Entrepreneurial Flair: An MBA Profile

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Six months after graduating from Warwick Business School, Rustem Karymov tells TopMBA.com how he used his MBA education to set up an online company with a close friend.

By all accounts, Rustem Karymov possessed a great deal of entrepreneurial experience before he joined the 2010 MBA class at Warwick Business School.

“Before my MBA, I acquired extensive entrepreneurial experience while running a small web company. I learned that being an entrepreneur is not an easy job, but very interesting and rewarding,” explains Karymov. “At that time I was lacking the managerial and financial experience to grow my business and make it sustainable, and so I decided to enroll on an MBA program.”

Getting the most out of an MBA

During his time at Warwick Business School in the UK, Karymov ensured he made the most out of his course. Sometimes, this meant breaking rules such as turning up to extra elective modules in order to gain as much experience as he could.

“I visited all my core and elective lectures, plus training sessions and other modules which I was not supposed to visit at all. I tried to absorb everything like a sponge. Some concepts and practical exercises were mind blowing for me and changed how I think and work now.”

On returning home to Kazakhstan after graduation, Karymov was hit by the effects of the global economic crisis, as local MBA job opportunities were difficult to secure. However, during this difficult period the Warwick alumni put the soft skills he learned during his degree to good use, building his own professional network.

“It was almost impossible to get good job offers through advertised vacancies,” he explains. “That is why from day one I started building my own business network. My MBA helped me to understand and appreciate the true power of business networks.

“It worked well for me. In a few months my business network generated more job interviews and offers than hundreds of applications I sent to job advertising sites.”

MBA success in the face of economic difficulties

Still holding out for his dream MBA job, Karymov put his time to good use fusing his previous online work experience with the skills he picked up during his management education.

“While looking for the right career opportunity, my best friend and I decided to start a new exciting project - an online shop for selling devices such as smart phones and laptops. This is where my MBA came up with all its strengths.

“The skills and knowledge I learned helped me to develop a marketing strategy and a business model which we believe stands out from the dozen or so online competitors. I feel that the experience and knowledge I gained from my MBA helped me not to repeat the mistakes I had made earlier in my career.”

Clearly, this management graduate knew exactly what he wanted from his degree, and set about achieving it from the off. For those who aren’t as clear in their career plans, Karymov has some advice.

“Considering my experience, I would recommend an MBA to people who really want to study cutting edge business knowledge and skills. An MBA can also be useful for people who want to gain international exposure and learn to work in a multicultural environment.

“However, an MBA degree is a significant investment in both money and time, and requires hard work and dedication. You have to be sure that it is the right choice for you to take.”