In the Fast Lane

In the Fast Lane

How Fanshawe helped Mauricio’s entrepreneurial dreams come true.

Mauricio Ortiz (Business – Entrepreneurship and Management alumni, 2023) always wanted to do something on his own but wasn’t sure what.

Originally from Cancun, Mexico, he took Fanshawe’s Business –Entrepreneurship and Management program at the Woodstock/Oxford Regional Campus. Two years later, he credits the program for helping develop the skills and confidence to turn a lifelong passion for motorsports into an exciting new business in Woodstock.

In September 2024, Mauricio opened RacingXperience from a storefront on Dundas Street, which offers customers the thrill of racing on circuits around the world using state-of-the-art virtual reality simulators.

Without the skills I gained at Fanshawe, I wouldn’t have been able to do this.

It’s a business concept recognizing the growing interest in motorsport to create an immersive space to experience the excitement of barreling down a racetrack at 300 km/hr.

“I’ve always loved racing, and with Formula 1 becoming more popular, it felt like the perfect time,” he says. “Fanshawe’s courses gave me a little bit of everything—marketing, finance, management—which was exactly what I needed.”

He especially appreciated the faculty’s focused, hands-on approach that encouraged students to apply each lesson to their own business ideas.

“When they taught marketing, I thought about how I would promote my racing business. The finance classes helped me plan the budget,” he says. “Learning how to leverage social media and develop a website gave me a head start so I could save money by doing things myself.”

A few months after opening, Mauricio is optimistic about the future. He plans to grow his business by implementing some ideas he has heard from customers—including birthday parties—before turning his attention to expanding into other markets.

“Without the skills I gained at Fanshawe, I wouldn’t have been able to do this,” he says. “Fanshawe helped me realize my dream.”