and two full years in your business school education, what exactly will you have learned when you emerge at the other end of the experience?
We asked 22 MBA graduates from some of the top institutions who have gone on to launch their own successful companies to share the best advice they received in business school. Here's some insight into what it means to be a successful founder or employee once you emerge from the classroom.Courtesy of Megan Moran
"The most important advice I received while studying entrepreneurship at Miami University was: 'Ask your customers.' I was taught that when you have an idea, a new product, or a unique solution, take it to the market. Let the people tell you if it's something they struggle with, if the product solves their problem, and if they'd be willing to buy it. You'll also be able to learn new features to add and some to get rid of.
"One invaluable piece of advice that I picked up at business school was to build relationships; don't network. Building relationships with others results in more authentic and genuine relationships where each person is truly [in]vested in the other person's success, and there is more give and take. On the other hand, networking tends to be more superficial and can come across as self-serving.
"My two years at Harvard Business School were instrumental to leadership development and decision-making. Using the case-study method, the MBA program develops the skill of quickly filtering relevant information, determining the most pressing issue to solve, and formulating a position based on the relevant facts. [So the best advice was that] most of business leadership decisions need to be made without perfect information, and without a clear right or wrong answer.