Why Do A Late Stage MBA; Education and Networking

I am attending the Babson Fast Track MBA program for several reasons:

1) To renew my marketing license. Much as changed in 30 years since I left school. While I am good marketer, I needed an update that I believe combined with my experience will make me a more powerful marketer either within my company (www.customer-growth.com) or as an independent marketing consultant

2) I wanted to hone my entrepreneurial skills. I am pretty good entrepreneur, but I never believed I was a great intuitive business person. I felt that the Babson program would enhance this skill (more on why the Babson Fast Track MBA program later)

3) I needed to learn finance. I have zippo knowledge in this area and the intro course is proving to be really facinating even if i am finding it a tough slog. I have hopes that one of my next entrepreneurial endeavors (for self, a company, a VC or non-profit) will incorporate this knowledge

4) I needed diversity. Nothing against my partners, but after 6 years of working with guys who look like me, sound like me (well not quite that), think like me a bit, and living in the suburbs, it was time to be exposed to new points of view. I needed to meet people who were not like me, who had new perspectives, new ways of seeing things, new ideas. I had become clositered. Like a friend visiting me in NYC from the mid-west once said to me when I asked her what kind of food did she want and she replied: "Anything Ethnic." Multiply that thought a few times and you get my drift.

5) I needed to broaden my horizens. I have spent nearly thirty years in advertising, general branding and direct marketing. The world had changed; I needed to see it.

6) I needed to expand my network of contacts and friends. I wanted to see who else was out there to help me build my business and for me to build theirs. As one behavorial test once showed, a new prospect is a friend I haven't made yet.