Graduate Blog / Graduate Life

“You don’t have the guts to be what you wanna be”, or do you?

Tony Montana AKA Scarface is one of the great characters of the 20th century. We can draw a lot of positive things from this movie, excluding the drugs and violence of course. Tony was unskilled and had no formal education, but had both heart and guts which fuelled his risk taking. Being at Babson, the most entrepreneurial school in the world, the need for heart and guts should sound familiar.

Tony MontanaPhoto Credit: Flickr

Risk, what does it mean to you? Everyday we are calculating and taking risks. Whether it’s driving on the roads or choosing between a startup or a corporate job. Some decisions tear us apart, especially if we’re trying to follow our passions. Every decision comes at a cost. While some people take huge risks and succeed, many more fail. This is the challenge of life. But, not all failures are bad, in fact, many should be celebrated as it is these failures that move us along in life.

I walk the halls of Olin everyday and see a lot of smart, creative and ambitious entrepreneurs. However, I see so many ideas that are not being pursued. Why? Because we don’t have the guts to be what we wanna be? No, every single one of us have different risk appetites. Some are driven out of desire or necessity. Some have a trust fund to go home to and don’t really care. Whatever the case, I say do what makes you happy and follow your heart, and then maybe having the guts to take on more risks might be the key factors of your success.

Interview with Lauren Taggert – One year MBA 2015

When you came to Babson, what was your main goal? To start a business or move back into the corporate world?

When I came to Babson it was with the intent of taking a crack at starting a business. Always practical, I saw business school as the ideal way to explore starting a business while also increasing my employability with an MBA. I figured that I’d give it a go and that if starting a business on my own didn’t pan out, I’d be able to step into a compelling corporate role.

In the end I chose to do just this, accepting an offer at Amazon in Seattle rather than pursuing the business concept that I had been working on.

What effected your decision for the above?

My decision to return to the corporate world was ultimately driven by three things:

  • Timing was not right for the business I had been working on. A dominant player was already performing well in the space and the barriers to entry were high.
  • Choosing not to start a business at this time did not feel like a cop-out. I’m still passionate about the idea of starting a business from scratch at some point – when the right team and idea come together.
  • As arguably one of the most innovative and entrepreneurial companies of our time, Amazon offers an amazing opportunity to further develop as a business leader and entrepreneur.

How do you measure risk?

For me risk is all about trade-offs – what I am willing to give up or sacrifice for something else. For example, if I am willing to trade security for an experience or the possibility of accomplishing an objective, it’s well worth the risk. Another question I consistently ask myself when evaluating the risk of a project or opportunity is whether or not I will regret it if I turn it down. The answer to this question is often the most telling.