{"id":27886,"date":"2017-02-23T12:06:17","date_gmt":"2017-02-23T17:06:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/?p=27886"},"modified":"2017-08-30T07:58:07","modified_gmt":"2017-08-30T11:58:07","slug":"beyond-the-corporate-arena-mba-valuable-to-entrepreneurs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/2017\/02\/beyond-the-corporate-arena-mba-valuable-to-entrepreneurs\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond the corporate arena: MBA valuable to entrepreneurs."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-27909\" src=\"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/MBA-valuable-to-entrepreneurs.jpg\" alt=\"Beyond the corporate arena: MBA valuable to entrepreneurs.\" width=\"770\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/MBA-valuable-to-entrepreneurs.jpg 770w, https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/MBA-valuable-to-entrepreneurs-300x156.jpg 300w, https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/MBA-valuable-to-entrepreneurs-230x119.jpg 230w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In the corporate world, it\u2019s clear: the MBA pays off, in higher average salaries and stronger career potential.<\/p>\n<p>Yet the MBA can also be an asset for entrepreneurship. Some of the most notable entrepreneurs in the world \u2013 from Michael Bloomberg and Elon Musk to Phil Knight and Scott McNealy \u2013 also earned an MBA as part of their path to success.<\/p>\n<p>How is an MBA from FIU helping entrepreneurs? What did they gain from their advanced degree? Those questions and others were addressed at an MBA Entrepreneurship Panel on February 3, 2017 at FIU Downtown on Brickell.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt pays off,\u201d said Andres Dominguez (MBA \u201812), co-founder and CEO of Natural Sins, a healthy snack food company. \u201cI landed here in Florida from Venezuela, and I started a business plan based on each class I took as an MBA student. I used FIU as a catapult to apply the knowledge I got in the classroom as a real live project.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Taking risks are a big part of being an entrepreneur. Make sure you measure your risks correctly and make sure you have enough money to run your risks. You need to live and survive.<\/p>\n<footer>Andres Dominguez<\/footer>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-27904\" src=\"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Andres-Dominguez.jpg\" alt=\"Andres Dominguez\" width=\"770\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Andres-Dominguez.jpg 770w, https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Andres-Dominguez-300x156.jpg 300w, https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Andres-Dominguez-230x119.jpg 230w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\" \/><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Dominguez added, \u201cI remember Professor (Krishnan) Dandapani asked, \u2018Do you want to be an entrepreneur? Are you sure? If you think it\u2019s tough, think twice, multiply it, square it, and then think again. This isn\u2019t a short run. It\u2019s a marathon. It will take years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Anne Bousquet (EMBA \u201816), CEO and co-founder of Domaine Bousquet Winery and of WISD, an importing company, told the audience of 30 that an MBA is \u201cwhat you make of it.\u201d She added, \u201cI went for the MBA because I wanted the whole education. I practiced economics and I jumped into the winery business, and all of a sudden I had to manage a company. I needed the whole MBA, not just finance, or accounting, or leadership \u2013 I needed it all.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>You don\u2019t have much of a safety net. Entrepreneurship is a great adventure but you worry about everything. The MBA gives you those resources, not to jump, but to study where you\u2019re jumping into. That\u2019s what I learned and it helps every day.<\/p>\n<footer>Anne Bousquet<\/footer>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-27902\" src=\"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Anne-Bousquet.jpg\" alt=\"Anne Bousquet\" width=\"770\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Anne-Bousquet.jpg 770w, https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Anne-Bousquet-300x156.jpg 300w, https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Anne-Bousquet-230x119.jpg 230w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\" \/><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Like Dominguez, Bousquet said that she got real business help while still earning her MBA. \u201cI had major problems in HR in my company while we had the HR management class and I could go to the teacher and talk about it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Bousquet said she chose FIU\u2019s Executive MBA program, in part, because of its structure. \u201cTwo classes a month was doable,\u201d she said. \u201cI also benefitted from the EMBA Consortium, when we got out of the country for a week. It was an excellent experience \u2013 the whole project and structure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Panelist Jesus Padilla (MBA \u201910, BS \u201908), a program assistant with FIU Pino Global Entrepreneurship Center and with the Florida SBDC at FIU, noted that professors apply real-world context to business problems, an important learning tool for entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n<p><em>Being the boss and the janitor.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The panel shared their entrepreneur stories, giving the audience insight into what led them to the entrepreneurship life.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The best advice: it\u2019s not fast. It\u2019s not an overnight thing. It\u2019s not getting on Shark Tank and getting $20 million. Building a successful business takes working hard and it takes time. The passion and the dedication get you to the ultimate goal.<\/p>\n<footer>Alex Quevedo<\/footer>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-27903\" src=\"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Alex-Quevedo.jpg\" alt=\"Alex Quevedo\" width=\"770\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Alex-Quevedo.jpg 770w, https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Alex-Quevedo-300x156.jpg 300w, https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/Alex-Quevedo-230x119.jpg 230w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\" \/><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI did the corporate America thing and it wasn\u2019t for me,\u201d said Alex Quevedo (MBA \u201914, BA \u201990), who had 20 years in upper management before founding Performance Team Sports. \u201cBut being an entrepreneur takes discipline. You\u2019re the boss but you\u2019re also the janitor. You do everything from A to Z.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s in your DNA,\u201d said David Suarez (MBA \u201804), president and CEO of Interactive Training Solutions. \u201cIf you\u2019re an entrepreneur, you kind of know already you\u2019re an entrepreneur. For me it\u2019s about making an impact. We all had our moments when we had to jump. There\u2019s a critical moment when we have it jump. For me, it was knowing that I wanted to make an impact.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Before he sold his business, Panel Moderator George Ray (MBA \u201809), a consultant at the SBDC at FIU, was an entrepreneur. \u201cI just sold a business because I wasn\u2019t passionate about the business,\u201d Ray said. He pointed out, \u201cMy hustle determined my salary.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I have a film degree from NYU. I was selling my soul, producing reality TV in LA. I was either going to stay or get out. Getting an MBA from FIU made a difference in my life quickly. I figured I\u2019d get into marketing and I realized I was an entrepreneur. I tailored my MBA to my own needs and desires and what would work for me.<\/p>\n<footer>David Suarez<\/footer>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-27896\" src=\"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/David-Suarez.jpg\" alt=\"David Suarez\" width=\"770\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/David-Suarez.jpg 770w, https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/David-Suarez-300x156.jpg 300w, https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/David-Suarez-230x119.jpg 230w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 770px) 100vw, 770px\" \/><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><em>Earning an MBA helps with networking.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Helping connect with the south Florida community is a distinctive benefit of earning an MBA at FIU, panelists shared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour network is everything,\u201d said Suarez. \u201cThe best part of the program is that it\u2019s not only an opportunity to build your network, it\u2019s also learning those skills to build your network. The most valuable part of your education are the other people in the classes. It only takes one person to change your life. You just don\u2019t know who that person is \u2013 yet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Suarez added, \u201cI work with companies and individuals everywhere. In Miami, you have access to companies with Latin American headquarters right here. When they get their advanced degrees, guess where they\u2019re getting them? FIU. You have access to those people and those companies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNetworking does help,\u201d said Dominguez. \u201cThanks to FIU, I was the first client of the SBDC, a fantastic organization. I raised my first round of angel investment with the help and support of my mentor from the SBDC. Without that, I wouldn\u2019t be doing this today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Quevedo said he intends to stay in Miami and is glad he chose the FIU master\u2019s program. \u201cThis is where you will build your network for the rest of your life,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m a few years out of my MBA and I still have monthly breakfasts with the guys from my program.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/slideShow\/index.gne?group_id=&amp;user_id=23794481@N04&amp;set_id=72157676474348503\/show\" width=\"100%\" height=\"400\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" align=\"middle\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the corporate world, it\u2019s clear: the MBA pays off, in higher average salaries and stronger career potential. Yet the MBA can also be an asset for entrepreneurship. Some of the most notable entrepreneurs in the world \u2013 from Michael Bloomberg and Elon Musk to Phil Knight and Scott McNealy \u2013 also earned an MBA [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":69,"featured_media":27909,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[4152,107,3643,581,3121,4153,4023,1833],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27886"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/69"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27886"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27886\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27894,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27886\/revisions\/27894"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27886"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}