4 ms·

I am an experienced entrepreneur in that I have both run and been a part of a few (mostly successful!) small businesses, one in which I was second-tier manageme

I am an experienced entrepreneur in that I have both run and been a part of a few (mostly successful!) small businesses, one in which I was second-tier management on the tech side (hiring, personal and team execution, partnerships/integrations) sold for USD$48.5M. Another at which I was first employee I just sold my shares in at a still higher valuation. Currently I am running another, which I believe without a doubt will be the most successful by a significant margin, as I have multiple offers for a large portion of that capital on the table already. I'm considering a well regarded MBA program (HKUST), in go-slow part time mode. The (ex-KPMG) head of a VC firm interested in leading our subsequent round encouraged me not to do it, suggesting it would take too much time and a mentor would be superior, despite the schedule being essentially weekend-oriented and specifically designed for people already in industry. I believe, despite the VC's concerns, that it may be useful to me at this point in my life, though maybe for different reasons than most. 1. I've spent a lot of my career working remotely or as a fly-in short term worker in different cultures (UK, US, Korea, etc.), or running my own businesses in a foreign culture (China), I haven't been in the formal business environment very much. While I have made successful VC presentations and been part of critical meetings with all sectors, I do feel I can up my game in terms of professionalism. Spending time amongst a motivated peer group from industry with similar focus and goals will no doubt do wonders. 2. By understanding the scope and depth of a leading MBA course (some of which I will have already encountered) I can better grok others I encounter in the business landscape in terms of their probable levels of education and thinking on various issues. 3. I dropped out of my undergraduate degree (though with excellent marks, multiple scholarships, and glowing head-of-department references) so having something formal and tertiary may make more of a difference later. 4. Students reside on campus with an eastward morning view of the ocean in Hong Kong, which will provide a nice sporadic (every two weekends) physical, mental and social break from urban Shenzhen, where I am currently relocating with my company http://8-food.com/ http://8-food.com/ and family. While I understand the VC's concern - "run the business! don't prepare to run someone else's business later!", as well as harboring the same concerns outlined below, and do have the Thiel quote on MBAs in my fortune database - https://github.com/globalcitizen/taoup https://github.com/globalcitizen/taoup - I am frankly leaning towards doing it anyway... if they'll take me. ;) I'll let you know in a few years!

imron 10y ago
Several years back I did a semester of the MBA program at Tsinghua University as part of a (now discontinued) Australian government scholarship program. One of my main takeaways from that experience was finding out that disciplines such as marketing and sales had far more rigor than I previously realised. Coming from a technical background it was easy to be dismissive of these fields. From that perspective, I think your point 2 is likely to be where you get the most value. I'd also add a point 5. the alumni network and all the networking advantages that provides. At a top-tier program, your classmates will likely go on to be movers and shakers in their industries, though it might take quite some time to manifest.
- contingencies 10y ago
  Sounds interesting... I had no idea Qinghua offered MBA courses to exchange students. Re: rigor in other fields, I've already learned that lesson, but I suspect you are right on both points.

imron 10y ago

Several years back I did a semester of the MBA program at Tsinghua University as part of a (now discontinued) Australian government scholarship program. One of my main takeaways from that experience was finding out that disciplines such as marketing and sales had far more rigor than I previously realised. Coming from a technical background it was easy to be dismissive of these fields. From that perspective, I think your point 2 is likely to be where you get the most value. I'd also add a point 5. the alumni network and all the networking advantages that provides. At a top-tier program, your classmates will likely go on to be movers and shakers in their industries, though it might take quite some time to manifest.

contingencies 10y ago
Sounds interesting... I had no idea Qinghua offered MBA courses to exchange students. Re: rigor in other fields, I've already learned that lesson, but I suspect you are right on both points.