actively working on it, we were able to compensate for each other’s weaknesses, build on each other’s strengths, and keep each other accountable, driven, and sharp.

We were in constant communication identifying potential problems, opportunities, competitors weakness, forecasting demand, and crafting future strategies in every rollover. We would always test these strategies in single player mode many times to figure out what worked best and what didn’t. This in of itself really helped us develop a deep understanding of how the simulation, and how companies themselves, operate.

We prioritized spending money in the most advantageous areas that would yield the highest profits in the next rollover while also investing in key areas to position us to maximize profits in future rollovers. The key was allocating funds to areas that increased sales the most and improved internal efficiency for the lowest cost. Finding the perfect balance between minimizing costs and maximizing sales, profits, and shareholder value on a rollover-by-rollover basis was our joint priority. Above all, we dedicated as much time as possible to fully understanding how each aspect of the simulation worked and how they interconnected, this was the primary factor in achieving success.

Overall, running a company with two people in the driver’s seat can be challenging. We both played an active role in analysis and strategy, but when it came to decisions, we found that having one final decision maker to make the changes and optimizations was helpful, and the other to check the decisions and make sure everything was in alignment with our goals was the best way to do it. Sort of like having one CEO to make the final calls and one Board of Director to guide and oversee.

If you could give one piece of advice to future competitors, what would it be?

If I was to give one piece of advice to future competitors, it would be not to underestimate the power of marketing. Market awareness of your product and brand can make or break your sales. If consumers don’t know about your product, then they won’t buy it.

Like many elements in the simulation, market awareness compounds with every rollover, so it is crucial to invest heavily from the first rollover and continue to build on that investment over time. We prioritized marketing from the start and never cut costs in this area.

Another key takeaway was the importance of delivering products that align with consumer preferences and sensitivities. If you have the overall best product based on what consumers actually want in a segment, and you have high awareness & branding of the product, then the market will naturally gravitate toward you. “Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door”.

The most apparent piece of advice is to use your capital wisely. In a real-world environment, investors would not be too happy to see the business they’re invested in misuse their capital. Capital needs to be allocated to the most advantageous areas with both short-term and long-term profitability in mind. You need to show your investors that every dollar you spend will bring back the most return on their investment.

Personal insights and growth

Matthew Lane:

The MikesBikes Advanced Strategic Management simulation has had a deep impact on my understanding of business strategy and decision making. Throughout my life I’ve always been very interested in business, which sparked my passion to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce degree in the first place. During my time at university and with outside research, I’ve built a strong foundation in the subject. But throughout my learning and research I’ve never had a more pivotal learning experience than MikesBikes. It’s hard to explain simply, but the simulation connected the dots of everything I’ve learned about business and made it into a picture that I can see clearly now. What was so crucial was that it allowed me to leverage everything that I’ve learned about business strategy and apply it to manage a company in a real-world highly competitive market environment.

What are your future aspirations, and how does this achievement align with them?

This achievement aligns perfectly with my future aspirations of working in a strategic role within a dynamic and competitive business environment, and in becoming a successful business leader. The experience has reinforced my passion for business strategy and inspired me to continue seeking opportunities where I can make impactful decisions and drive growth.

How has this experience impacted your understanding of business strategy and decision-making?

Being a MikesBikes World Champion is a significant personal accomplishment. It has helped me perfect my skills in strategic decision-making, analytical thinking, problem-solving, and teamwork. It has also allowed me to further refine my skills in strategic business management, market research, competitor analysis, internal & external analysis, and cost-benefit analysis. I’ve also gained hands-on experience interpreting key reports, financial statements, forecasting, market data, and other company reports to identify trends, uncover inefficiencies, and identify opportunities. Overall, this achievement has given me confidence in my ability to navigate complex business environments and make strategic decisions that lead to success.

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my gratitude to my team member Imranur Rahman for his dedication and collaboration throughout the competition. I would also like to thank professor Hendrikson for creating such a wonderful university course encompassing the MikesBikes Advanced Simulation at its heart, allowing us to gain a deep understanding of the simulation from the start, which helped pave our way to success in the World Championship. Lastly, I extend my thanks to SmartSims for reaching out and inviting me to compete in this intense and deeply fulfilling competition that tested my abilities and pushed me to new heights. It has been an honor to compete, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was such a defining moment in my academic journey and has provided me with invaluable knowledge and experience that will guide me to success in the future.

Imranur Rahman:

Winning the 2024/25 MikesBikes World Championship has been an incredibly rewarding experience. Representing Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Canada, on this global stage has been a source of immense pride. This competition has not only validated the countless hours of dedication and strategic planning but has also underscored the importance of teamwork and applied learning in achieving success

How do you plan to leverage your experience as MikesBikes World Champs in your career?

Furthermore, this experience has increased my confidence in dealing with complicated business circumstances, developing adaptability and resilience—characteristics required for a successful career in today’s ever-changing corporate scene. The practical insights learned from this competition have not only enhanced my educational journey but have also equipped me to make important contributions to future professional efforts.

I have gained a variety of skills from competing in the MikesBikes competition that I can use immediately in the workplace. The simulation provided an engaging setting for developing vital skills including effective communication, problem-solving, and strategic decision-making. My business awareness and professional abilities have improved as a result of participating in this experiential learning method, which offers a secure environment for experimentation and decision-making without the consequences of real-world outcomes.

Acknowledgements

I want to express my sincere gratitude to a few people who have helped me along the way: my teammate Matthew Lane, whose dedication and teamwork were essential in overcoming the challenges of the simulation; and our course professor Andrew Hendrikson, whose wise advice served as a foundation of our strategic approach.

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Check-out the past winners here.

Learn about MikesBikes World Champs here.