The Student-Founder’s Dilemma: Why This Startup CEO Is Getting An MBA

Adventurelist is like the Airbnb for guided outdoor recreation. Adventure guides in climbing, fishing, mountain sports and more can list their services on the Adventurelist website (like an Airbnb host) and customers can book directly with them. Courtesy photo

So, what’s next for Adventurelist?

Adventurelist went live on June 15, and we’ve had some great early traction and some early adopters who were willing to give us a try. Right now, for me, I’m focused on expanding the team and bringing on some co-founders. I’m specifically looking for a CTO and a COO, and then finding out exactly what we need to do to bring this to scale. I’ve had some really incredible feedback from both our customers and also our guides, and that’s enabled me to really think about the future. But I think part of the reason that we’re talking now is that it is tricky to run a startup, which deserves your full attention, while also being in business school. That’s what I’m navigating now.

What were some of the factors that went into the decision of going to b-school while launching a startup?

I think, for me, it was less a calculation in time and more a calculation of adding value to my ability to be a successful startup founder. I saw an MBA as a chance to really accelerate my growth and learning as a founder and to put me in a position to bring my startup to the next level. What I have to figure out now is how to be really effective in managing my time in order to be successful. 

You know, Stanford is a wonderful place to find co-founders, and it’s a wonderful place to get incredible advice from faculty. There are also a lot of requirements on your time as an MBA student, especially a first year MBA student. And it’s part of why I picked Stanford. Talking with students here, it was very clear that Stanford is very very student-founder friendly. Some schools, I think, especially in your first year, want you to focus on the academic program and think about building a business later down the road.

A screenshot of the Adeventurelist marketplace

What advice would you offer other entrepreneurs grappling with the student-founder dilemma?

First, I think if you want to learn how to run a startup, there’s no better way than diving in. If you have an idea or if you have a problem that you want to solve, try it. Try to build a team, seek out resources. You’d be amazed, even just having the initial phone call with people in the industry, how helpful folks are and how interested people are in your idea. 

I was incredibly lucky to get some funding, assistance and advice from Princeton, and I’m looking forward to gathering as much of the help I can get here at Stanford. If you have a little skin in the game, I think you’ll find that a lot of people come out of the woodwork to help you. So, I think that’s my main advice: Dive in and give it a try, and you’ll learn incredible things. 

What do you think the value of an MBA is to other student-founders or even working professionals looking to advance their careers?

I think, number one,  is building relationships. I mean, even just in the first few weeks of orientation here I’ve met so many incredible people. People with such an array of backgrounds so different from my own in the military. That’s made it worth it already. 

I think there’s definitely mixed advice for student-founders. Some people say, it’s better to hit pause on your startup and pick it up when you have more time and the ability to truly commit. I’ve also heard others say that your MBA is a great chance to de-risk the founding of a startup because you’re already immersed in that environment and there are plenty of resources available in that MBA program. Beyond that, I think an MBA program gives you a little wiggle room to experiment, to try things out and to rely on your classmates and your professors to help build on your idea. And that’s the adventure that I’m watching myself on right now. 

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