1. Welcome to the Evisors Webinar
Visit us online at www.evisors.com
From MBA to entrepreneur:
How to make the most of your business school
experience if you want to start a company
featuring
David Adelman
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2. Agenda
• About David
• Why become an entrepreneur
• The 5-step plan for maximizing your time in b-school – The “Masters
in Business Entrepreneurship”
1. Get started early
2. Take the right classes (and meet the right professors)
3. Outside the classroom: Immerse yourself
4. Wear your blinders
5. Network (and learn) like crazy
• Q&A
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3. About David
Education
• MBA, The Wharton School (2011). Major in Entrepreneurial
Management.
• AB, Harvard College (2004)
Experience
• Founder, Reel Tributes
• Operations intern, Overstock.com
• Associate, Charlesbank Capital Partners
• Senior Associate Consultant, Bain & Company
• Founder, Boston International
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4. My story: Consulting to PE to struggling
entrepreneur
2004 2012 2004 2012
Net Worth Net Happiness
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5. There are many reasons to become an
entrepreneur. Some are better than others.
• You’d love nothing more than freedom from “the man”
• You seek flexibility in your hours or work/life balance
• You enjoy creating things
• You have a brilliant idea that the world can’t live without
• You’d rather get things done than be a cog in a machine
• You want to be wealthy
• MDs at Goldman are rich. Peter Thiel is wealthy.
… but can you (and your wife/kids/hungry dog) stomach the risk?
At the end of the day, it’s a personal decision.
Only you know if entrepreneurship is right for you.
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6. The 5-step plan:
Get started early
• Your time in b-school flies by. Graduation (and
the real world) is closer than you think.
• Even if you’re just have a hunch,
explore it today
• Use the first few weeks to figure out
the lay of the land
• Start looking for potential partners
• Tell people your idea. Nobody is going to steal it.
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7. Take the right classes
(and meet the right professors)
• Take as many entrepreneurship courses as you can
• The material is helpful (sort of). Classes on legal
issues, and hands-on business plan creation,
are invaluable.
• The biggest benefit: meeting classmates
and professors who can help you get started
• Take your profs to lunch (don’t worry,
it’s only awkward for the first 5 minutes)
Can you teach entrepreneurship? Maybe.
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8. Outside the classroom:
Immerse yourself
• Take advantage of as many programs
as possible
• Enter the business plan competition
• Attend lectures by alumni
entrepreneurs
• Go to your city’s Tech Meetups
• Join your city’s startup email list(s)
• Find a mentor
• View your classmates as an incubator-
test assumptions!
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9. Wear your blinders
• Your friends will be recruiting
• Don’t worry, you’re not missing out. It
sucks.
• Signing bonuses are nice, but if you
have money saved up (or
friends/family that will invest), that’ll
work too.
• Don’t get discouraged by uncertainty
and self-doubt. If you are overcome by
anxiety as graduation
approaches, take it as a sign.
“Without self-belief nothing can be accomplished. With it, nothing
is impossible.” – Felix Dennis (founder of Maxim)
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10. Network (and learn) like crazy
• Talk to alums, friends, former
colleagues, friends of friends,
experts, etc.
– LinkedIn is your friend
– So is Evisors
• Ask, don’t sell!
• Look for the pain points.
• Listen to what people are telling you.
• Read good books. A few winners:
– The Lean Startup by Eric Riese
– How to Get Rich by Felix Dennis
– Rework by David H Hansson
– Many others!
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11. Q & A
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12. Questions & Answers
Question 1:
Is there a general number of interview
rounds or is it dependent on the firm?
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13. Questions & Answers
Question 2:
What types of questions are covered in
technical interviews? How important is the
technical vs. fit interview?
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14. Questions & Answers
Question 3:
Can you transition from a management to a
finance professional?
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15. Questions & Answers
Question 4:
Is private equity still a favourable field to
start your career?
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16. Questions & Answers
Question 5:
How can a candidate ruin an interview?
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17. Questions & Answers
Question 6:
Is there a general number of interview
rounds or is it dependent on the firm?
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18. Questions & Answers
Question 7:
What types of questions are covered in
technical interviews? How important is the
technical vs. fit interview?
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19. Questions & Answers
Question 8:
Can you transition from a management to a
finance professional?
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20. Thanks for Joining!
Book your session with David at
http://www.evisors.com/expert/710
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