In Business School, I Didn't Want to Start My Own Business

I had the great fortune of attending the University of Waterloo's Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology program. It was a program grounded in hands on learning and entrepreneurship in the tech sector, and for that, I am grateful.

What you don't all know is that I didn't go to Business School (or an Entrepreneurship program) with the vision that I would start my own company. In fact, I was doggedly against it. A close friend of mine likes telling people the story that I was the one person on the first day of class who didn't raise her hand when the professor asked "Who in this room is an entrepreneur?"

All I knew was that I wanted to learn, that I wanted to get as much experience as I could and that I didn't want to be put in a box. I wasn't ready to commit to one role, one company, one anything. I was there to explore my options. I know now that this determination to not be told what to do is part of what makes entrepreneurship so appealing to me. While I do not like putting labels on myself, I realize that I am, if not an entrepreneur, most definitely entrepreneurial. Okay, I may be an entrepreneur too.

By the end of the Masters Program, I had a vision of Schmooz Media. I think it came to fruition because I don't think I would have been able to live with myself had I not pursued the idea. I would always be saying, "What if I had taken the risk and started my own company?"

I look back and smile thinking about my experience those first few weeks of business school. I am glad that I didn't always want to be an entrepreneur because I think it allowed me to soak in all the learning and observation I needed to start this company. Once I actually started writing down a business plan and talked it all through, I made the decision & I knew that it was right for me. And over a year later, I still feel that way. I still have a lot to learn, and I look forward to sharing it with you. I know that things are bound to change!

I am learning a lot as I go along this journey and am excited to look back in another year from now to see where life has taken me. If you want to read one of my early Schmooz blogs, check out this one about "Good" Communication.