Why and How Earning an MBA Will Help You as an Entrepreneur

If you’ve ever considered the benefits of starting your own business, you’re not alone. According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, two-thirds of adults worldwide think entrepreneurship is a good career choice, and many are pursuing this path. In 2015, an impressive 15 million workers were reported to be self-employed in the US alone. From the appeal of being your own boss to the satisfaction of bringing a new business idea to life, it can be tempting to make the leap straight from employee to entrepreneur. However, having seen hundreds of enterprising students pass through our classrooms at Hult, we’ve found many compelling reasons why an MBA for an entrepreneur might be the best first step towards self-employed success. The structured curriculum of an MBA will give you essential business knowledge and insight Many aspiring entrepreneurs are full of creative and innovative ideas but lack the fundamental business knowledge needed to thrive in a competitive marketplace. That’s where an MBA comes in. As an MBA student, your course will give you invaluable context to help shape your ideas and essential practical insight into business administration. Moreover, getting down to the basics of businesses doesn’t mean you have to lose sight of your entrepreneurial aspirations. At Hult, our Global One-Year MBA students can specialize in Entrepreneurship, giving them access to a wide range of core courses and electives specifically designed to equip them with the knowledge to successfully launch their own ventures. Electives like Disruptive Business Models and Big Data Analytics are offered to help refine your own business concepts and develop key skills of analysis, giving you an edge when bringing your ideas to the market. If you follow the entrepreneurship route, you’ll also have the opportunity to apply your classroom knowledge through practical experience and case studies that demonstrate how successful ventures overcome international business issues and thrive. The insight and experience you’ll gain as a student will better prepare you for the international business challenges you’re likely to encounter in the real world. The demands of your course will hone your leadership skills and develop your resilience To excel as an entrepreneur, you’ll need to learn to communicate effectively and persuasively. For many people, these skills don’t come naturally, but now more than ever, business schools have come to realize how critical it is for their students to graduate with the personal skills required for effective leadership. At Hult, leadership development is core to our curriculum and especially relevant to how our MBA helps in entrepreneurship. As an MBA student, you will learn the art of adaptive thinking, collaboration, interpersonal influence, and other important soft skills. Entrepreneurs are leaders by definition, and developing the mental toughness and resilience needed to turn trials into triumphs is key for enterprising students. A true test of mental toughness can be found when undertaking the entrepreneurial track of the Hult Business Challenge. This intensive, long-term project requires student teams to work together to develop and pitch startup ideas to a panel of today’s top entrepreneurs and global executives. With the coaching of expert faculty, their ideas are evaluated on real-world criteria for a viable startup, such as innovation, business model, and strength of underpinning analysis. Many Hult students use this capstone project as a way to test and validate new business ideas and go on to pursue their venture after graduation. You’ll earn eye-catching academic credentials and international experience to impress potential partners and investors With entrepreneurship becoming an ever more popular career choice, an MBA can help you prove to prospective partners and investors that you’re genuinely invested in making yourself and your business venture a success. On a practical level, the knowledge you gain during your MBA studies will help you to create a more comprehensive business plan and persuasive pitch, while the added academic credentials on your resume can help to give weight to your ideas. Choosing to study abroad as part of your MBA studies is yet another way to validate your ideas on an international stage and add credibility to your business pitch. Potential investors will value the global market insight you will have gained while studying overseas.   At Hult, we understand the importance of global exposure for entrepreneurs. That’s why our MBA students have the option of learning across six global campuses, including San Francisco—arguably the startup capital of the world. Our students find exposure to this fast-paced, innovative atmosphere transformative and inspiring. â€Å"Hult is the world’s most global MBA program, offering one-of-a-kind global rotation. When selecting schools, I researched thoroughly by talking to several Hult alumni, and they all loved their experience. Hult offers a unique one-year program and fast-track to our dream positions.† Fanny Yu MBA Class of 2017 Your peers will become invaluable advisors, collaborators, or future customers During your studies, you’ll become part of a cohort of ambitious students from different cultures and backgrounds. Their diverse range of skills, experience, and knowledge will make them an ideal sounding board to test your concept and get invaluable market insight. You’ll find that your peers from other parts of the world will offer different ways of looking at business concepts, offering a valuable new perspective when it comes to shaping your startup ideas. You may even discover that like-minded classmates could make excellent business partners or collaborators, whether they’re skilled IT developers, savvy marketers, or entrepreneurs themselves. One thing is certain—the contacts you’ll make on your MBA studies will add huge value to you professional network when it comes to launching your future business idea. You’ll learn from the brightest minds in business and your professors can become mentors to make your idea a success At the MBA level, your professors will bring decades of insight and expertise into the classroom. At Hult, our faculty is made up of hundreds of highly knowledgeable and experienced business people, many of whom have been consultants, investors, or have launched successful business ventures themselves. Take advantage of this incredible opportunity for advice, mentorship, and constructive criticism. You might find yourself learning from leading-edge business theorists who can help to inform your approach and shape your thinking. Among the faculty at Hult, Dr. Ted Ladd, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, has been examining the use and benefits of the Lean Startup Method. Along with a recent article in the Harvard Business Review, his findings have informed his teaching, to the benefit the aspiring entrepreneurs who pass through his classroom. Beyond the full-time faculty, as an MBA student you are likely to have the opportunity to hear from a range of thought-leading guest speakers from across global industries. Exposure to the brightest minds in the world of business is an enormous perk of your student experience and a big argument as to how an MBA helps in entrepreneurship. Ready to make your business idea a success? Discover how Hult’s Global One Year MBA is specially designed to help you thrive as an entrepreneur. Read more about the success stories of Hult’s entrepreneurs: Hult’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Generates a New Wave of StartUps Global Alumni Entrepreneurs Entrepreneurship at the executive education level is alive and well at Hult Step up your game with executive education at Ashridge agile business school. To find out more, take a look at our blog Entrepreneurship at the executive education level is alive and well at Hult, or firm up your exec career footing with a Masters in International Business from Hult. Download a brochure or get in touch today to find out how Hult can help you learn everything about the business world, the future, and yourself. Hult Rotation offers you a chance to study in a truly global way. Our rotation program allows you to study and be immersed in some of the finest cities in the world. 📠¸: @jasminmanzano . Hult Rotation offers you a chance to study in a truly global way. Our rotation program allows you to study and be immersed in some of the finest cities in the world. 📠¸: @jasminmanzano . Each year, Hult seeks to enroll a talented and ambitious incoming class from all over the world. We look for diverse students with a wide range of experiences, perspectives, and interests—students who will thrive in our unique educational atmosphere. Are you ready for a truly global experience? 📠¸: @iambrunadiniz . Each year, Hult seeks to enroll a talented and ambitious incoming class from all over the world. We look for diverse students with a wide range of experiences, perspectives, and interests—students who will thrive in our unique educational atmosphere. Are you ready for a truly global experience? 📠¸: @iambrunadiniz . We’re excited to start 2020 on a ranking high! Hult is proud to have been placed #28 in Poets Quants 2020 rankings for Best Undergraduate Business Schools in the US. Taking a huge leap of 32 places from our 2019 position, we’re also very happy to have secured top positions in key categories like: life-changing experience, practicality of the degree, and global immersion. . With five global campuses, a student body of over 130 nationalities, and a learn-by-doing approach—Hult offers a student experience like no other. . We’re excited to start 2020 on a ranking high! Hult is proud to have been placed #28 in Poets Quants 2020 rankings for Best Undergraduate Business Schools in the US. Taking a huge leap of 32 places from our 2019 position, we’re also very happy to have secured top positions in key categories like: life-changing experience, practicality of the degree, and global immersion. . With five global campuses, a student body of over 130 nationalities, and a learn-by-doing approach—Hult offers a student experience like no other. . â€Å"I’m from an engineering background and needed a whole new skill set for the industry I wanted to switch to. I learned a lot about myself and how I deal with being out of my comfort zone. I learned both soft and hard skills, from how to work in very diverse teams to key accounting metrics and strategy. I was surprised by how weak I was at certain tasks in English or how strong I actually was in other areas. Hult gave me opportunities to try new things and meet people from places I never thought I would have friends. . My internship experiences gave me the chance to broaden my view of different cultures and different companies. I had the opportunity to work and live with people whose values differed from people in my home country. I thought that this would be difficult, but it gave me the chance to reflect on my own values and assess if they were a result of my home country environment or if they were intrinsically mine. . Diederick ter Kulve (@diederick.terkulve) Netherlands Masters in International Business . â€Å"I’m from an engineering background and needed a whole new skill set for the industry I wanted to switch to. I learned a lot about myself and how I deal with being out of my comfort zone. I learned both soft and hard skills, from how to work in very diverse teams to key accounting metrics and strategy. I was surprised by how weak I was at certain tasks in English or how strong I actually was in other areas. Hult gave me opportunities to try new things and meet people from places I never thought I would have friends. . My internship experiences gave me the chance to broaden my view of different cultures and different companies. I had the opportunity to work and live with people whose values differed from people in my home country. I thought that this would be difficult, but it gave me the chance to reflect on my own values and assess if they were a result of my home country environment or if they were intrinsically mine. . Diederick ter Kulve (@diederick.terkulve) Netherlands Masters in International Business . Say a big hello to our Bachelor of Business Administration program cover star, Elisa Orus Plana âÅ" ¨ . â€Å"I’m excited for the future—especially that I cant predict whats going to happen. Maybe Ill end up in Mexico working for a trading company or maybe in Africa, developing my own business. Everything is possible, and the options are constantly changing. I love the idea that Im never going to be stuck doing the same job until the end of my life if I dont want it to be like this. . Hult really supports me and my ambitions and truly believes that we deserve to be considered as professionals as well as students. Here, I get to express not just my opinions but all elements of myself. From my creative side with the Fashion Society to my finance and business sides in Trading Club and the Management Consulting Club. We get a different type of learning here. Not just essential knowledge and theory, but practical skills and mindset. The school is always evolving. We’re encouraged to innovate and to always look for new ways of doing traditional things. We learn how to be more confident and become aware of how we can impact our environment. The school aims to help you become a better version of yourself and to stand out from the crowd.â€Å" . Elisa Orus Plana French Bachelor of Business Administration Class of 2021 Say a big hello to our Bachelor of Business Administration program cover star, Elisa Orus Plana âÅ" ¨ . â€Å"I’m excited for the future—especially that I cant predict whats going to happen. Maybe Ill end up in Mexico working for a trading company or maybe in Africa, developing my own business. Everything is possible, and the options are constantly changing. I love the idea that Im never going to be stuck doing the same job until the end of my life if I dont want it to be like this. . Hult really supports me and my ambitions and truly believes that we deserve to be considered as professionals as well as students. Here, I get to express not just my opinions but all elements of myself. From my creative side with the Fashion Society to my finance and business sides in Trading Club and the Management Consulting Club. We get a different type of learning here. Not just essential knowledge and theory, but practical skills and mindset. The school is always evolving. We’re encouraged to innovate and to always look for new ways of doing traditional things. We learn how to be more confident and become aware of how we can impact our environment. The school aims to help you become a better version of yourself and to stand out from the crowd.â€Å" . Elisa Orus Plana French Bachelor of Business Administration Class of 2021"> During the final days of 2019, you probably reflected on what you’ve accomplished this year—and even this decade—and what you’d like to achieve in 2020. Let us know in the comments below. During the final days of 2019, you probably reflected on what you’ve accomplished this year—and even this decade—and what you’d like to achieve in 2020. Let us know in the comments below. â€Å"The first time we did group work on the program, I went head-to-head with a colleague. It taught me a lot about how I see people, how people see me, and how conflict can be resolved in a kind and productive way. The best feedback you get, when delivered constructively, is the most critical because it really feeds into how you lead. I’ve completely reversed my leadership style—the result is so much richer and more powerful when you lead from behind and lead with strength. . Studying in tandem with working, whilst challenging, gave me the perfect platform to directly apply learning concepts into my business environment, the competitive landscape, and the real-estate industry as a whole. When I started the program, I was very happy in my corporate role. But my courage and aspirations grew to the point that I took on a whole new direction. Having my career coach, Joanna, as a sounding board allowed me to really be strategic and get to know myself. She coached me thro ugh all the interviews, the research, and the questions. It went in parallel with what I was doing academically and after six months everything just clicked. . I went into the EMBA knowing I had nothing to lose and I’ve come out with everything. Great strength, global friends, amazing learning, mentors from professors, a job I love, and the knowledge that I can set my mind to achieve anything and with the right support and resources I’ll get there.† . Kashani Wijetunga British, New Zealand Sri Lankan Associate Director Senior Strategy Consultant CBRE EMBA Class of 2019 . â€Å"The first time we did group work on the program, I went head-to-head with a colleague. It taught me a lot about how I see people, how people see me, and how conflict can be resolved in a kind and productive way. The best feedback you get, when delivered constructively, is the most critical because it really feeds into how you lead. I’ve completely reversed my leadership style—the result is so much richer and more powerful when you lead from behind and lead with strength. . Studying in tandem with working, whilst challenging, gave me the perfect platform to directly apply learning concepts into my business environment, the competitive landscape, and the real-estate industry as a whole. When I started the program, I was very happy in my corporate role. But my courage and aspirations grew to the point that I took on a whole new direction. Having my career coach, Joanna, as a sounding board allowed me to really be strategic and get to know myself. She coached me thro ugh all the interviews, the research, and the questions. It went in parallel with what I was doing academically and after six months everything just clicked. . I went into the EMBA knowing I had nothing to lose and I’ve come out with everything. Great strength, global friends, amazing learning, mentors from professors, a job I love, and the knowledge that I can set my mind to achieve anything and with the right support and resources I’ll get there.† . Kashani Wijetunga British, New Zealand Sri Lankan Associate Director Senior Strategy Consultant CBRE EMBA Class of 2019 . â€Å"It was now or never. I knew that I’d have likely stayed in my neighborhood for years to come if I didn’t take this opportunity. I’d not lived or studied outside of the U.S. before. So I left my job as a global strategist at an advertising agency and moved halfway around the world. I’ve come back a more culturally aware, well-versed person. I’ve realized that everything is a learning experience and an opportunity for growth. Ill definitely carry this mindset with me into the future. Technology and social media allow us to be different people in several places at once. Im excited to see how I can establish myself in whatever city Ill be lucky enough to call home and still maintain deep connections with people all over the world. I’m inspired by my classmates every day. Hearing some of their life stories and how getting this degree fits into their greater mission has been very humbling. My biggest challenge has been finding the ‘right’ path for me. There have been rooms Ive felt like I shouldnt be in, but now Im proud to feel as though I truly belong, wherever I am.† . Dwayne Logan, Jnr. American MBA Class of 2019 . â€Å"It was now or never. I knew that I’d have likely stayed in my neighborhood for years to come if I didn’t take this opportunity. I’d not lived or studied outside of the U.S. before. So I left my job as a global strategist at an advertising agency and moved halfway around the world. I’ve come back a more culturally aware, well-versed person. I’ve realized that everything is a learning experience and an opportunity for growth. Ill definitely carry this mindset with me into the future. Technology and social media allow us to be different people in several places at once. Im excited to see how I can establish myself in whatever city Ill be lucky enough to call home and still maintain deep connections with people all over the world. I’m inspired by my classmates every day. Hearing some of their life stories and how getting this degree fits into their greater mission has been very humbling. My biggest challenge has been finding the ‘right’ path for me. There have been rooms Ive felt like I shouldnt be in, but now Im proud to feel as though I truly belong, wherever I am.† . Dwayne Logan, Jnr. American MBA Class of 2019 . Happy New Year, Hultians! . Happy New Year, Hultians! .