Unpolished MBA

Michele Heyward, CEO of Positive Hire, is an engineer turned entrepreneur taking on the challenge to help companies recruit & retain BIPOC women engineers, scientists and technical professionals for management roles. TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT FOR THIS EPISODE GO TO ---> www.unpolishedmba.com/ep025 Visit unpolishedmba.com to listen to all of the episodes and apply to become a guest.

In this episode, Matt Wallaert, an expert on changing human behavior, talks about being "needfully vulgar" at times while still being a respected scientist, author, and entrepreneur. TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT FOR THIS EPISODE GO TO ---> www.unpolishedmba.com/ep024 Visit unpolishedmba.com to listen to all of the episodes and apply to become a guest.

This episode is a conversation with Mike Tatum, a military soldier turned marketing guru. He lends his talents to Corporate America, but also runs his own marketing firm and somehow he manages it all. TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT FOR THIS EPISODE GO TO ---> www.unpolishedmba.com/ep023 Visit unpolishedmba.com to listen to all of the episodes and apply to become a guest.

Chris Walker, CEO of Refine Labs, was always meant to be an entrepreneur. He took his "bad ideas" and created a multi-million dollar business for himself.  TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT FOR THIS EPISODE GO TO ---> https://unpolishedmba.com/ep022 Visit unpolishedmba.com to listen to all of the episodes and apply to become a guest.

This episode is a conversation with Steve Blank, a world-renowned Entrepreneur and Entrepreneurship Professor at Stanford University, Columbia University, and UC Berkeley. TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT FOR THIS EPISODE GO TO ---> https://unpolishedmba.com/ep021 Visit unpolishedmba.com to listen to all of the episodes and to apply to become a guest.

This is the final episode of Season 1 and for the year 2020.  Stay tuned for what's ahead on the Unpolished MBA in 2021. If you'd like to be a guest or listen to prior episodes go to www.unpolishedmba.com.

She flipped it---Sheffie Robinson, the CEO of Shamrck, is a talented developer turned MBA.  Listen in to understand the back story around why she's currently completing her MBA and how she's navigated the tech world to become a tech startup founder.   To read the transcript for this episode just go to —>  unpolishedmba.com/ep020 Visit unpolishedmba.com to receive more information on how to become a guest and join our new private slack channel. We’re building a community and you’re invited to become a part of it.

This episode is a conversation with Blanca Catalina Garcia, an innovator and educator building a vibrant, multicultural, and empowered entrepreneurial and tech startup ecosystems. She creates and cultivates spaces where people with diverse stories can feel supported to grow, thrive, and go to the next level. We talk about the challenges many Black and Brown women face in the tech startup world and how showing up as your full self is enough. If you need a reminder of your power, you'll want to listen in on this conversation. TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT FOR THIS EPISODE GO TO ---> https://unpolishedmba.com/ep019 Visit unpolishedmba.com to receive more information on how to become a guest and join our new private slack channel.  We’re building a community and you’re invited to become a part of it.

This episode is a conversation with Matthew Sciannella, a writer turned marketing strategist for B2B industrial companies after obtaining his Master's degree. He finally made the jump after spending many unhappy years in a job that he performed well in, but hated. If you can identify with that, you'll certainly want to listen to this episode.  TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT FOR THIS EPISODE GO TO ---> https://unpolishedmba.com/ep018 Visit unpolishedmba.com to receive more information on how to become a guest and join our new private slack channel.  We’re building a community and you’re invited to become a part of it.

Listen to this conversation with Andy Raskin, an entrepreneur and previous tech startup founder that many people underrated throughout his journey. Upon learning how to tell stories in a compelling way, similar to a movie screenwriter, the trajectory of his career changed. Surprisingly, his degrees from Yale and Wharton played just a small part in his journey, earning him the status of "self-employed" at a school reunion. TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT FOR THIS EPISODE GO TO ---> https://unpolishedmba.com/ep017 Visit unpolishedmba.com to receive more information on how to become a guest and join our new private slack channel.  We’re building a community and you’re invited to become a part of it.

Listen to this conversation with Dan Sanchez, a marketer at Sweet Fish Media which produces podcasts for brands.  We talked about how he aggressively completed his MBA in 6 months and realized how much it filled in the gaps of information that he didn’t know were missing.  As they say, you don’t know what you don’t know, so listen in as Dan describes his startup experience and the journey to becoming the marketing maven he is today. TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT FOR THIS EPISODE GO TO ---> https://unpolishedmba.com/ep016 Visit unpolishedmba.com to receive more information on how to become a guest and join our new private slack channel.  We’re building a community and you’re invited to become a part of it.

This is a conversation with Dan Chan, an early employee of PayPal before its IPO, and now a magician to the stars of Silicon Valley. He has an untraditional career, but a business background that has enabled him to create a profitable business doing what he loves. TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT FOR THIS EPISODE GO TO ---> https://unpolishedmba.com/ep015 Visit unpolishedmba.com to receive more information on how to become a guest and join our new private slack channel.  We’re building a community and you’re invited to become a part of it.

Listen to this conversation with Julian Roberts, an Executive Leadership coach who threw in the towel for Corporate work to focus on unlocking another’s potential while unlocking his own at the same time.   TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT FOR THIS EPISODE GO TO ---> https://unpolishedmba.com/ep014 Visit unpolishedmba.com to receive more information on how to become a guest and join our new private slack channel.  We’re building a community and you’re invited to become a part of it.

Listen to this conversation with Bethany D. Valente, a doctor of business administration with experience that includes working with high tech scientific organizations. Though she doesn't have a science background, growing up with a mom who was a nurse and dad who was an entrepreneur the foundation was laid long ago for what she would become today.  This episode is dedicated to the late Justice "Notorious" RBG. TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT FOR THIS EPISODE GO TO ---> https://unpolishedmba.com/ep013 Visit unpolishedmba.com to receive more information on how to become a guest and join our new private slack channel.  We’re building a community and you’re invited to become a part of it.

Listen to this conversation with Erika Jefferson, a Chemical Engineer turned entrepreneur. Somehow she fell into entrepreneurship several years after receiving her MBA and has since created a thriving business that serves women in science and engineering. We point of some of the stereotypical engineer personality traits and discuss how engineers and scientists can still win in business. The Unpolished MBA conversation continues, and you can be a part of it by going to unpolishedmba.com. Thank you for listening.

This episode is a conversation with Dee Acosta, better known as Batman, but with an MBA. This interview is riddled with his candid thoughts on the impact (or lack thereof) of the MBA on his career, but mostly importantly how it inspires his family. Visit unpolishedmba.com to receive more information on how to become a guest and join our new private slack channel.  We’re building a community and you’re invited to become a part of it.

This episode is a conversation with Steve Worthy. While he is currently an entrepreneur, the majority of his career was in Corporate and he talks about how getting his MBA caused him to question everything. It was a gamechanger for him in many ways, especially as an Executive coach now. Visit unpolishedmba.com to receive more information on how to become a guest and join our new private slack channel.  We’re building a community and you’re invited to become a part of it.

This episode is a conversation with Emma Gasking who started her career as a Midwife in the UK and upon getting her MBA, her career took a 180---or as it may seem at first glance. Things didn’t quite work out as she'd initially planned, but it did work out for the best. She's now changing lives, one person at a time. Visit unpolishedmba.com to receive more information on how to become a guest and join our new private slack channel.  We’re building a community and you’re invited to become a part of it.

This episode is a conversation with Karen Hunter, an innovation expert with experience in Corporate as well as consulting for global brands like Coca-cola, Kraft, Snapple, Sara Lee, and Kimberly-Clark. She shares some great wisdom about innovation that applies to both corporations and startups. You’ll never believe what sparked her desire to pursue her MBA.  Visit unpolishedmba.com to receive more information on how to become a guest and join our new private slack channel.  We’re building a community and you’re invited to become a part of it.

I’m sharing a conversation I had with Bryan Smith, the co-founder of a startup called Leon Health Science. He was a rebel growing up but always had the natural instincts to find problems to solve to earn money.  With his background in Professional Sports Performance coaching and understanding the data science behind sports performance, he's found a new problem to solve---helping people be better employees and happier individuals overall using data science. Bryan's fascinating journey from being a young rebel to being a US serviceman in the Army to now being a startup co-founder is a compelling example of how discipline can be life-changing. Visit unpolishedmba.com to receive more information on how to become a guest and join our new private slack channel.  We’re building a community and you’re invited to become a part of it.

Here's a conversation with Faheem Moosa, a serial entrepreneur with an MBA who had a short stint in Corporate life although he was born into entrepreneurship. His family has had a business for generations---120+ years to be exact.  Despite that background, Faheem shares how he still had to invest in learning new things because he, like many entrepreneurs, was missing the essential marketing and sales skills. Listen in and see what more he had to say. TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT FOR THIS EPISODE GO TO --->  https://unpolishedmba.com/ep006 Visit unpolishedmba.com to receive more information on how to become a guest and join our new private slack channel.  We’re building a community and you’re invited to become a part of it.

Here's a conversation with Walter Ley, founder of Branch, a tech startup in Atlanta, Georgia. He talked about how not having an MBA can create self-doubt when you’re a new entrepreneur. He also talked about: Having the courage to create something from scratch to solve a problem and understand that you’re going to have some “face down in the dirt” lessons in life overall, not just entrepreneurship.  Listen in and see what more he had to say.  TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT FOR THIS EPISODE GO TO ---> https://unpolishedmba.com/ep005 Visit unpolishedmba.com to receive more information on how to become a guest and join our new private slack channel.  We’re building a community and you’re invited to become a part of it.

Here's a conversation with Tondaleya Carter, a Realtor from Keller Williams Commercial. She talked about how having an MBA relates to her success in commercial real estate. She also talked about: How she innovated herself out of a job. How while working in “old school” Corporate they didn’t innovate and the people who worked there had been there for their entire career.  Listen to how she got her job because the person before her died after being there 25 years! These stories….these companies… So was the MBA degree helpful to Tondaleya’s entrepreneurial journey?   Listen in and see what she says. TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT FOR THIS EPISODE GO TO ---> https://unpolishedmba.com/ep004 Visit unpolishedmba.com to receive more information on how to become a guest and join our new private slack channel.  We’re building a community and you’re invited to become a part of it.

Intrapreneurs and Entrepreneurs ---One is not better than the other, just different.  But some will say you're not a "real" entrepreneur if you're only doing entrepreneurial stuff inside of a corporation and collecting a steady paycheck. There's something about letting go of the certainty of an income that earns respect in the startup streets.  However, in Corporate, you get the benefit of being creative and solving problems without taking on the risk---some say intrapreneurship is the best of both worlds.  In this episode, we talk about the different types of innovations and how creating innovations inside your organization can be "risky" too..... TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT FOR THIS EPISODE GO TO ---> https://unpolishedmba.com/ep003  Visit unpolishedmba.com to receive more information on how to become a guest and join our new private slack channel.  We’re building a community and you’re invited to become a part of it.

Listen to this conversation between Monique Mills and Andy Rosic, a serial startup founder, advisor, and investor in multiple tech companies. We're in a global pandemic and Andy gives his perspective to those entrepreneurs who want to know: "Do I stop selling? How do I move forward to survive?"   TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT FOR THIS EPISODE GO TO ---> https://unpolishedmba.com/ep002 Visit unpolishedmba.com to receive more information on how to become a guest and join our new private slack channel.  We’re building a community and you’re invited to become a part of it.

Everything you do should have a purpose. Symbols are powerful representations of purpose and this episode shares the meaning behind the Unpolished MBA stone.  TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT FOR THIS EPISODE GO TO ---> https://unpolishedmba.com/bonusep001 Visit unpolishedmba.com to receive more information on how to become a guest and join our new private slack channel.  We’re building a community and you’re invited to become a part of it.

Learn how to join our community and the meaning behind the unpolished stone used to represent this conversation. TO READ THE TRANSCRIPT FOR THIS EPISODE GO TO ---> https://unpolishedmba.com/ep001 Visit unpolishedmba.com to receive more information on how to become a guest and join our new private slack channel.  We’re building a community and you’re invited to become a part of it.