Late May six of my MNN colleagues and I embarked on a new adventure. Academic and entrepreneurial in nature, this new adventure was called: a summer at Babson College.
Babson College Campus
We are more than half way through right now, so I guess it is about time to report about what Babson College is like. Located about 20 minutes away from Boston, in the beautiful and green Town of Wellesley, Babson College is an ideal campus for those who wish to concentrate on their studies.
Babson College welcome note, for us, the Tec de Monterrey students.
It will be difficult to summarize the lessons learned from Babson in just one blog post. Also, my own experience might also differ from that of my colleagues. However, there is one thing we all profited from: extraordinary professors and interesting courses.
I will give you an idea about my favorite courses at Babson this summer. First on the list would be “Marketing for Entrepreneurs” with Bob Caspe – an out-of-the-box marketing course designed especially for those who wish to open their small business. To any prospective entrepreneur, I would like to recommend Bob Caspe’s textbook that can be downloaded for a fee on his website. Like his course, the textbook is designed to help an entrepreneur understand how to build an effective marketing campaign for a small company: A smart and helpful collection of real world experiences and practical advice.
Other two courses on my favorites list were “Social Entrepreneurship” and “Public Policy Entrepreneurship” – two very insightful classes, about how to effectively apply entrepreneurship skills to social and political responsibilities. Some of the lessons learned here I would be more than happy to apply upon my return to Mexico.
Blog posts should be short. So I will stop here. But not before I tell you that if I was to summarize my Babson lessons learned, in the most concise way possible, I would say three things:
1. Entrepreneurship is all about the journey you embark on, about enjoying this journey as much as you can, and not (so much) about the money you make.
2. Even the smallest of all businesses deserves absolute attention and dedication. There are wonderful lifestyle businesses out there that deserve all the credit, because they are led by passionate people that love both life and business.
3. Always make an effort to give good presentations. Power Point is not the key. Once more, take Guy Kawasaki as an example. His entrepreneurial spirit is so much reflected in the way he talks, in the way he transmits his message. Business is so much about getting the message out there!
