To MBA or Not to MBA

There comes a point in an entrepreneur's journey where you hit problems beyond your self-taught skill level, and may need to bring more structured help.

There comes a point in an entrepreneur's journey where you hit problems beyond your self-taught skill level, and may need to bring more structured help. This became apparent to me when running Mia The New Yorker, and thinking about its scalability. I realized that while I could track how we were doing in terms of whether our bank account was growing or diminishing and the sales-through percentage of our first and only purchase order, I couldn't fully understand whether the business was doing objectively good or not.

Startups are notoriously money-hungry, so you're expected to lose money in the first years as you're mainly investing. You invest with the hopes of eventually paying yourself and other stakeholders back, and then actually making a living—and if you're lucky a really good one. But how do you know if you're actually doing it correctly? How do you know if your business is financially healthy and scalable?

I genuinely didn't know, and that's when it started becoming apparent that my self-taught entrepreneur skills were hitting a plateau. I needed professional help, and not just a random online course here or there or a coach to guide me (I had already tried those). I needed a real structured program to teach me what I didn't know I didn't know.

Because you don't know what you don't know. And when this happens, you don't even know what it is you actually need to learn to get to the next level.

There came my question-to MBA or not to MBA

And if so, do I choose a full-time MBA? An Executive MBA? A GLOBAL Executive MBA? I've already traveled and worked around the world, does the global part actually matter to me? And what on earth is an advanced management program? And if I go this latter route, will I later also need an MBA?

I got to work—aka research and apply to business schools in Madrid. To my pleasant surprise, Spain has some of the top business schools in the world; and most house their executive MBAs in their Madrid campuses. Why? No clue, but that seems to be the trend. IESE, IE, ESADE, they all have a campus here and they all offer amazing programs. I applied to and got into all of them, through one format or another. In the end, I ended up choosing the fashion brand of IESE, which is called ISEM—The Fashion Business School of the Universidad de Navarra.

Why I chose the specialised route 

Feeling like you're sitting at the right table is essential for this kind of decision. There are many great business schools with great reputations, but their focus, values, and people approach matter. What also matters is the level, not just quality, of the program. And lastly, the direction—what path are you wanting this program to take you on? Are you trying to find a new career but don't yet know in what field, specialty, or company? Then maybe a more general MBA or Executive program is right for you.

“In my case, I already knew I wanted to re-enter the fashion industry, but this time in Spain or wider Europe, which is a new market for me in terms of this industry.”

In my case, I already knew I wanted to re-enter the fashion industry, but this time in Spain or wider Europe, which is a new market for me in terms of this industry. I also felt like, while I have plenty of experience in marketing and tech, I was outdated and not feeling as confident in fashion (I had worked in the industry briefly over 10 years ago and only re-entered now through Mia The New Yorker). That's why I ended up going with an Advanced Management Program at ISEM.

It was where I fit best in terms of:

People (fashion industry professionals)

Level (more senior than a regular MBA)

Focus (develop the skill set needed to run a fashion business)

Path (Role within the fashion industry in Spain)

Time commitment (4 months instead of 1+ years)

While I know I started this article with the focus on entrepreneurship, something I also learned along the way is that timing matters. Given the current global geopolitical situation, environment and tariffs in the United States, and my recent move to a new country, I feel like it's not the right time for me to actively engage in my own business, but that doesn't mean I can't prepare for it for the future.

So, to MBA or not to MBA (now that I'm in it)

From my personal experience, it's helpful to get some advanced degree. You get to fill gaps you knew you needed, and gaps you didn't know you needed—the second being the most invaluable. You also get a network of amazing professionals (and simply, human beings) who will make your path easier. Because you get much further working together. Always.

And, it's fun. Fridays are my favorite part of the week for me now because I get to spend all day sitting at the right table. I get to learn from the professors and fellow students about the topics that interest me most — business and fashion. I leave energized, happy, and literally count down the days until it's Friday again. Not to 'live for the weekend,' but to learn at ISEM. I haven't had this feeling since my early days at Nordstrom.

This advanced management program is worth the investment now as I take on a corporate career in fashion, and I know it will also make me a much better entrepreneur, because it already is. Even though I chose to close down Mia The New Yorker, I still retroactively analyze and see what we were doing well and where we needed help. I am also now confident in my decision to shut down the company, not just from a personal point of view and 'gut feeling,' but from a structural, scaleable, and financial perspective—the things that make a business.

As for the part of later needing an MBA since I chose the Advanced Management Program route (aka a shorter program), I do think it would be helpful, but in a more distant future. I feel like what I am learning in this program is more than enough to get a true sense and skills I need to take my career, and eventually business, to the next level. I do see that doing an Executive MBA or Global Executive MBA (it's just more senior and international) will help me by going deeper into areas like finance. But for the purposes of a first step, direction, and also time commitment, this program was the right choice for me.

If you're very senior and want to go more in-depth, then perhaps the full Executive MBA route could work for you from the get-go. But if you're also experienced and just need to get a higher-level training (Advanced Management Programs train you for C-Suite), with a shorter time commitment, then definitely look into doing an Advanced Management Program, specialized for your industry.