Hi everyone,
I have an engineering background and I’m interested in getting a business degree, not to work in a corporate role, but to eventually run my own business or startup.
I don’t own a business yet, but this is a path I want to get into and prepare for properly.
I want to understand how:
• Businesses are managed
• Deals and negotiations work
• Investing, funding, and valuation work
• And anything related to managing a business
I’m unsure what makes the most sense:
• MBA vs Entrepreneurship vs Finance/Management?
• Or is hands-on experience better than a formal degree?
For founders or people with technical + business backgrounds: What would you recommend and why?
Thank you all
Best business degree for actually running my own business/startup (engineering background)
byu/the_unwanted_11 inbusiness
Posted by the_unwanted_11
2 Comments
mba is the expensive way to learn what you can figure out by actually starting something and failing cheap. if you want the credential for fundraising though, go mba at a school with good networks.
You’re better off finding a company and a founder you admire and working for them. At smaller companies, you have direct access to the founder, and you can learn a lot more from a high achiever than from going to university. A master’s degree teaches you how to think differently (which is great); however, you will not learn the hard skill sets you need to run a business. Save yourself the tens of thousands of dollars, pick 6 business books to read in a year and find someone kick-ass to work with. Some books I’ve read that come to mind that are worth reading are:
– Good Strategy, Bad Strategy, knowing the differences and why it matters
– The Personal MBA
– Scaling Up. How a few companies make it and why the rest don’t
– Blue Ocean Strategy
– Financial statements – step by step guide to understanding and creating financial reports
– eMyths revisited – why most small businesses don’t work and what to do about it