An MBA for the Entrepreneur and Small Biz Owner? YES!!!

It was a no-brainer for me…I had a nice career in technology at an assortment of corporations (e.g., Thomson / Reuters, Cantor Fitzgerald Securities, UNISYS) but as I was five years into launching and running a growing startup with several friends, my world suddenly revolved around managing people and clients in a much different way.?My days, evenings, weekends and holidays were filled with navigating complex contracts and proposals for clients like Deloitte, Google and Yahoo! (they can be kind of picky), managing 7x24x365 availability (and customer service) and trying to figure out where to take the business next (let alone building consensus with my business partners on those challenges).

Like most technologists, I thought I was already ahead of the game.?No disrespect to other techies, but sometimes we can have the blinders on and just assume that we know everything.?But I realized that despite five years of successful year-over-year growth and expansion to 26 employees, rough times were ahead.?Suddenly the challenges were becoming more complex. The right path for me was to seek out an educational intervention to help retool me. This was an investment for both me and the continued success of the company.

There were four choices in the somewhat local MBA market and a variety of program formats to choose from. Now, in 2023, there are also countless remote options to further confuse the learner. After exploring all the local (and online) options I quickly decided to put my efforts into Rollins College and the Crummer Graduate School of Business.?The whys:

• I wanted a cohort-based program where I would learn from other participating executives as well as a faculty with real, applied experience.
• Experiential was important to me…hands-on, real data, site visits, guest speakers….I wanted to do more than just learn from a book.
• A schedule built for executives…Back then, Crummer was one day a week (the Executive MBA model now is even more friendly to busy schedules meeting one weekend a month).
• And just as important as in the classroom, an alumni experience that would connect me with other professionals while opening the full resources of the school to me throughout my career.

So after completing the Crummer Executive MBA in 2007, could I see the ROA? YES - there was an immediate impact to my performance and the performance of my company:

• Negotiating with the sales force over commission schedules - I failed at that as a “technologist” but my eyes were opened when I understood more about motivations, the key account sales process, and really, just understanding how to hire and retain the people with the right competencies.
• Client management - I previously was always in a defensive posture.?I learned that negative feedback can be a gift and sometimes a small concession could bring many returns through client retention. Our clients saw a difference in how we operated...and they appreciated it.
• Just my general financial acumen…it wasn’t long after graduation when this “technologist” was awarded the Orlando Business Journal’s CFO of the Year award (talk about successful pivots).

• My hunch was right about "being a member of the Crummer family" post-graduation. When folks were knocking on the door to buy the company, I was able to return to Crummer to have some great conversations with the faculty…they always were open to meeting for coffee and chatting about things like revenue recognition for a Software-as-a-Service business model and how to negotiate not just with the potential buyers but also with my partners.?(That alone is a book to write some day.)

My recommendation for a business owner and entrepreneur will always be to find a strong MBA program and to make the investment in yourself. Involve your staff in the process - share your learning with them, and certainly also invest in their learning and development. The returns, if you select the right program, will last a lifetime.?

I am eternally grateful to all of my Crummer extended family!?(Disclosure – I am so passionate about the programs there that I now pay-it-forward through working at Rollins College.?Nothing is as rewarding as the opportunity to help grow our future leaders and connect businesses with the amazing resources at Crummer.)

Michael Kazazis, an executive with experience in technology, finance, and operations, was co-founder of?Censeo Corporation, a leading SaaS provider of assessment technologies / consulting services in the HR marketplace. In October 2011, he successfully negotiated the sale of the firm to Mercer / Marsh McLennan where it has now become Talent Assessment Solutions.?In 2011, Michael was named CFO of the Year by the Orlando Business Journal. He has an MBA from Rollins College and?serves as Director of Business Development and Partner Relations for the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College.