Most MBAs Become Consultants and I-bankers

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Don’t try to fit a square peg into a round hole.  If you are an MBA, or if you are looking to partner with an MBA, bear in mind that the majority of MBA graduates, particularly those from top programs, become consultants or investment bankers.  This of course depends on the hiring climate in these and other professions, but the reality is that most MBAs (at least the ones I’ve come in contact with) are highly risk-averse and have a tendency to over-analyze.  As they say, “analysis-paralysis”.  This lesson is not meant to discourage you, rather it is included to point out a basic reality: if you are an MBA, you have been trained to analyze extensively before making a decision and taking action.  The reality is that many situations in entrepreneurship do not lend themselves to a large volume of analysis, rather you need to be willing to trust your “gut” quite often.  So if you are an MBA, or looking to hire or partner with one, just realize that most MBAs talk a good game about how entrepreneurial they are, but when it comes down to it, they usually are quite uncomfortable in the unprotected, resource-constrained world of entrepreneurship.  Don’t say I didn’t tell you, if you or one of your employees / partners ends up concluding that entrepreneurship is not for you after all, and without much warning takes a job with with a big and “comfortable” company (do they still exist?).

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Paul is a serial entrepreneur, strategic and risk management advisor, marketer, speaker and coach who has dedicated the majority of his career to entrepreneurship, leadership and peak performance. Paul has worked with various entrepreneurial companies in senior management roles and has led the development, review, and selective implementation of several hundred start-up and corporate venture business plans, financial models, and feasibility analyses. He has performed due diligence on and valuation of many potential investment and acquisition candidates. Paul was also the Director of a consulting operation in Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Paul has lived, worked, learned and traveled extensively in Latin America, Europe, and Asia and speaks and writes English, Portuguese, and Spanish.

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