Taking one step back to take two steps forward

Launching your own business is an exciting time in anyone’s career. After all, the idea of pursuing your passion in life, becoming your own boss, and making a positive impact in the world is an appealing prospect for a lot of people. But if you start your own business and realize you’re lacking the skills to make a success of it, sometimes the best thing you can do is take a step back and reassess the best way forward.

It was only through the experience of launching a fashion line in her native Indonesia that Zora Adistya realized she was missing the fundamental business skills she needed to succeed. It’s something you might only become aware of after getting that practical business experience for yourself. Zora knew that if her business were to be a success in the long term, she would have to plug those gaps in her knowledge.

“I created my own fashion line, and then realized as I was running the business that there was a knowledge gap,” she admits. “I didn’t have the sufficient knowledge to manage my own business. I didn’t know anything about accounting and finance, for example.” (00:57)

Zora decided that rather than plowing ahead with her business, she would instead return to education to pursue an MBA. Having identified the specific areas she needed to improve upon, she set about finding a program that met her needs – and one that would help her make a success of her fashion business.

However, while Zora initially decided to do an MBA to build a strong foundation to manage her business, her mission started to expand during the program. She realized she was building the skills to not only grow her business, but also to pursue opportunities to develop her career in roles that aligned with her MBA specializations. “From the courses that I did here I learned about business models, risk management, and also finance,” she says. (07:11)

Why did Zora choose EU Business School?

Taking a step back from such an exciting point in your career is a difficult decision for anyone. But Zora is the type of person who enjoys learning new things and having new experiences. It was that desire to better herself that meant her decision – in the end – was one she would never regret.

“I really like learning and studying, and so I decided to take the opportunity to continue my education,” she says. “That’s why I took the chance and moved here to Geneva to study an MBA at EU Business School. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.” (01:20)

Switzerland is one of the premier destinations for MBA programs in the world, with a raft of world-class business schools and a reputation for higher education that belies the country’s small population. For Zora, this was obviously an attraction when it came to choosing a program. But she also has family in the country, and the program itself had a specialization that was exactly what she was looking for.

She shares, “EU Business School has the only MBA in Geneva that offers the specialization I’m interested in, which [are] Digital Business and Entrepreneurship…also, as an international student, it’s very important to see the credibility and reputation of a university before I join. EU Business School had that.” (02:43)

The MBA in Geneva at EU Business School

It was this combination of the business fundamentals that Zora was looking for, plus the Digital Business specialization, that made the MBA at EU Business School the perfect choice for her.

“The MBA at EU Business School is quite unique,” she adds. “My first specialization was in Digital Business and started with four or five courses that really focused on digital marketing, [digital business] design, [and digital] consumer behavior…and then two more general courses [about business]. So it’s a very complete program because you learn about all the business fundamentals, but you also have one term where you learn more about the field that you’re interested in.” (05:38)

Zora may have come into the program looking to expand upon her knowledge of the business fundamentals, but it was the Digital Business specialization that left the biggest impression on her. It teaches key business skills, but with a specific focus on how to apply them in a digital setting.

“I learned a lot in the Digital Business specialization because we’re now living in a digital age, and in business, it’s impossible to separate your business from the digital world. You have to be present in it. The course gave me a lot of insights into that,” she says. (08:04)

How an MBA changed Zora’s perspective on business – and life

Geneva is home to a number of intergovernmental organizations, financial institutions, and multinationals. As well as the “hard” business skills Zora learned during the program, her close proximity to these large companies helped her understand the wider structure of organizations like these.

“Now I can see how organizations work and how they manage people, rather than only focusing on my responsibilities as an employee,” she tells us. “It has given me a wider perspective on the organization as a whole.” (09:04)

One of EU Business School’s biggest selling points is the fact that it is one of the most diverse business schools in the world. The majority of students here are female, while more than 100 countries are represented in a typical intake. This kind of diversity has helped Zora to develop as a person, and has proved just as invaluable as the business aspect of the program.

“It was my first international experience and I know it’s going to be valuable when I go back to Indonesia and begin my career. It broadened my mind and gave me a lot of new perspectives. For me, it was definitely worth it,” she says. (10:28)

It’s never too late to pursue an MBA – even if you’ve already started your own business. Zora’s experience is proof that sometimes you might need to take one step back to take two steps forward. By arming yourself with the business knowledge, people skills, and international experience from a program such as this, you’ll be better prepared to make your own positive impact in the world.

Interested in hearing more about what it’s like to do an MBA? Contact our Student Ambassadors who will be happy to share their experiences.