Your articles - Nov 2009

From break-up to start-up; how the MBA changed my life!

Kuldeep Brar (MBA 2009)

Number of ten year relationships ended: 2
Number of years sacrificed to the temple of the MBA that is Cass: 2 (and a bit)
Number of aha moments or “inspired genius ideas” that occurred with my fellow cohort in the bar after class: about 100
Number of MBA inspired ideas that turned out not to be moments of genius after all: 100 +
Number of start-ups I’m trying to develop now: 1 (may have been aided by aforementioned strategy reviews in the local bar)
MBA changing my life, a’la Bridget Jones? Maybe

…..Perhaps not in a fag smoking, Ben and Jerry’s and Chardonnay fuelled sense. For one, I’m not a smoker and I also can’t stand Chardonnay and more often than not we have to be our own knight in shining armour when we face trials and tribulations in real life. When I started my Modular Executive MBA in May 2007 I was in two committed long term relationships; one was my personal life the other my corporate career in the City. The plan was simple; I was going to get my MBA, move into Management Consultancy and things would carry on as before. But like many individuals in their 30’s a number of events changed the status quo and what made sense before suddenly felt as ludicrous as a scene from Bridget Jones’s diary. Fast forward two years, I am no longer in either relationship and have turned my back on a ‘sensible job in the City’ to start my own business.

I am very fortunate, both situations ended on good terms and I was able to plan an exit that meant I could financially afford to self fund my MBA and consider doing something completely different. The MBA was a great experience but pardon the pun it was no ‘Mark Darcy’. It opened my eyes and allowed me to test my confidence and gain insight in completely different areas, but it was down to me to get the most out of it and think about future career options that could be right for me. It reinforced to me my strengths and the things that I really enjoyed as well as subjects that were always going to be a challenge or hold little interest; sadly, Quantitative Methods and Business Operations were never going to float my boat. But the Emerging Markets experience and my Business Mastery Project really gave me an opportunity to stretch myself to see what I could do. Earning a distinction for both was great, but more important was the feeling that determination, focus and self belief could lead to amazing things.

I’ve now finished my MBA and it’s been a rewarding experience that has opened many new doors for me and I’m very excited about the prospect of developing my ideas. The business I want to start is in a completely different industry from my previous experience; it’s in the area of home cooked food and in the very early stages. I don’t yet have a website, sector experience or enough funds. But I do have a sense of quiet tenacity which for me is more important than confidence at this stage. I have much to learn and many challenges to overcome. Sometimes it’s really exciting, other times a little daunting but it feels good to invest in myself again.

I’m in the research phase at the moment, interviewing prospective customers and going to trade fairs. Last month I went to the Fine Food Fair with bags of enthusiasm and naivety. I had an amazing day talking to suppliers and fellow visitors and got some great advice, but I also faced resistance and some challenging attitudes. I noticed once again the huge difference going from a business to business environment to a business to consumer sector in a completely different industry. Unperturbed I treated it like I would a new elective; there was much I didn’t know but in other areas I knew more than I realised. There were new people I met that were warm and helpful, others potential competitors maybe, that were quite protective and reluctant to share, I learned something from both. I left the fair with too many freebies and brochures having eaten too much chocolate and ‘tasted’ too many tipples. But before I move into Bridge Jones’s territory again, I’m following up with some of the contacts, one of whom is a restaurateur and happy to meet up and be a potential mentor. I’m going to keep up the momentum and am visiting the Restaurant Show this week at Earl’s court, which will give me another opportunity to research a parallel industry to my target sector. Whilst much of my research is time consuming and not always obviously relevant, it does remind me of my time on the MBA, when it wasn’t till nearer the end of the course that different elements started to come together and make sense as a whole. So I’m hoping my research at trade fairs will lead to similar “aha moments”, either that or I’ll have to head straight for the chocolate and drinks again…. bring on the freebies but hold off on the Chardonnay please!