I would like to borrow from Gene N. Landrum to say this – “Entrepreneurs see risk as an opportunity, not a threat, which leads almost inevitably to fame and fortune”. One of the key takeaways from the MBA Entrepreneurship Club kick-off event was that successful entrepreneurs take calculated risks. UCD Smurfit Lecturer in Entrepreneurship John Cashell spoke about the importance of mitigating risks through detailed market research and planning. That evening I also had the opportunity to listen to inspiring short talks by Serial Entrepreneur Ron Immink, Social Entrepreneurs Ireland’s Head of Impact Annalisa O’Carroll, and Co-founder of ThousandSeeds Mary Cronin.
There is always a debate whether attending business school is a smart choice if you want to start your own business. My take on it is that an MBA will help you structure your thought process. There is also a good chance that you will meet your future business partners and clients at B-school. Though an MBA may not guarantee entrepreneurial success, it will certainly improve your odds. It may also help you identify sources of funding for your new venture which was the theme of another entrepreneurship club event at Smurfit. During the event, Michael Culligan, programme manager of the Halo Business Angel Partnership, gave us his views on the startup ecosystem in Dublin and also mentioned the various avenues available for seed funding. Dermot Casey, COO at Storyful, pointed out that in order to be successful entrepreneurs have to treat “other people’s money” as their own.
UCD Smurfit Entrepreneurship Club Event on “Financing New Ventures”
As I look forward to the ‘Entrepreneurship’ module in Term 2, I can confidently say that UCD Smurfit School is the place where you can collaborate with great minds to explore ideas that are close to your heart.
– Vishal B, FT MBA 2012