My experience of the Full-time MBA Entrepreneurship specialism

Full-time MBA participant, Diego Echeverria, describes his experience of the Entrepreneurship specialism, and the skills he has developed during his MBA.

I was quite happy with my job back in Mexico. The work-life balance was good, I liked what I was doing and the relationship with my boss and colleagues was great. So why did I leave it all to do an MBA?

Even though I was content with my everyday life, I had the desire to learn something new and do something more challenging. I needed a change, and soon found that in order to pursue my dream of having a more senior role and fully exploit my capabilities by making a positive impact in others’ lives; I needed to complement my Chemical Engineering and R&D background with a deeper business acumen. I also wanted to experience living in a foreign country and learn from people from all over the world.

My brother (who happens to be a Warwick Business School MBA alumni) helped me realise that an MBA was the right move for me. Not only it would make me more versatile by complementing my skillset in areas where I was lacking expertise, but it would also help me know myself better and have a clearer view of what role I should be pursuing. Now that I am reaching the end of my MBA, I am happy to say it was all worth it and the overall experience has made me more confident, curious, and self-aware.

One of the best decisions I made during this year was taking on the entrepreneurship specialism. I think many make the mistake of thinking it is only suitable for students who want to start their own business after graduating, but this is not the case. More than focusing solely on the entrepreneurial journey, it is more about the mindset, which is helpful in any environment

In the Entrepreneurial Finance module, I learned about the main ways of funding a new venture from the entrepreneur´s side and gained an understanding on what drives Venture Capitalists, Private Equity investors, and the rationale behind M&A deals. This introduced me to an area of business, which I never considered before for myself, and I found it fascinating.

In the Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation module, I learned about the skills required to be an entrepreneur and how they are transferrable to established organisations. An entrepreneurial mindset brings to a company an increased customer focus, and a more agile mindset. It offers the value of failing fast and cheap to enhance learning, and trying not to predict the future, but rather use processes to control it and create the most favourable outcomes and embracing uncertainty. To me, it is clear that these powerful learnings are useful regardless of the organisational growth stage, and it is something I will be able to apply not only professionally, but in my personal life as well.

From where I stand, an MBA is hands down one of the best things you can do for yourself both professionally and personally. Life is what we make of it, so if you think an MBA is the right move for you, do not doubt yourself. If you commit to it, you will surely find out you have what it takes.

I hope this blog was helpful and if you have any doubts or questions, please just reach out to me!

Find out more about the Full-time MBA.