Simmons School of Management hosted a panel discussion on starting and funding a small business. MBA student Audrey Markarian shared her experience attending the panel in the Simmons student blog.
Markarian beings by explaining how she made the decision to attend Simmons instead of saving her money for opening her own business.
“The question of if an MBA was the right choice was one that plagued me as I thought about applying to graduate school. When I looked at the situation from a purely financial perspective, the argument of “save your money to start a business” kept coming up.
Despite that concern, however, I decided that pursuing an MBA at Simmons was the right choice, so I could build a deep understanding of the foundations of business, which would be applicable in a variety of work situations.
This week I had the opportunity to attend a panel discussion about starting and funding a small business, hosted by the Simmons School of Management Alumni Association. Prior to the panel discussion, there was an opportunity to meet a number of alumni who were there to offer their support and guidance.
The panel discussion that followed was an amazing opportunity for both prospective and current entrepreneurs to learn from the experiences of four successful small business owners.”
The panel consisted of Simmons SOM alumni, Carolina Tejedor Meyers ’12, co-owner of Caramelo Clothing Company and Michelle Conceison, ’03, co-founder of Market Monkey. Other panelist were Elizabeth Morrow, owner of Yoga by Numbers and Jennifer Pinck, founder and president of Pinck & Co.
Markarian explains how the panel discussion helped with her future plans for her own business.
“I was encouraged by Carolina to consider working with a business partner whose strengths compliment my own. Elizabeth’s fearless drive to connect with people who could help her develop her business made me rethink my own hesitation to ask for help. Michelle demonstrated how important it is to keep yourself open to opportunity, and Jennifer opened my eyes to how a small beginning can build into so much more.
More importantly, I went home that night knowing without a doubt that my decision to pursue entrepreneurship at Simmons was the right choice.”