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Wait, do you need an MBA to learn what you need to operate a startup? Maybe not. Starting up a venture is totally different from managing one. To start up, you need your time to work on the idea. More importantly, you need skills to execute it. Now the execution is not how well you manage your business, but your technical skills to implement your idea. Even if you have enough seed funds to hire engineers to work on it, you will still need enough technical skills and experiences to lead and guide them.

Yes, an MBA is still useful and you will really learn a lot from it - No doubt about that. The knowledge you learned will help you on management, including managing people, sales, marketing and raising funds. Steven commented on the post on what MBA could provide:

I did my MBA with much time spent on books and course materials. But then, there are still more to provide in an MBA programme:

a) Commitment, I have to say some people are more committed when they took classes. I also understand that this is not a good reason

b) Assessment, assessment of your knowledge to certain level, and not mis-interpreting the subject matter.

c) Fixed Curriculum, you can always read what you like to read. But now you are forced to read something useful while you might not like it

d) Discussion, you have chances to discuss with people of similar interests, not to mention the teacher who give guidance when you are struck with something

e) Projects, games, and visits, I think this is something that differentiate an MBA programme with other postgraduate business programmes. The school I studied offered an intensive entrepreneurial project. Although it is something far from actually starting a startup, I believe this is also the closest one can get without putting big amount of money, time, and idea. The teacher also have good experiences with startup too.

However, if starting a business is your goal, the question will become: Does it make the biggest positive impact to your objective as an entrepreneur? Or should you spend the resources (time and money) to something else that will make a bigger impact? e.g. invest its tuition fee as your initial startup fund.

What do you think?

Do you need an MBA to start a successful startup? - [Stepcase Blog]

Leon Ho has a decade of experience in technology and the Internet. He was a manager of Software Engineering at Red Hat, Inc. and led an international team of software engineers. In 2007, Leon left Red Hat to launch Stepcase as an umbrella for both Stepcase Lifehack and Stepcase Apps. Recently, he won the #4 spot in BusinessWeek's Top 24 Young Asian Entrepreneurs.

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