what makes a successful business essay

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We spoke with 10 business owners who shared the most important characteristics of successful businesses.

Entrepreneurship is a difficult yet rewarding career path regardless of the industry. While different types of businesses might measure success differently, there are universal habits or qualities that thriving businesses have in common.

We spoke with 10 business owners about the most important characteristics of successful businesses. Here's what they shared.

Willingness to take chances

Business owners who are willing to take chances tend to achieve more than those who play it safe.

“Successful businesses may be established enough to follow stable business processes, but they’re also bold as well as risk-taking,” said Jake Smith, managing director of Absolute Reg . “They know that failure is just a start to becoming successful. And while they’re practical, successful entrepreneurs are always willing to make modifications.”

Unique value

Providing customers with unique value helps businesses stand out from their competitors, said Reda Elmardi, CEO of Strong Chap .

“We can’t all have the cheapest prices, but you can surely emphasize other aspects of benefit,” Elmardi added. “From engaging industry experts to add to your customer service, to [finding] unique goods/offerings, to executing loyalty programs, there are countless ways to make your business distinct from your competitor.”

[Read: 10 Hugely Successful Companies that Reinvented Their Business ]

To both reach and retain success, businesses must have tenacity, or determination, and persistence in the face of conflict.

“Tenacity will allow you to withstand the toughest of times and also fully embrace the best of times,” said Christopher Grozdon, CMO of DASH-SEO . “There will always be ups and downs throughout everyone's lives, yet with owning a business, you will certainly experience those ups and downs to the extreme … If you have the tenacity to push through tough times and work hard to achieve your goals, you'll most likely become a successful business, through and through.”

Customer-centric approach

Many businesses get swept up with their own personal goals and lose sight of those who matter most: their customers.

“One thing successful businesses have in common is … a strong customer focus,” said John Stevenson, marketing specialist at My GRE Exam Preparation . “They create a culture that is centered around their customers and focus their processes, products and services around their services needs. Delivering constant high quality products/services also helps them succeed as people's regard for them remains high and positive.”

[Read: 10 Key Talents Most Great Entrepreneurs Have ]

A business that is able to nurture the same passion they have for their offering within their employees is one that will deliver excellence to their clientele at every touchpoint.

Lance Wilkins, founder, Call Outdoors

Good marketing

Chris Taylor, marketing director at Profit Guru , noted that successful businesses tend to have good marketing strategies that got them there in the first place.

“Businesses normally obtain the most success through their marketing efforts,” he said. “The key to your marketing strategy is to employ as many marketing channels as possible. For instance, pulling customers by pay-per-click advertising, newsletters and social media is expected to attract more customers than it would from practicing just one of these courses.”

Strong vision

If you lack a specific vision or company mission, your business won’t be consistent, which can hurt your bottom line.

“Most successful businesses have a strong ultimate objective which they strive for every day,” said Kevin Mercier, founder of Kevmrc.com . “These businesses achieve their goals by setting short-term, medium-term and long-term objectives which they go on to accomplish day by day. This vision is not just instilled into higher-level management but even lower-level employees that work together in synergy to achieve their firm's ultimate goals.”

Passionate leaders

According to Lance Wilkins, founder of Call Outdoors , passionate leaders are the backbone of thriving businesses.

“One of the key characteristics of a successful business is a leader (or leadership team) who gets their employees as excited about their product or service as they are,” he said. “A business that is able to nurture the same passion they have for their offering within their employees is one that will deliver excellence to their clientele at every touchpoint.”

[Read: The Surprising Psychology of Successful Entrepreneurs and Why They Take the Risk ]

Empowered employees

Employees play a crucial role in a business’s success and development, and it’s important they’re in alignment with their company’s mission.

“Most successful [business owners] … make sure their employees are empowered to make decisions and take ownership of their work,” said Karthik Subramanian, senior content manager at Picmaker . “That means there is no micro-management, nor is there any fear-mongering. Rather, it is a collaborative approach.”

Adaptability

Tom Winter, founder of DevSkiller , stressed the importance of keeping up with your customers’ ever-changing expectations.

“Businesses that are resilient and withstand the tests of time, including pandemics, are the ones that are the most adaptable,” said Tom Winter, founder of DevSkiller . “With the fast pace of technology these days and constant shifts in trends, it’s important to be able to mold your business accordingly.”

Diversity is especially important today, as consumers and businesses alike are aiming to be more inclusive and socially responsible.

“The notion that two heads are better than one only works if both of those heads are listened to and each of them have something different to say,” said Christy Pruitt-Haynes, leadership development, human resources and diversity consultant . “If not, a company can get a louder version of the wrong answer. Diversity, when coupled with collaboration, ensures innovation and a wider skill set for the company.”

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Home » Others » Business Communication » Top 5 Tips for Writing a Successful Business Essay

Top 5 Tips for Writing a Successful Business Essay

Essay Writing can be a daunting task for many, but it doesn’t have to be! Writing a successful Business Essay can be made much easier with the right set of tips and tricks.

In this post, we’ll be discussing the top 5 tips for writing an effective and well-crafted Business Essay.

Whether you’re just starting in the world of business or have been in the industry for years, these tips will help you write an essay that stands out among the rest.

See Also: How to Write a Business Report

So, get ready, as we dive into the top 5 tips for writing a successful Business Essay.

Table of Contents

What is Essay Writing?

Essay writing is the process of creating an essay that addresses a specific topic or idea. An essay typically has three components:

• Introduction

The introduction provides an overview of the essay topic and is often followed by a thesis statement, which is the main argument of the essay.

The body of the essay expands on the thesis statement, providing evidence and supporting points.

The conclusion wraps up the essay, summarizing the main points and reinforcing the thesis statement.

Essay writing is important in many academic settings, particularly when it comes to Business Essays.

Understanding what is essay writing, how to write a business essay, and how to create a successful business essay can help you achieve better results in your educational pursuits.

Tips for Writing a Successful Business Essay

Writing a business essay can seem like a daunting task. While there are no hard-and-fast rules when it comes to essay writing.

There are some best practices and tips that can help you write an effective and persuasive essay. Here are five top tips for writing a successful business essay.

Brainstorm Your Topic

When it comes to writing a business essay, one of the most important steps is to brainstorm your topic.

This is because you need to ensure that your essay is relevant to the prompt and that it answers the question that was posed in the assignment.

See Also: What are the Qualities of a Good Content Writer

When brainstorming, think of the most important points you want to make and write them down. Ask yourself questions like:

• What is the goal of my essay?
• What information do I need to include?
• What angle can I take on this topic?

Make sure that you research all available resources to come up with an informed opinion and create an argument for your paper.

Once you have narrowed down your topic, you can begin outlining your essay.

Do Your Research

Before you start writing your business essay, it’s important to do your research. This means gathering information on the topic and familiarizing yourself with the content that is already out there.

Start by researching the fundamentals of essay writing, such as what is Essay Writing and How to Write a Business Essay.

Learning the basics will help you develop your essay’s structure and organization.

Next, dive deeper into the topic of your essay and look for relevant information and data that can be used in your paper.

A few places you can look for credible sources are scholarly journals, business magazines, and industry reports.

Additionally, take the time to understand your target audience and what their expectations are for an essay about this particular topic.

Finally, make sure you are up-to-date on any recent developments or changes related to the subject of your essay.

The best way to do this is to subscribe to newsletters and stay tuned in to news sources related to the topic.

Having a thorough understanding of the subject matter can help you create a better-informed argument and make more informed decisions when writing your essay.

Outline Your Essay

When writing a business essay, it is essential to structure your thoughts and ideas in an organized way.

An outline will help you keep your essay on track and make sure you include all the relevant points that you want to discuss.

A business essay should be divided into several sections, each of which discusses one point in detail.

To create an effective outline for your essay, start by brainstorming ideas related to your topic. Make a list of these points and then group them into categories.

See Also: Parts of a Short & Long Business Reports

Once you have your main topics, make a note of the main points within each one that you wish to cover in your essay.

Next, arrange your ideas in a logical sequence. Consider which order will make the most sense for the flow of your essay and which points need to be discussed first before the others.

This will help you create a clear argument with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion.

Finally, use this outline as the basis for your essay. When writing, refer back to this document to make sure you don’t leave any important points out and that you include all relevant evidence to back up your argument.

This outline will also ensure that you stay on track throughout the writing process and avoid any unnecessary digressions or tangents.

By following these steps and outlining your essay beforehand, you can ensure that your essay is well-structured and conveys your message.

Creating an effective outline for your business essay can help you write a successful essay that meets the criteria of the assignment.

Write Your Essay

Once you have done your research, outlined your essay, and brainstormed your topic, it’s time to write your essay.

When writing your business essay, remember to focus on the purpose of the essay and the audience that you are writing for.

Start by introducing your topic and giving a brief overview of the main points you will be making in the essay.

This should help the reader to understand the main idea that you are trying to convey.

Be sure to include enough information for the reader to gain an understanding of the topic and to be able to form their own opinion about it.

When it comes to the body of your essay, begin each paragraph with a clear and concise statement of your argument.

Be sure to back up each argument with evidence from reliable sources and facts.

Make sure to stay focused on one point per paragraph and provide adequate evidence to support your claims.

Finally, conclude your essay by summarizing the key points you have made in the essay and offer any potential solutions or conclusions that you have drawn from your research.

You may also want to suggest areas for further research and offer any recommendations.

By following these steps, you can ensure that you are writing a successful business essay. Just remember to be clear, concise, and organized when writing your essay.

Also, make sure that you are using reliable sources and facts to support your arguments. By doing this, you can ensure that your essay is both well-researched and well-written.

Edit and Proofread Your Essay

After all the hard work of researching, outlining, and writing your business essay, it’s time to perfect it by editing and proofreading it.

Editing your essay means checking for errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation, as well as ensuring that your essay is logically organized and flows well.

See Also: What are the Qualities of a Good Business Report

Make sure you read your essay several times to ensure there are no typos or other mistakes.

Proofreading your essay comes after editing and requires you to look out for smaller mistakes such as typos and misspelled words.

To make sure you don’t overlook anything, read your essay out loud or have someone else read it for you. Don’t forget to check for proper formatting, too!

By taking the time to edit and proofread your business essay, you can ensure that it’s free from any mistakes and is as professional and polished as possible.

When you are happy with the result, you can be confident that you have crafted a successful essay that will impress readers.

So don’t skimp on the editing and proofreading process – it can make all the difference when it comes to achieving the best results.

Writing a business essay can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. By following these simple steps and putting in the necessary effort, you can easily master the craft of essay writing and write an effective and engaging business essay.

When done properly, a well-written business essay can be a powerful tool to share your ideas and communicate your message.

So, take the time to research, plan and write your essay with care, and you will surely be rewarded for your efforts.

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10 Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

• 07 Jul 2020

Multiple factors go into starting a successful business venture, including a strong concept and initial funding. But, perhaps the most important ingredient is the entrepreneur. These are individuals who must transform their ideas into a fully operational business.

If you’re thinking about launching your own venture, you might be wondering if you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur . But first, what’s an entrepreneur, and what do they do?

Access your free e-book today.

What Is Entrepreneurship?

While entrepreneurship is commonly thought of as the process of starting a business, there are several nuances to consider.

In the HBS Online course Entrepreneurship Essentials , entrepreneurship is defined as “the pursuit of opportunity beyond the resources currently controlled.” An opportunity can be a myriad of things, but the course describes it as "a proposed venture to sell a product or service for which customers are willing to pay more than the required investments and operating costs.”

Entrepreneurs —either as individuals or in teams—discover opportunities throughout their personal and professional lives. They form hypotheses on ways to deliver value to customers and perform structured tests to validate their ideas. This often involves recruiting teammates through networking and investing funds to determine how they’ll deliver a product or service at an acceptable cost.

Great entrepreneurs come from all walks of life. In Entrepreneurship Essentials, it’s noted that “there’s no single personality profile, and it’s important to pay attention to the entrepreneurial team, rather than focus on the individual.” And while that's true, there are certain characteristics and skills that are particularly important for entrepreneurs to have when starting and leading a venture.

Here are 10 characteristics shared by successful entrepreneurs.

1. Curiosity

Successful entrepreneurs have a distinct personality trait that sets them apart from other organizational leaders: a sense of curiosity. An entrepreneur's ability to remain curious allows them to continuously seek new opportunities. Rather than settling for what they think they know, entrepreneurs ask challenging questions and explore different avenues.

This is validated in the online course Entrepreneurship Essentials , where entrepreneurship is described as a “process of discovery." Without curiosity, entrepreneurs can’t achieve their main objective: discovering new opportunities.

The drive they have to continuously ask questions and challenge the status quo can lead them to valuable discoveries easily overlooked by other business professionals.

2. Willingness to Experiment

Along with curiosity, entrepreneurs require an understanding of structured experimentation, such as design thinking . With each new opportunity, an entrepreneur must run tests to determine if it’s worthwhile to pursue.

For example, if you have an idea for a new product or service that fulfills an underserved demand, you’ll have to ensure customers are willing to pay for it and it meets their needs . To do so, you’ll need to conduct thorough market research and run meaningful tests to validate your idea and determine its potential.

3. Adaptability

Entrepreneurship is an iterative process, and new challenges and opportunities present themselves at every turn. It’s nearly impossible to be prepared for every scenario, but successful business leaders must be adaptable.

This is especially true for entrepreneurs who need to evaluate situations and remain flexible to ensure their business keeps moving forward, no matter what unexpected changes occur.

4. Decisiveness

To be successful, an entrepreneur has to make difficult decisions and stand by them. As a leader, they’re responsible for guiding the trajectory of their business, including every aspect from funding and strategy to resource allocation.

Being decisive doesn’t always mean being correct. Entrepreneurs need the confidence to make challenging decisions and see them through to the end. If the outcome turns out to be less than favorable, the decision to take corrective action is just as important.

Check out our video on the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs below, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more explainer content!

5. Self-Awareness

A great entrepreneur is aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Rather than letting shortcomings hold them back, they build well-rounded teams that complement their abilities.

In many cases, it’s the entrepreneurial team, rather than an individual, that drives a business venture toward success. When starting your own business, it’s critical to surround yourself with teammates who have complementary talents and contribute to a common goal.

Related: 10 Tips to Help You Boost Team Performance

6. Risk Tolerance

Entrepreneurship is often associated with risk. While it’s true that launching a venture requires an entrepreneur to take risks, they also need to take steps to minimize it.

While many things can go wrong when launching a new venture, many things can go right. According to Entrepreneurship Essentials , entrepreneurs who actively manage the relationship between risk and reward position their companies to “benefit from the upside.”

Successful entrepreneurs are comfortable with encountering some level of risk to reap the rewards of their efforts; however, their risk tolerance is tightly related to their efforts to mitigate it.

7. Comfort with Failure

In addition to risk-management and calculated decision-making , entrepreneurship requires a certain level of comfort with failure.

“Of startups that have more than one employee, 70 percent survive at least two years, half last at least five years, and a quarter last 15 years,” says Harvard Business School Professor William Sahlman in Entrepreneurship Essentials . “Even then, only a small fraction of the survivors get to be significant employers.”

The reasons for failure are vast and encompass everything from a lack of business scalability to low product-market fit . While many of these risks can be avoided, some are inevitable.

Despite this, entrepreneurs must prepare themselves for, and be comfortable with, failure. Rather than let fear hold them back, they maintain a positive attitude to allow the possibility of success to propel them forward.

8. Persistence

While many successful entrepreneurs are comfortable with the possibility of failing, it doesn’t mean they give up easily. Rather, they see failure as an opportunity to learn and grow.

Throughout the entrepreneurial process, many hypotheses turn out to be wrong, and some ventures fail altogether. Part of what makes an entrepreneur successful is their willingness to learn from mistakes, ask questions, and persist until they reach their goal.

Related: How to Become a More Resilient Leader

9. Innovative Thinking

Innovation often goes hand-in-hand with entrepreneurship. While innovation in business can be defined as an idea that’s both novel and useful, it doesn’t always involve creating an entirely new product or service. Some of the most successful startups have taken existing products or services and drastically improved them to meet the changing needs of the market.

Although innovation doesn’t come naturally to every entrepreneur, it’s a type of strategic mindset that can be cultivated. By developing your problem-solving skills , you’ll be well-equipped to spot innovative opportunities and position your venture for success.

10. Long-Term Focus

Most people associate entrepreneurship with starting a business. While the early stages of launching a venture, such as securing funding , are critical to its success, the process doesn’t end once the business is operational.

According to Entrepreneurship Essentials , “it’s easy to start a business, but hard to grow a sustainable and substantial one. Some of the greatest opportunities in history were discovered well after a venture launched.”

Entrepreneurship is a long-term endeavor, and entrepreneurs must focus on the process from beginning to end to ensure long-term success.

How to Develop the Qualities of an Entrepreneur

There’s no right or wrong way to be an entrepreneur. Characteristics and behaviors like experimentation, persistence, and innovation can be developed with time, experience, and training. As long as you possess the entrepreneurial spirit, you'll be able to seize opportunities and overcome challenges throughout your journey.

Are you interested in learning the ins and outs of entrepreneurship? Explore our four-week online course Entrepreneurship Essentials and our other entrepreneurship and innovation courses to learn to speak the language of the startup world. If you aren't sure which course is the right fit, download our free course flowchart to determine which best aligns with your goals.

This post was updated on August 14, 2023. It was originally published on July 7, 2020.

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Strategies for success: 8 tips to craft a winning business essay, april 20, 2023.

In this article, we will explore eight key tips that will guide you toward success in creating a winning business essay . From understanding the nuances of the subject matter to presenting your ideas with clarity and conviction, these tips will empower you to craft a remarkable piece of written work. 

8 great tricks for writing a winning business essay

When it comes to writing a winning business essay, using effective strategies can make all the difference. By implementing the following eight tips, you can enhance your essay’s quality and increase the chances your business writing has a maximum impact on your target group of people.

Choose a topic

The first step in writing a great college assignment is choosing the right topic. Often students are given topics to work with, simplifying things as they only need to ensure that their content aligns with the subject and the project’s scope. When handed the freedom to choose, however, you have to make sure that your business topic is relevant, interesting, and narrow enough to be covered in the length indicated. For the best topic, review available evidence through preliminary research, ensuring that there are enough sources to support your writing. 

Brainstorm and outline

Once you have understood what is expected, brainstorm ideas and create an outline. Outlining saves you time and ensures you stick to the topic. It includes your main points and allows you to gather evidence and examples for your essay. Write down what you can think of relating to the topic for a good outline.

You can develop these ideas further in readiness for the writing process through research. Sure, you will need to create a thesis statement to guide you with the outline. A thesis is a statement or two at the end of your opening paragraph, presenting your primary argument and telling readers what to expect from the writing. 

Follow the right format

Use the conventional format to create your essay, opening with a good introduction before going into the body paragraphs. Only have one idea in each paragraph, explaining it in detail using evidence before moving to the next idea. Use transition phrases and sentences to tie your writing together. 

Stick to the right note

Your tone of voice, when you write a business document, matters as it helps you establish and balance your brand. Experts indicate that business writing demands consistency across all written communications. It means creating a unique voice to maintain in all your documents, allowing audiences to identify with your material.

When prospects and potential clients view the material, they should instantly associate it with your product. It is ok if you need to learn how to create an outstanding paper; you can always hire a reliable service like EssayUSA to work on your task. 

Get to the point quickly

There is no place for small talk in business writing. Readers will have limited time to consume your content; you cannot spend it going through unnecessary information. So, to create exceptional writing for business. Ensure that you get to the point as soon as possible. You don’t want to distract your readers before they get to listen to your main message.

Your safest bet is ensuring your content is scannable, allowing readers to find the most crucial information in your essay easily. If possible, include headings and subheadings in your writing, making sure the structure of your document is easily accessible to your readers. 

Be clear and concise

One of the vital things you can do when writing a business document is to ensure clarity and conciseness. Experts recommend using plain language to write business papers. There is no need for lengthy and distracting paragraphs. You need to keep your writing short and clear, articulating your points in as few words as possible.

Expert writers also use specifics to highlight their points, avoiding being vague in their business writing. Always keep the goal of your writing in mind throughout the process.

Avoid clichés and jargon

Read and understand the instructions.

When writing a business essay for an academic project, there will be a set of instructions you are expected to follow. These indicate what the student will achieve within the project’s scope and outline elements like formatting, citations, length, and the number of sources. Before writing your assignment, ensure these guidelines are clear by reading them multiple times. Ask your professor to clarify elements that seem vague or complicated. 

Crafting a winning business essay requires a combination of skill, knowledge, and creativity. By implementing the eight tips discussed in this article, you can create an impactful essay that will impress your professors, colleagues, or clients.

With practice, persistence, and dedication, you can achieve success in the world of business essay writing. So, start writing, and let your words inspire and captivate your readers.

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How to Write a Business Essay for Impactful Communication and Analysis

So, you've got a business essay coming up, and you're feeling a mix of excitement and a tad bit overwhelmed, right? Totally get it. Writing a business essay might sound boring, but trust me, it's a skill that's gonna come in handy when you're out there in the real world.

In this article, we're dishing out some awesome tips just for you if you have question on how to start a business essay. Think of it as your secret weapon to tackle those business essays like a pro. We'll keep it real, easy, and super practical – no fancy jargon or complicated theories. Let's dive into the world of business essay writing, where your words can make a big impact. In case you lack time or motivation to finish your assignment, use our business essay writing service to streamline the process.

What Is a Business Essay

Business essays are written pieces that explore and analyze various aspects of business-related topics, often focusing on management, marketing, finance, or entrepreneurship. They provide a platform for students and professionals to articulate their understanding of business concepts, theories, and real-world applications. Typically written in a formal and structured manner, a business essay requires critical thinking, research skills, and the ability to communicate ideas effectively. Whether delving into case studies, discussing industry trends, or evaluating business strategies, the essay aims to provide insights, draw conclusions, and contribute to a deeper understanding of the dynamic world of business.

How to Write an Introduction for a Business Essay

A business essay introduction sets the tone for the entire paper and captures the reader's attention. Here are some steps and tips to help you write an effective introduction for a business essay:

• Understand the Purpose of the Introduction

Clearly understand the purpose of your essay. Are you providing an overview of a business concept, analyzing a case study, or arguing a specific point? Tailor your introduction accordingly.

• Start with a Hook

Grab the reader's attention with a compelling hook. This could be a relevant quote, a surprising fact, a rhetorical question, or a thought-provoking statement. The goal is to make the reader want to continue reading.

• Provide Context

After the hook, provide some background or context related to the topic of your essay. Help the reader understand the significance and relevance of the subject matter in the business world.

• Thesis Statement

Clearly state your thesis or the main argument of your essay. This should be a concise and focused statement that outlines what the reader can expect from the rest of the essay. Make sure it is specific and reflects the purpose of your writing.

• Outline the Scope

Briefly outline the main points or areas that your essay will cover. This gives the reader a roadmap of what to expect and helps them understand the structure of your essay.

• Use Clear and Concise Language

Keep your introduction clear and concise. Avoid unnecessary jargon or complex language that might confuse the reader. Aim for clarity and precision.

• Be Relevant

Ensure that every sentence in your introduction is directly related to the topic of your essay. Avoid going off on tangents or providing excessive information that doesn't contribute to the main points.

• Consider the Tone

Choose a tone that is appropriate for your audience and the nature of your essay. Business essays can vary in tone, from formal and academic to more conversational, depending on the context.

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Business Essay Introduction Example

Here’s an example of an introduction for an essay titled “The Rise of E-commerce: Shaping the Future of Retail”:

The retail landscape is undergoing a seismic shift as e-commerce continues to redefine the way consumers shop. In this essay, we explore the profound implications of this digital transformation on traditional retail models and analyze the key strategies businesses are employing to thrive in this dynamic environment. From changing consumer behaviors to the strategic use of technology, the impact of e-commerce on the retail sector is undeniable, prompting businesses to adapt or face the risk of obsolescence.

How to Write a Business Essay

Working on a business essay might seem daunting, but it doesn't have to be. In this guide, we'll break down the process into simple steps to help you navigate through it smoothly. In this next section. We’ll be breaking down the essentials of drawing up a business essay from start to finish. From defining your main argument to structuring your points effectively, let's explore the key strategies that will set you on the path to success. 

Analyze the Prompt

Start by carefully reading and understanding the essay prompt. This involves breaking down the question to grasp what it's asking for, identifying the main topics, and recognizing any specific tasks or points to cover. This step helps you set the stage for a focused and relevant essay by ensuring you address all aspects mentioned in the prompt. You can hire a business essay writer to expedite the process if you want.

Think of a Thesis Statement

When writing a business essay, think of the thesis statement as the essay's compass. It should be a concise, strong sentence that lays out your main argument or viewpoint on the topic. Your thesis guides the entire essay, so make sure it's specific, debatable, and gives readers a clear idea of what to expect in your writing.

Create an Outline

We’ve already shared tips on how to write an introduction for a business essay, so let’s move on to the next stages. Organize your thoughts by outlining the main points and structure of your essay. This doesn't have to be too detailed; just a roadmap that helps you see how different ideas connect. An outline ensures a logical flow in your writing and prevents you from going off track. By the way, have you already picked business essay topics ? If not, here’s a list of great ideas you can use!

Provide Topic Background

Before diving into your main points, the business essay writing format implies giving your reader some context about the topic. Briefly introduce the key concepts, relevant facts, or historical background that will help readers understand the importance and relevance of your essay.

Write the Main Body

Start developing your essay by expanding on the main points outlined in your thesis. Each paragraph should focus on a specific idea or argument supported by evidence or examples. Be clear and concise, ensuring a smooth transition between paragraphs. It’s the most difficult part of the assignment, meaning you can use our college essay service to simplify it.

Write a Conclusion

Summarize your key points and conclusively restate your thesis. The conclusion should tie up the loose ends and leave a lasting impression on the reader. Avoid introducing new information but rather reinforce your main argument. For more details about how to write a conclusion for an essay , please refer to our guide.

Add a Bibliography

List all the sources you used in your research. Be meticulous about citing your references properly, following the chosen format (APA, MLA, etc.). This adds credibility to your essay and avoids plagiarism issues.

Edit and Proofread

As you’ve learned how to write a business essay, it’s time to master the art of self-revising. Review your essay for clarity, coherence, and grammatical errors. Editing ensures that your ideas flow smoothly, and proofreading catches any overlooked mistakes. It's a crucial step to polish your essay and present a professional piece of writing. Do you have another assignment on business management ? This guide will help you!

Choose the Writing Format

Reiterate the importance of selecting and adhering to the chosen writing format throughout the essay. Consistency in formatting, citations, and other style elements contributes to the overall professionalism of your work.

Business Essay Example

Business essay examples offer practical assistance to students tackling assignments by showcasing the application of essential writing principles in a real-world context. As a tangible reference, it demonstrates an effective essay structure and how to formulate a clear thesis statement and provide coherent arguments. By examining examples, students can glean insights into research techniques, proper citation practices, and overall essay organization, empowering them to approach their business assignments with increased confidence and proficiency.

Example 1: “The Impact of Technological Advancements on Modern Business Operations”

This essay explores the multifaceted impact of technology on operational efficiency, innovation, customer relations, and global connectivity. From integrating automation and artificial intelligence for streamlined processes to facilitating global expansion through digital platforms, technology emerges as a driving force shaping the success and sustainability of contemporary enterprises. While acknowledging the numerous benefits, the essay also highlights the challenges and ethical considerations inherent in adopting these technologies, emphasizing the need for businesses to navigate these complexities responsibly for long-term growth and competitiveness.

Example 2: “Sustainable Business Practices: A Strategic Imperative for Corporate Success”

This essay explores the pivotal role of sustainable business practices as a strategic imperative for corporate success in the contemporary entrepreneurship scene. Addressing environmental concerns, social consciousness, and economic viability, the essay delves into the multifaceted benefits of adopting sustainable approaches. It discusses how businesses can align profitability with responsible practices, emphasizing environmental stewardship, social impact, and community engagement. The essay underscores the importance of regulatory compliance and risk mitigation in business by examining the economic advantages and innovation opportunities arising from sustainable initiatives.

Final Considerations

Students engage in writing business essays to develop essential skills and knowledge crucial for success in the professional world. These essays serve as a platform for honing critical thinking, analytical, and communication skills, allowing students to articulate and analyze complex business concepts. Through the process of researching, organizing thoughts, and constructing coherent arguments, students gain a deeper understanding of business principles and practices. Business essays also cultivate the ability to synthesize information, evaluate various perspectives, and present well-reasoned conclusions. If you find with task troublesome, you can always tell us, ‘ write my research paper ,’ and one of our wordsmiths will fulfill the assignment quickly.

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How Many Paragraphs Does a Business Essay Have?

What is the most important part of a business essay, how do you start off a business essay.

Annie Lambert

specializes in creating authoritative content on marketing, business, and finance, with a versatile ability to handle any essay type and dissertations. With a Master’s degree in Business Administration and a passion for social issues, her writing not only educates but also inspires action. On EssayPro blog, Annie delivers detailed guides and thought-provoking discussions on pressing economic and social topics. When not writing, she’s a guest speaker at various business seminars.

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

How to Write a Business Essay: an Ultimate Guide

Table of Contents

Writing an essay can be boring. A lot of essays are basically the same thing over and over again. You write an introduction, then you write your supporting paragraphs, and then you create a conclusion. Overall, the process is not a lot of fun, and you can often feel as though you are simply going through the motions for the sake of churning out extra work. But since you have to write an essay, it’s worth considering the many ways that you can make the process faster and easier. In this ultimate guide, we’ll discuss the best way to write a business essay so you can get through the process faster and with relatively little trouble.

It might seem obvious, but the first thing you need to do when you write an essay is to read the essay question. You need to be sure you understand each part of the essay question and how the parts of the question work together. You would be surprised how many students only glance at the question and then write a paper that only partially addresses the assignment. You don’t want to lose points because part of your paper isn’t on topic. If you find any parts of the paper that you don’t understand or that require explanation, be sure to contact your instructor for clarification before you start writing.

Read the essay rubric

These days, most essays have a grading rubric included with the question. A grading rubric is like a cheat sheet for writing your essay. When you review the essay rubric, you’ll see exactly how your instructor will grade your paper and what your instructor will be looking for. When you write your paper, you will therefore know exactly what to include and how to write about it in order to maximize your points—and you’ll also see what you can spend less time on because it won’t contribute to your overall grade.

Make friends with your library

Many students automatically turn to search engines like Google in order to research their papers, but this is not the most effective way to find high-quality business sources for your paper. Instead, take advantage of your library’s databases. Your college or university library will likely have dedicated business databases that collect high-quality academic articles on business topics. Using these resources in your paper will make your essay stronger and more effective, and it will put your paper on a solid academic footing.

Compile your sources before you write

Many students use the start-and-stop method to write their papers, composing a sentence or two and then stopping to look up more information in order to keep going. This, however, is an inefficient way to work. A better way is to read through your research sources before you start and copy into a separate file a series of quotations and facts that you might use in your paper, creating in-text citations and reference list entries for each before you start. Doing so will make sure that you don’t have to stop for research and have a ready bank of pre-cited material to work with as you write.

Outline before you write

Outlining is an important skill that will both save you time and improve the quality of your essay. Take time before you write to lay out your paper from beginning to end. Start with your thesis statement and carefully lay out the body paragraphs with a topic sentence, supporting details (including research, quotes, and citations ), and a closing paragraph . Plan your transitions to link paragraphs together. Any amount of outlining can be helpful, but the more effort that you put into outlining at this stage, the easier it will be to write your paper, and the less likely it will be that you get stuck in a tangent that goes nowhere or meander into a point that requires you to change your thesis and revise you whole essay.

Remember to revise and proofread

When you finish the draft of your paper, you aren’t done yet. The first draft is rarely the finished product. You should always set aside time to read your work back and to make revisions to make it clearer. You also need to carefully proofread for mechanical grammar, punctuation, and syntax issues to ensure that your paper is as close to perfect as possible. You don’t want to leave points on the table because your paper had easy to fix minor spelling or grammar errors.

Consider professional writing help

Another great way to get your paper done quickly is to seek out custom professional help from an essay writing service with academic experts. An online writing company such as this can create business papers for college students and deliver them fast. When you utilize professional writing assistance, you can receive a custom-written essay that can serve as a great model to help you understand how a professional would approach your business topic and organize and develop an essay to address your assignment. Using a model such as this can save you time and effort as you work on your own paper, allowing you to focus on the learning process more than the mechanics of academic essay writing.

Join the thousands who have sharpened their business writing skills with our award winning courses.

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by Laura Jones

Updated on January 5, 2024

7 tips for writing business essays

If you’re looking for business essay writing tips, we’ve got you covered. Creating an interesting, well-structured, and readable business essay isn’t easy, but there are a few simple steps to follow to take the stress out of it and make sure you get it right every time. Read on to learn what to write in a business essay introduction and conclusion and how to structure a body paragraph perfectly. Here are our tips on how to write an English business essay. 

• Analyze the topic and make a plan
• Use formal language
• Write the introduction
• Write the body paragraphs
• Put in some research
• Write the conclusion
• Proofread and edit to create your final draft

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1. analyze the topic and make a plan.

The first thing to do when you’re writing a business essay is to analyze the topic and the essay question closely. If there’s a word in the question like ‘explain’ or ‘compare’ this will affect how you write your answer. Decide what your position is; do you need to agree or disagree with something, or come up with a solution? When you’re clear about what the question is asking and how you want to answer it, do some reading on the topic,find some sources that you want to use in your essay, and make an outline with the headings and paragraphs that you want to cover

2. Use formal language

Writing any type of essay requires you to use formal language , but this is even more true of a business essay. Get into the business essay mindset and avoid using contractions, slang, and other colloquial language in your writing. 

Bad: It’s going to be bomb.

Good: It is going to be excellent.

3. Write the introduction 

Wondering how to start a business essay? Like any other essay, you start with an introduction. A business essay format isn’t very different from any other type of essay. In your introduction, you should explain why the question (and therefore your essay) is important. This will hook your reader and make them interested in what you’re going to say next. Set out the order in which you’ll address the points in your body paragraphs – this is usually called a signpost introduction. And, very importantly, keep it short. 

4. Write the body paragraphs

Your body paragraphs should take up between 60 and 80% of your business essay. Most essays should have at least three paragraphs, and you should focus on one point per paragraph. Each paragraph should start with a topic sentence that tells the reader what the paragraph is about, and then have a supporting sentence to develop your point. After this, you can provide some evidence to support your argument. 

You should also use transition words , like ‘however’ and ‘although’ in your paragraphs to help link ideas together. Using transition words at the start of paragraphs is also a good idea and helps the reader follow your argument. For example, you might start one paragraph with ‘On the one hand,…’ and the next with ‘On the other hand,…’. 

5. Put in some research

We just mentioned that you should put some supporting evidence into your paragraphs in a business essay. This is the time to use the sources that you found before you started writing. You might have a quotation to add, some statistics, a graph, or a summary of an expert’s point of view. Whatever you do, make sure you cite the source correctly. 

When you’ve put your research in, interpret the evidence so it supports your idea. Throwing a graph into an essay is meaningless if you don’t have a sentence saying, ‘As the graph shows, public parks are increasingly…’

6. Write the conclusion

Finally, you reach the conclusion. Use your conclusion to briefly summarize your answer, and make sure you don’t introduce any new points or arguments. You might want to mirror the introduction in your conclusion. This doesn’t mean rewriting the introduction or using the same words. 

Introduction: This essay will discuss the benefits to public health of having green spaces in towns. 

Conclusion: In summary, outdoor spaces in cities can contribute positively to public well-being. 

You might also want to include ideas for further research or a call to action in your conclusion, like in the following example: 

Local councils should allocate a greater part of their budget to improving and expanding public parks.

7. Proofread and edit to create your final draft

The first draft of your essay is for your eyes only. Once you’ve finished writing, step away for at least a few hours and then go back and read it through again. Check that your argument is clear in the essay and that you’ve answered the question. Ensure that it makes sense not only to you but to anyone who might read it. An online tool like Grammarly can help pick up spelling and punctuation errors, but it’s not a replacement for careful proofreading. 

Are you ready to write your business essay?

Starting with a thorough understanding of the question, formulating your answer, and finding unbiased research to back up your argument are your first steps. Follow the format of a business essay – introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion – and then edit ruthlessly to create your perfect business essay. 

Laura Jones

Laura is a freelance writer and was an ESL teacher for eight years. She was born in the UK and has lived in Australia and Poland, where she writes blogs for Lingoda about everything from grammar to dating English speakers. She’s definitely better at the first one. She loves travelling and that’s the other major topic that she writes on. Laura likes pilates and cycling, but when she’s feeling lazy she can be found curled up watching Netflix. She’s currently learning Polish, and her battle with that mystifying language has given her huge empathy for anyone struggling to learn English. Find out more about her work in her portfolio .

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How to Write a Powerful MBA Essay—With Examples

The MBA essay is critical to your business school application. Read our guide to writing the perfect MBA essay, with successful admit examples.

Posted July 4, 2024

Featuring Matt P.

Planning Your MBA Application

Starting friday, september 6.

12:00 AM UTC · 45 minutes

Table of Contents

What is the mba essay.

The MBA admissions essay.

Those words alone are enough to make most MBA candidates run screaming. Writing in general is hard enough. Writing about why you want an MBA? Your short-term goals and career aspirations? What matters to you most, and why? Forget it.

Of course, you still have to write these essays.

The MBA essay is perhaps the most important part of the business school application. Every other part of the application — your GPA, your test scores, your letters of recommendation — is quantified, cut and dried, or out of your control. The essay is your chance to show up as a fully realized MBA candidate, with hopes, dreams, and vulnerabilities. Admissions committees are not simply assessing your candidacy as a future leader — they're looking to admit human beings. That's where the MBA applicant essays come in.

That being the case, rather than being intimidated by it, treat the MBA essay writing process like the opportunity that it is — the chance for you to highlight your unique, iridescent self; the only moment in the MBA admissions process (prior to the interview) when you can speak directly to admissions officers; the time when you'll show them who you really are. It's not easy to write something that will do that, of course, but with the tips and tricks in this guide, and some help from one of Leland's vetted, world-class admissions coaches, we know you can do it. Give the essay the time, attention, and respect it deserves, and you'll be on your way to an offer of admission at your dream school.

Without further ado, let's dive in!

Ultimate MBA Essay Guide

See the MBA essay prompts, top tips from experts, and real examples from admits with this comprehensive guide.

How Long Will My MBA Essay Take?

First things first: let's talk about timing.

The MBA application is a behemoth; between exams, resumes, gathering your official transcripts, letters of recommendation, and the applications themselves, there's a lot to juggle. That being the case, we suggest you give yourself ample time to draft, write, and revise your essays. The last thing you want is to be rushed to the finish line.

So, give yourself at least three months to write your MBA admission essays. That should allow you enough time to draft, write, and edit. For more information on timing your entire business school application, click here for  A Comprehensive MBA Application Timeline--With Chart .

Now, on to the critical question:

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What Makes a Great MBA Essay?

At the highest level, the answer is the one that is truest to you. The whole point of an MBA application essay is to shine through as an authentic, vibrant human being, so the best essays are the ones that cut through the clutter, and allow you to do that.

Which begs the question — how do you cut through the clutter and shine through as a vibrant human being? Here are four critical tips to follow as you begin thinking about your essays.

1. Answer the Question

This one sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised how many applicants launch into their story, get carried away, and forget to answer the question. Follow the prompt, and answer the question the admissions committee has asked you. Those prompts can actually be very useful when writing MBA essays — it's a great deal harder to write when you have no guidance or guardrails. With these essays, you have a very specific question you need to answer. So answer it!

2. Be Specific

Another mistake some MBA applicants make is to stay at a high level in their essays, keeping their writing abstract and therefore inaccessible to the admissions committee. If at any point, an admissions officer could replace your name with the name of another applicant, then your essay isn't getting deep enough. It's not enough, for instance, to say that you suffered adversity in high school, or that you really, really want a Wharton MBA. You need to explain, in detail, the adversity you faced, and give concrete and unique reasons why you think Wharton is the right program for you. The best essays offer hyper-specific examples and anecdotes, with details and anecdotes that no other candidate could bring to the table. To get those anecdotes, we recommend using the STAR template, as explained below:

• Situation : What was the situation you were facing? Where were you? How old were you? If you were in a professional role during this anecdote, what was the role, and how long had you been in it? If you were volunteering, at what organization? How long had you been volunteering there? Why did you start? Offer all the relevant information that the admissions readers will need to understand your story.
• Task : What was the task at hand? What went wrong? In your professional role, what was the challenge you faced? In that volunteering experience, what were the hurdles you had to overcome? You can't have a good story without conflict or tension, so after you set up the anecdote, explain what that conflict or tension was (and remember, be specific!).
• Action : What was the action you took to resolve the problem? What did you have to do to fix that issue at work? How did you clear that hurdle in your volunteer experience? Again, be specific about how you came through on the other side of that conflict/tension — and while you're doing it, highlight your leadership capabilities as much as possible! Remember that top MBA programs are looking for future leaders who can assess a situation and decisively take action. (We'll say a bit more about this below, in the Personal Statement section.
• Result : What was the result of your action? If you were facing a growth problem at work, were you able to increase sales? If so, by what percentage? If you were advocating for diversity and inclusion at your local charity, what new programs did you implement to help with that effort, and what was the enrollment like in those new programs? Detail what happened in your anecdote with as much specificity as possible — and quantify, quantify, quantify!

If you want to learn more about how to master the STAR Method, read our article How to Nail “Tell Me About a Time…” Interview Questions .

3. Get Vulnerable

Most MBA admissions essay prompts are written with the goal of getting to know as much about you as possible in the shortest number of words. To do that, you're going to have to share real things from your life — to get personal, intimate, and vulnerable. Do not shy away from this. If you're starting to get emotional during the reflection, drafting, and writing process, good — that means you're on the right track. Keep going.

Pro tip: If it’s making you cry, it will make them cry.

Another good rule of thumb is to put something real and true on the table. Admissions officers have to read thousands of applications from thoroughly qualified individuals, some of whom might come from similar roles to yours, with letters of recommendation from equally impressive supervisors. In order to cut through that noise, you'll have to share something honest.

If you're doing it right, this can feel risky. At some point, you’ll likely think to yourself: “Can I say that?” The answer is: “Yes.” Of course, there is a line, you don’t want to be crass or offensive but always err on the side of being open and authentic.

The very worst thing you can do is be overly cautious and write something you think will please the admissions committee. These poor people have to read thousands of essays. If yours is just like everyone else’s, they’ll fall asleep. Don’t let that happen. Wake them up by putting yourself —your true, bright, vibrant, quirky self—on the page.

4. Don't Exaggerate

Finally, do not exaggerate, over-inflate, or lie. This goes without saying, but admissions committees are looking for honest candidates. The surest way to get rejected is to lie about something. (Business schools do a background check on you before you're properly admitted, so they will find out.) Don't be the person who over-inflates on their essays and then has their offer letter rescinded.

The Types of MBA Essays

All right — since we've covered high-level approaches to the MBA essays, it's time to dig into the various types.

There are three general categories of MBA essays you'll see across the board.

1. Personal Statement

These questions ask you to offer up something sincere about yourself. They'll often touch on such things as your values and your character. In these, you'll want to be as authentic as possible, while also highlighting attributes like leadership, intellectual vitality, and teamwork that business schools are looking for.

Here are a few examples of previous personal statement essays:

• As we review your application, what more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA program? (HBS)
• What matters most to you, and why? (Stanford GSB)

2. Why an MBA/Why This School

In these, schools first want to hear about how an MBA will fit into your career, both short and long term. Top MBA programs are looking for candidates who will: first of all, be gainfully employed upon graduating, second of all, have an illustrious career that will make their institution look good and encourage future generations of applicants to apply, and third, be consistent and generous donors. That being the case, they want to know about your career trajectory, and how an MBA will fit into it.

Pro tip: Here, you want to be ambitious and inspiring in laying out your future career, but not naïve. Walk the line between shooting for the stars and sounding dreamlike and uninformed.

In this set of questions, you'll also encounter questions geared at figuring out why you would want to attend a specific school. MBA programs want to know that you're serious about attending their school — yield, or the percentage of admitted candidates who accept their offers of admission, is an important metric for them — but they also want to envision how you'll contribute to their admitted class. What will you uniquely bring to the table, the things that you'll do that the other candidates wouldn’t be able to offer?

We've heard former deans of business schools say that, in choosing a class, they're curating a world-class dinner party, and that each person invited to the dinner party has to bring something different. What will you bring to the dinner party?

Another Pro tip: To demonstrate that you've done your research, and to help the admissions committee envision you in their program, indicate which classes you might take when earning your MBA and why, which professors you might hope to study with, and in which clubs you might participate.

Here are a few examples of "why MBA / why this school" essays we've seen before:

• How is a Columbia MBA going to help you? (Columbia)
• What do you hope to gain professionally from the Wharton MBA? (Wharton)
• Why Stanford? Describe your aspirations and how your Stanford GSB experience will help you realize them. (Stanford GSB)

3. Behavioral/Other

Finally, most other essays will be behavioral in the sense that they’ll ask you about experiences, traits, strengths, weaknesses, and achievements. There's a wide variety of topics here, but all the guidelines from above apply, with the final note to always prioritize authenticity (as mentioned in the Personal Statement section) and leadership ability (remember, business schools are choosing future leaders).

Here are a few examples of behavioral/other essays from the past:

• Describe the biggest commitment you have ever made. (Yale SOM)
• Tell us about your favorite book, movie, or song and why it resonates with you. (Columbia)
• Think about times you’ve created a positive impact, whether in professional, extracurricular, academic, or other settings. What was your impact? What made it significant to you or to others? (Stanford GSB)

Top MBA Program Essay Prompts (Updated 2024)

To help you get started, we've compiled the required prompts from a few top MBA programs below:

1. Harvard Business School (HBS)

• Business-Minded Essay: Please reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations and the impact you will have on the businesses, organizations, and communities you plan to serve. (300 words)
• Leadership-Focused Essay: What experiences have shaped who you are, how you invest in others, and what kind of leader you want to become? (250 words)
• Growth-Oriented Essay: Curiosity can be seen in many ways. Please share an example of how you have demonstrated curiosity and how that has influenced your growth. (250 words)

For more information, visit A Guide to the HBS Essay .

2. Stanford Graduate School of Business

• What matters to you most, and why? (650 words)
• Why Stanford? (400 words)

Read: What Matters Most When Writing the GSB Essays.

• How do you plan to use the Wharton MBA program to help you achieve your future professional goals? You might consider your past experience, short and long-term goals, and resources available at Wharton. (500 words)
• Taking into consideration your background – personal, professional, and/or academic – how do you plan to make specific, meaningful contributions to the Wharton community? (400 words)

For Wharton-specific advice, visit A Guide to the Wharton Essays .

4. Columbia Business School

• Essay 1: Through your resume and recommendation, we have a clear sense of your professional path to date. What are your career goals over the next three to five years and what, in your imagination, would be your long-term dream job? (500 words)
• Essay 2: The Phillips Pathway for Inclusive Leadership (PPIL) is a co-curricular program designed to provide students with the skills and strategies needed to develop as inclusive leaders. Through various resources and programming, students explore and reflect on the following five inclusive leadership skills: Mitigating Bias and Prejudice; Managing Intercultural Dialogue; Addressing Systemic Inequity; Understanding Identity and Perspective Taking; and Creating an Inclusive Environment. Describe a time or situation when you had the need to utilize one of these five skills, and tell us the actions you took and the outcome. (250 words)
• Essay 3: We believe Columbia Business School is a special place with a collaborative learning environment in which students feel a sense of belonging, agency, and partnership--academically, culturally, and professionally. How would you co-create your optimal MBA experience at CBS? Please be specific. (250 words)

If you’re looking for more tips on the CBS essays, read our Guide to the Columbia Business School Essays .

5. Chicago Booth

• How will a Booth MBA help you achieve your immediate and long-term post-MBA career goals? (250-word minimum)
• An MBA is as much about personal growth as it is about professional development. In addition to sharing your experience and goals in terms of career, we’d like to learn more about you outside of the office. Use this opportunity to tell us something about who you are… (250-word minimum)

*Pro tip: Some essay questions such as these will say “no maximum.” While it’s certainly a good thing that you’re allowed to write more, keep in mind to never write too much. Our rule of thumb for things like this is to never go over 200 words past the “minimum” count.

Read more at A Guide to the Booth Essays .

6. Northwestern Kellogg

• Intentionality is a key aspect of what makes our graduates successful Kellogg leaders. Help us understand your journey by articulating your motivations for pursuing an MBA, the specific goals you aim to achieve, and why you believe now is the right moment. Moreover, share why you feel Kellogg is best suited to serve as a catalyst for your career aspirations and what you will contribute to our community of lifelong learners during your time here. (450 words)
• Kellogg leaders are primed to tackle challenges everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods. Describe a specific professional experience where you had to make a difficult decision. Reflecting on this experience, identify the values that guided your decision-making process and how it impacted your leadership style. (450 words)

For more on Kellogg’s essays, read How to Nail Your Kellogg MBA Application Essays .

7. MIT Sloan

MIT Sloan doesn’t use traditional essay prompts; instead, applicants are required to submit a cover letter, video, and short answer questions, as well as the other traditional application materials.

Cover Letter

MIT Sloan seeks students whose personal characteristics demonstrate that they will make the most of the incredible opportunities at MIT, both academic and non-academic. We are on a quest to find those whose presence will enhance the experience of other students. We seek thoughtful leaders with exceptional intellectual abilities and the drive and determination to put their stamp on the world. We welcome people who are independent, authentic, and fearlessly creative — true doers. We want people who can redefine solutions to conventional problems, and strive to preempt unconventional dilemmas with cutting-edge ideas. We demand integrity, respect, and passion.

Taking the above into consideration, please submit a cover letter seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA program. Your letter should conform to standard business correspondence, include one or more professional examples that illustrate why you meet the desired criteria above, and be addressed to the Admissions Committee (300 words or fewer, excluding address and salutation)

Video Question 1

Introduce yourself to your future classmates. Here’s your chance to put a face with a name, let your personality shine through, be conversational, be yourself. We can’t wait to meet you!

Videos should adhere to the following guidelines:

• No more than 1 minute (60 second) in length
• Single take (no editing)
• Speaking directly to the camera
• Do not include background music or subtitles

Note: While we ask you to introduce yourself to your future classmates in this video, the video will not be shared beyond the admissions committee and is for use in the application process only.

Video Question 2

All MBA applicants will be prompted to respond to a randomly generated, open-ended question. The question is designed to help us get to know you better; to see how you express yourself and to assess fit with the MIT Sloan culture. It does not require prior preparation.

Video Essay 2 is part of your required application materials and will appear as a page within the application, once the other parts of your application are completed. Applicants are given 5 seconds to prepare for a 60-second response.

Short Answer Question

How has the world you come from shaped who you are today? For example, your family, culture, community, all help to shape aspects of your life experiences and perspective. Please use this opportunity to share more about your background. (250 words)

For top-notch advice on the MIT Sloan question prompts, read our articles Expert Guide to the MIT Sloan Short Answer Question and MIT Sloan Video Statement: Overview, Advice, & Common Mistakes .

How to Start Writing Your MBA Essay

So you've read about the types of essays, and seen some of the prompts from top MBA programs. Now it's time to actually start diving into the essay.

The very first thing to do, before putting pen to paper, is to look inward .

Why do you want an MBA? What role will this degree play in your professional growth? How do you imagine it will shape your life? What do you want out of your career? What is the most important thing in the world to you?

Yes, these are life’s deep-end questions, but you’ll need to tackle them in these essays, so before you start all of your writing, take the time to think through them. Go for a run, swim some laps, bake a cake—however you get into the flow — and start a dialogue with yourself. Put down your work, turn your phone off, and give your mind permission to go to the places it usually avoids. That’s a good place to start. That’s where the answers are.

Pro tip: The first sentence is the hardest one to write. When you're starting out, it can be intimidating and anxiety-producing. The trick is to simply put anything down — and don't look back. Keep putting one sentence after the other. You can edit later: let whatever comes to you out onto the page. If you’re struggling with self-critique, dim your computer screen until you can’t even see the words you’re typing. Then keep going.

Additional Tips & Tricks

Once you've started your essay, it's a matter of persistence: keep writing, then keep drafting and editing until you have something you're really proud of.

To help you write a successful MBA essay, here are a few more tips and tricks:

Take Breaks

When you hit the wall — and you will hit the wall — stop and take a breather. This is your brain telling you it needs to do something else. Walk your dog. Take a lap around your room. Eat some cheese. Your body needs sleep every night to function; your mind is the same way. That next leap of inspiration will come exactly at the moment when you’re least expecting it.

Read it Out Loud

When you finally have a draft, print it and read it out loud to yourself. Your ear will catch things your eyes miss. Reading out loud is the best way to pick up on spelling errors, clunky transitions, and paragraphs that still need ironing out. It’s also a good way to envision how the admissions committee will experience your essay.

Don’t be precious with your essay. Send it to anyone willing to read it. Solicit as much feedback as you can. If you don’t like what people have to say, you don’t have to incorporate it, but you need an impartial third party to give notes on what they’re seeing, thinking, and feeling. (You’re too close to things to do it for yourself.) This is where a Leland coach comes very much in handy!

Complete Everything Early

This is more of a timing consideration, but you do not want to trip at the finish line because your internet went down the night before the deadline, or your credit card was denied when paying your application fee (it's happened before). Don't let that be you!

Here is another article to get you started, written by an expert essay coach: 7 MBA Essay Tips to Make You Stand Out in 2022 .

Example MBA Essays

Finally, here are two essays to help inspire you. The first, a personal statement essay, was submitted by an admit to Berkeley Haas' Executive MBA program; the second, a career goals / why MBA essay, was submitted by an admit to Chicago Booth's deferred MBA program.

Haas Admit:

A person’s identity is shaped by many different aspects, including family, culture, personal interests, and surrounding environments. Please share a facet of your identity or story that is essential to who you are. (300 words) My upbringing in India, filled with countless myths and legends, had a profound influence on me. The most formative tale was about a sage who prays for years to the goddess of knowledge, but in vain. In the end, the goddess didn’t appear for the sage because he was turning his prayer beads the wrong way! As a child, this story upset me: the sage worked so hard and had the right intentions. As an adult, though, I’ve come to realize that the goddess of knowledge was right: you can’t succeed unless you do things the right way.

Seven years ago, two friends and I started a company, XXXX: a digital health platform that would allow patients to store medical records online and consult doctors remotely. We had early success—we brought on 2,000 patients at XXXX, a gynecology clinic in XXXX—but ultimately we didn’t have the resources to properly scale, and had to shut the company down. Among the many lessons I learned, the most valuable was that ideas and hard work are common; businesses succeed or fail based on execution—on doing things the right way. Two years ago, I relearned this lesson in the most painful way possible: when my marriage ended. My wife and I loved each other, but we weren’t there for each other when it mattered most. Our feelings weren’t enough—we had to back them up with the right actions.

It’s disheartening when you have good intentions but still fall short. When this happens, though, you have to keep trying—because eventually you will do things the right way. I carry the story of the sage with me always, not as a harsh lesson, but as a motivating goal: one that keeps me striving towards doing things the right way.

Booth Admit:

How will the Booth MBA help you achieve your immediate and long-term post-MBA career goals? (250 word minimum)

I want to start a geothermal company that will help lead the energy transition away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy—by targeting existing oil wells as sites for geothermal plants. Oil fields are close to electric grids and have high nearby subsurface temperatures, making them ideal sites for geothermal plants. By building geothermal infrastructure nearby, my company will produce cleaner, cheaper energy, making it more profitable for operators to switch from oil to geothermal. As oil companies decommission their wells, I’ll negotiate for their land rights, so I can use their existing wells for new geothermal vents. I want my company to prove the case for economically viable, carbon-neutral energy production.

After getting an MBA, I want to start a geothermal company which will help me lead the energy transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy. I plan to target developed oil fields in Texas, where, in many places, producing wells are flowing enough hot fluid to generate clean energy. Using this geothermal heat, the carbon footprint of oil and gas extraction will decrease as fewer fossil fuels are utilized to power surrounding infrastructure. As the wells approach their economic life, I will negotiate the lease from various operators, saving them millions in plug and abandonment costs, and retrofit the wells for direct geothermal energy production via closed-loop binary fluid systems, bringing emissions to zero. To accomplish this goal, I need to shore up my knowledge of energy economics and entrepreneurial finance, develop a strong sense of leadership, and build a network of like-minded individuals that will help me lead the transition and I believe I can get those things at Chicago Booth.

My immediate career goal is to develop my first co-production site in Shelby County, Texas at the Blanton well site, which produces abnormally heated fluid from the flanks of an active salt dome. Before investing in capital expenditures, developing a strong sense of energy economics and broader markets is necessary to verify financial feasibility. The University of Chicago, through the Graduate-Student-At-Large: Business program, is already allowing me to accomplish this goal with my enrollment in “Microeconomics” with Professor Andrew McClellan. His instruction helped me understand the impact taxes and subsidies have on market equilibrium, an important aspect of renewable energy as green energy tax incentives continue to change on a yearly basis. As my company continues to grow, having a strong finance and accounting foundation is imperative to building and sustaining a healthy company. Electives such as “Accounting for Entrepreneurship: From Start-Up through IPO” will provide the skills I need to be successful by following the life-cycle of a business that originates as a start-up and covers topics such as building an initial accounting infrastructure. I understand that the execution of the business is as important as developing the idea and proof of concept, and Booth is the best place for me to develop financial fluency.

Leading the energy transition will require a strong sense of leadership. Not only will I need to lead those I get to work with over my career, but to lead the energy transition, and reverse the impact fossil fuels have had thus far, I must have the emotional intelligence to inspire others to join me in my journey. The “Interpersonal Dynamics” course at Booth will allow me to develop my communication skills and better understand the emotions and perceptions of my colleagues. These skills, synthesized with leadership development acquired in “Leadership Practicum” will prepare me to act as a relational leader, who understands the needs of others. As a relational leader, I hope to foster an environment which promotes happiness and maximizes efficiency, not only to make our efforts in changing the world more successful, but to excite other people to join our cause.

To find the greatest chance of success in leading the energy transition, I will need a network of like-minded individuals who can provide a diversity of thought. Chicago Booth provides the opportunity to develop that network through different community experiences. The Energy Club’s “Energy Forward” conference, which designates time to topics in oil and gas and renewable energy will allow me to hear from industry leaders, build meaningful relationships with peers, and contribute my sector experience to the public forum as I learn from those around me. Opportunities through the Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Group such as “SeedCon” will help me connect with successful entrepreneurs and early-stage investors whose ideas and funding might change the course of my venture’s trajectory. Even in the GSALB program, I have had the opportunity to connect with other students in various sectors, including the energy industry. I hope to continue to strengthen those connections and continue building new ones with matriculation into the full time program.

Connect with an Expert for all your MBA Essay Questions

We know that a lot goes into the process of MBA essay writing. Research, planning, and execution all are major stages that take a lot of time. If you’re looking to fast-track your essay writing process while still blowing away the admission committee, try looking at some of our all-star MBA admissions consultants . We have a wide array of experts ready to give you as much help with MBA essays as you need, just check out some of our top-rated coaches below!

FAQs for Writing Your MBA Essay

What is the most important aspect of an MBA essay that admissions committees are looking for?

• The most crucial aspect of an MBA essay is authenticity. Admissions committees want to see the real you, so be honest and genuine in your responses. Highlight your unique experiences, values, and aspirations to stand out.

How long should my MBA essay be?

• The length of your MBA essay will depend on the specific prompts and guidelines provided by each school. Generally, essays range from 500 to 1,000 words. Always adhere to the word limit specified in the prompt. In the event that there’s no limit, we recommend floating within 200-300 words of whatever posted word count there is.

Can I use the same essay for multiple MBA applications?

• You can use similar content, but it’s essential to edit each essay to be about the specific school and prompt. Schools are looking for personalized responses that demonstrate your understanding of their program and how it aligns with your goals.

How do I figure out what to write about?

• Select experiences that showcase your leadership, problem-solving skills, and personal growth. Focus on stories that highlight your unique qualities and align with the values and culture of the MBA program you're applying to.

What should I avoid doing in my essay?

• Avoid clichés, generic statements, and exaggerations. Be specific and detailed in your responses. Also, steer clear of overly technical jargon that might be hard for the admissions committee to understand unless it’s directly relevant to your story.

Who can I ask for feedback on my essay?

• Seeking feedback from trusted friends, family, or mentors can be very helpful. In addition, consider working with one of our admissions coaches who can provide professional insights and help refine your essay to make it more compelling.

What should I do if I don’t have a traditional business background?

• If you don’t have a traditional business background, focus on transferable skills and experiences that highlight your leadership, analytical abilities, and teamwork. Demonstrate how your unique perspective will contribute to the MBA program and your future career.

How do I handle multiple essay prompts for the same school?

• Approach each prompt separately and ensure that each essay provides new insights about you. Avoid repeating the same information across essays. Instead, use each essay to highlight different aspects of your experiences, skills, and aspirations.

Here are several other articles that you may find helpful as you put together your MBA application:

• The Most Frequently Asked Questions on MBA Applications
• How to Answer the "Why an MBA?" Essay Question
• My Top Piece of Advice for MBA Applicants
• How I Nailed My MBA Interview and Gained Admission to Top 10 Business Schools
• 4 Expert Tips on Paying for Business School

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Business Essay Examples

13 Business Essay Examples for Students

14 min read

Published on: May 1, 2023

Last updated on: Jan 30, 2024

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Are you struggling to figure out the structure, research, or data required to make your essay stand out? Or frustrated by the lack of inspiration and ideas for your essay?

But don't give up yet! We have a powerful solution that will make your essay writing a breeze. Our list of business essay examples is here to help! 

We have compiled expertly written business essay examples that will illustrate how to write a striking business essay.

With our examples, you'll be able to see how to structure your essay and generate creative ideas for your topic. And our tips will help you make the most of these examples.

So, let's dive in and get ready to learn!

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What is a Business Essay?

A business essay is a type of academic writing that focuses on business-related topics and issues. These essays can cover a wide range of topics such as marketing, finance, management, entrepreneurship, and more.

The importance of business essay lies in presenting a well-researched and informed analysis. To do this effectively, writers need to conduct extensive research and analysis on the topic at hand.

Referring to examples of business essays can help you gain insight into the structure, tone, and content of a well-written essay.

Business Essay Examples For Students

Here is a list of business writing examples

Business Essay Examples Pdf

Business Essay Example Grade 10

Business Essay Example Grade 11

A Level Business Essay Examples

University Business Essay Examples

International Business Essay Examples

Short Essay About Business

College Essay About Starting A Business

Types of Business Essay with Examples

When it comes to business essay writing, there are several different types that you might encounter. 

Here's a brief overview of each type, including their characteristics and an example of each.

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Case Studies

A case study is an in-depth analysis of a specific business situation or problem. It involves extensive research and data analysis to provide recommendations.

Case studies often showcase the application of theory to real-world business scenarios.

Research Papers

Research papers involve a more academic approach to business writing. They typically require an extensive literature review, data analysis, and original research. 

Business research papers aim to contribute new knowledge to the field of business. These often involve a hypothesis or research question.

Argumentative Essays

Argumentative business essays aim to persuade the reader to adopt a particular point of view or take a specific action. They present an argument and use evidence and logic to support their claims. 

Argumentative essays can address various business topics such as management practices, ethical issues, or market trends.

White Papers

A white paper is a document that provides a detailed explanation of a particular issue or problem, often with recommendations or solutions. 

White papers are typically used to educate stakeholders about a specific topic. These are often used in the business-to-business (B2B) context.

Comparative Essays 

Comparative business essays compare and contrast two or more topics or ideas. They typically analyze the similarities and differences between the topics to evaluate their pros and cons. 

Comparative essays can focus on various aspects such as products, companies, markets, or strategies.

How to Structure Your Business Essays

As you begin writing your business essay, it's important to structure it in a clear and organized way. 

Here's a step-by-step guide with business essay samples to help you do just that:

Executive Summary

The executive summary is a brief overview of your entire essay. It should summarize your main points and highlight your recommendations. 

This section should be written after completing the essay, as it gives a clear picture of what the essay covers. 

Here is how you start a business essay sample:

Introduction

The introduction sets the stage for the rest of the essay. It should introduce the topic, provide background information, and explain the purpose of the essay. 

Here is a business essay introduction example:

Industry Analysis

In this section, you'll conduct a thorough analysis of the industry in which the business operates. You should examine factors such as competition, market trends, and customer behavior. 

Here is a sample industry analysis

Key Issues or Problems

This section should identify the main issues or problems faced by the business. You should provide evidence to support your claims and analyze the impact of these issues. 

Here is an example paragraph:

Solutions or Recommendation

Here, you'll provide solutions or recommendations to address the issues identified in the previous section. Your solutions should be well-supported and feasible. 

For instance:

Implementation Plan

For this part, you'll outline a plan for implementing the solutions or recommendations you've proposed. This is sort of a description of the business model you suggest. 

This section should be detailed and include specific action steps. 

For example:

Finally, you'll wrap up your essay by summarizing your main points and reiterating your recommendations. 

This section should be clear, concise, and impactful. 

By following this structure, your business essay will be well-organized, coherent, and easy to follow for your readers.

Tips for Using Business Essay Examples Effectively

Now that you have quite a few business essay examples at hand, you should know how to use them effectively:

• Use them as a guide, not a template : While it's great to learn from examples, you should never copy them outright. Instead, use them as a starting point for your own research and writing.
• Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the essay : Take note of what works well in the example essay, as well as any areas that could be improved. This will help you understand how to make your own essay even better.
• Use them to inform your own research and writing : Pay attention to the research methods, sources, and evidence used in the example essay. This can give you ideas for your own research and help you strengthen your arguments.
• Avoid plagiarism and ensure proper citation: Whenever you use ideas or information from an example, make sure to cite your sources. This will help you avoid plagiarism and maintain academic integrity.

You now have a plenty of business essay examples on different topics to help you get started!

By following our tips and studying the sample essays, you can confidently write your own essays that are clear, concise, and impactful. 

However, if you still find yourself struggling with your business essays, just reach out to our professional business essay writing service . 

We have the best online essay writing service and are ready to provide you a high-quality business. Our writing service has subject specialist writers who can tackle any business essay topic.  

So why wait? Contact us today and let our AI essay writer take your business essays to the next level!

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More From Forbes

What makes small businesses successful.

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The first week of June, Mike Glauser, Professor of Entrepreneurship at the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business  at Utah State Univeristy and Co-Founder of My New Enterprise , and his team set off on a cross-country bicycle tour with the goal of interviewing and documenting the stories of 100 small business owners in 100 cities across the country. They started in Florence, Oregon and will end up in Washington D.C. on July 28th. When I spoke with Professor Glauser last week, they were in Ilinois and about six weeks into their tour.

This isn’t the first time they’ve interviewed small business owners to learn about what makes them tick and what makes them successful, either. Glauser has been in the trenches talking to small business owners for roughly 20 years and regularly shares the insight he gains with his students at Utah State University. The goal of this trip is to write a new book entitled, “Living the Dream on Main Street America” and to create case studies and teaching materials to share what they learn.

“My colleagues and I have noticed that graduating students looking for jobs have fewer interviews than they have had in the past,” said Glauser. “In every industry, employees are being replaced by technology. The U.S. economy is becoming more efficient, enabling companies to generate more revenue with fewer employees.”

Glauser referenced a 2013 study done by researchers at Oxford University that looked at 702 occupations and determined that 47 percent were at “high risk” for being replaced by computers and machines.

Despite what he sees as a decline in new jobs, he sees great opportunity in entrepreneurism, and encourages his students to think about starting a small business. We read a lot about new high-tech businesses all the time, but Glauser is talking about the kinds of businesses that you and I can relate to along Main Street. Businesses like merchants, small manufacturers, and restaurants.

In an effort to determine what makes these small business owners successful, they’re interviewing entrepreneurs who have been in business for five or more years. They wanted to know what helped them beat the odds. He’s been doing this for long enough I doubt he was expecting any surprises, but he’s had a few. Traveling across the heartland of America has put him on the doorstep of a number of small business owners who share similar motivations for owning their own small businesses and what they think makes their businesses successful:

They wanted to stay in their hometown and help the community grow: He was surprised that none of the people he’s interviewed said money was their prime motivator—although many of them have very successful and profitable businesses. “The Silicon Valley model has hijacked entrepreneurship,” said Glauser. “It doesn’t need to be a model that scales quickly to enable a quick and profitable exit to be successful. $2 million in annual revenues and eight to ten employees is a very viable business that can thrive long term.”

The small business owners Glauser and his team interviewed are doing business in these small towns because that’s where they want to live. They’ve simply figured out a way to create profitable businesses in places some might consider off the beaten path.

They’re not interested in an exit, they’re interested in solving a market need: I’ve observed a difference in how a founder runs a business he or she intends to exit in five years and one that’s building something intended to become a life’s work. Skratch Labs in Boulder, Colorado is a great example. Founder Allen Lim says, “The most annoying question that I ever get asked is, ‘What’s your exit strategy?’ Usually, I tell people that, you know, it’s probably dying.” Lim doesn’t have a plan to exit, because he is building his dream and loves what he is doing.

This type of business owner understands the decisions they make today have long-term consequences they’re going to live with five, ten, or twenty years down the road. Making knee-jerk reactions to ramp up short-term profits to satisfy a potential investor just isn’t in their DNA. Their focus is on creating a product or service that their customers will want to buy and find related products their customers might also be interested in. They diversify what they offer their customers so they can stay viable. “Most of these business owners have two or three streams of income,” said Glauser. “And, they’ve always got three or four new opportunities they’re considering.”

They love getting their hands dirty doing the real work of the business: My first experiences in small business were in just such a family business. In fact, this describes my Dad and how he approached his business. It also describes Jeff Wester of Ponderosa Forge in Sisters, Oregon. His successful welding and blacksmith shop employs several blacksmiths, but Wester doesn’t want to sit in the office managing the business every day, he enjoys the two or three days a week he gets to spend in the forge.

“What I most enjoy about this business,” Wester says, “is that I love to be in the shop and get my hands dirty and swing a hammer and create something out of the fire.”

It’s true that less than half of the small businesses that start today will be around five years from now. Glauser and his team are out to share some of the traits these successful small business owners share in common so others, including his students, can follow in their footsteps.

After five or six weeks on the road I asked him if he was encouraged by what he’s learning from Main Street America. Not missing a beat, his answer was an emphatic, “Yes.”

“100 years ago there weren’t any big corporations, small business owners saw a market need and went to work delivering a solution,” he said. “I think we’re going back to that. Fortunately, technology makes it possible to work almost anywhere to do it. We need to teach our up-and-coming entrepreneurs to build communities—figure out what they need and be the best at doing it.”

Glauser believes anyone who wants to do it can. After speaking with business owners all across the country that are doing it, I’d think he knows what he’s talking about.

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20 must-read mba essay tips.

Business school admissions committees care about more than (just) your  GMAT scores and GPA —they want to know who you are and why you belong in their program . Your MBA essays are your best chance to sell the person behind the résumé. They should tie all the pieces of your business school application together and create a comprehensive picture of who you are, what you've done, and what you bring to the table.  Here's a roundup of our best MBA essay tips to keep in mind as you begin to write.

How to Write an Unforgettable B-School Essay

1. communicate that you are a proactive, can-do sort of person..

Business schools want leaders, not applicants content with following the herd.

2. Put yourself on ego-alert.

Stress what makes you unique, not what makes you number one.

3. Communicate specific reasons why you're great fit for each school.

Simply stating "I am the ideal candidate for your program" won't convince the admission committee to push you into the admit pile.

Read More: Find Your Business School

4. Bring passion to your writing.

Admissions officers want to know what excites you. And if you'll bring a similar enthusiasm to the classroom.

5. Break the mold.

Challenge perceptions with unexpected essays that say, "There's more to me than you think."

6. If you've taken an unorthodox path to business school, play it up.

Admissions officers appreciate risk-takers.

7. Talk about your gender, ethnicity, minority status or foreign background....

But only if it has affected your outlook or experiences.

8. Fill your essays with plenty of real-life examples.

Specific anecdotes and vivid details make a much greater impact than general claims and broad summaries.

9. Demonstrate a sense of humor or vulnerability.

You're a real person, and it's okay to show it!

BONUS: Don't Make These MBA Essay Mistakes

1. write about your high school glory days. .

Admissions committees don't care if you were editor of the yearbook or captain of the varsity team. They expect their candidates to have moved onto more current, professional achievements.

2. Submit essays that don't answer the questions.

An off-topic essay, or one that merely restates your résumé, will frustrate and bore the admissions committee. More importantly, it won't lead to any new insight about you.

Attend UNC's top-ranked online MBA program without putting your career on hold. See how.

3. Fill essays with industry jargon.

Construct your essays with only enough detail about your job to frame your story and make your point.

4. Reveal half-baked reasons for wanting the MBA.

Admissions officers favor applicants who have well-defined goals. However unsure you are about your future, it's critical that you demonstrate that you have a plan.

5. Exceed the recommended word limits.

This suggests you don't know how to follow directions, operate within constraints or organize your thoughts.

6. Submit an application full of typos and grammatical errors.

A sloppy application suggests a sloppy attitude.

7. Send one school an essay intended for another—or forget to change the school name when using the same essay for several applications.

Admissions committees are (understandably) insulted when they see another school's name or forms.

8. Make excuses.

If your undergraduate experience was one long party, be honest. Discuss how you've matured, both personally and professionally.

9. Be impersonal in the personal statement.

Many applicants avoid the personal like the plague. Instead of talking about how putting themselves through school lowered their GPA, they talk about the rising cost of tuition in America. Admissions officers want to know about YOU.

Read More: How to Ace Your MBA Interview

10. Make too many generalizations.

An essay full of generalizations is a giveaway that you don't have anything to say.

11. Write in a vacuum.

Make sure that each of your essays reinforce and build on the others to present a consistent and compelling representation of who you are, what you've done, and what you bring to the table.

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What Defines a Successful Organization?

In our age of discontinuity, you need the ability to continually shift. by Ram Charan

Summary .   

The characteristics that help an organization succeed have changed over the past century. While a highly structured, top-down management style used to be companies’ preferred approach to organization, the internet has made this structure (and the layers of hierarchy that developed over decades) irrelevant. In this article, the author discusses how a successful organization today moves from mass markets to markets of one, routinely replaces core competencies, shifts to team-based structures, and manages from the outside in, among other features.

Organizations succeed over time only when they adapt to the speed and character of external change. Every aspect of an organization — from how it operates and is structured to how it is led — must match the current yet ever-shifting context in which it exists.

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What makes a company successful

Utilize these strategies—from staying true to your mission to innovating—to build a flourishing business.

At first glance, understanding why one business is successful and another isn’t can seem confusing or random. In fact, though you can’t completely quantify what makes a business successful, many of the most successful companies have the same things in common. Even with different products and services, varying management styles and company cultures, successful businesses overlap in some fundamental ways.

From customer service to new technology, focus on the same things the companies you admire are pursuing. Even some of the small steps companies take, like a few extra benefits they offer employees, contribute to their success. It takes a long time to build your company, and longer to create the kind of long-term success you’re looking for. Start with these strategies now.

Pursuing a mission

A company’s mission is essential to running all aspects of the business. It helps the founders grow the company with a major goal in mind. It gives the employees something to work towards, and creates a sense of purpose. It also lets customers know what the company stands for and helps give them a personal connection.

Your mission is more than just a banner declaring that you stand for something. Your business should run according to the mission. Do you say you’re devoted to using clean energy? Then you should invest in clean energy for your facilities, and find vendors and suppliers at all points of your supply chain who also invest in or use clean energy. The more your mission can focus how your business runs, the more meaning it’ll add to your company.

Focusing on customers

Customer service and customer experience are major focuses of the most successful businesses. The first step is creating products and services that customers want. But focusing on customers goes beyond your products. Customers are tired of dealing with companies through phone menus and automated chat bots. They want a human connection. For a customer, it’s important to feel like their business is valued, and that you’ll work to solve their problems. Just a few bad customer experiences can have a big impact on how well-liked a business is.

People will return to your brand because of exemplary customer service, even if you don’t have the lowest price. Amazon is always willing to send replacements for packages that are lost, without giving the customer a hard time. Costco has digital receipts, which makes returning items, even years after you got them, much easier. Customers don’t want to fight with disgruntled employees to prove that their problem is worth a company’s time. Even if you start small, provide good customer service and you’ll keep people coming back.

Employing a great management team

Successful companies, big and small, need good management, from the top level down to people like foremen and shift supervisors. Quality leaders offer employees communication, a natural company culture, and clear goals and objectives. Criticism is constructive, and employees feel valued yet know where they need to work harder. A good leader lives the company culture, complies with standards and rules, and is an example for the employees. Ultimately, good leaders make employees feel valued.

Being a bad leader isn’t just about making poor decisions for the company. In fact, a bad leader can make good financial or marketing decisions, yet lead a team of miserable employees. From failing to empathize with employee struggles to communicating in an unclear or frustrating manner, bad leaders inspire employees to quit or switch departments left and right. Have you ever heard the saying: “Employees don’t leave companies, they leave managers”? It’s a cliché for a reason.

Retaining employee talent

Good managers are part of how a successful company keeps good employees on payroll. A mission with great core values that employees can believe in is another way. The most successful companies recognize the good talent they have, and work to keep it. That means more than a competitive salary and a few benefits. Employees need to fit in with the company culture and feel valued for their contributions.

Offering additional training opportunities and extra perks like telecommute days are popular ways companies keep their best talent. Benefits packages with flexible sick and vacation day options are another. Finally, employees need to know that development opportunities, including moving up the ladder or moving laterally within the company, are possible. That way you don’t lose someone to a similar position at another company.

Keeping detailed financial records

One key component in what makes a successful business is the financial records. Businesses need a very clear idea of how much they make and spend. Keeping track of finances helps businesses spot good patterns and possible financial dangers. When businesses know their finances, they can choose to make investments, pursue innovations, or pay for new equipment or new suppliers. It’s also how businesses know when they need to hire more people.

Outsourcing some of the financial burden is a smart move for smaller companies. Successful corporations can, of course, afford in-house accountants and analysts. Smaller businesses with good success don’t take on more than they can handle. Plus, successful CEOs know not to get too bogged down in the nitty-gritty work, because it actually gets in the way of managing and leading effectively.

Related articles

Continuing to innovate

When you create a quality product, people are going to copy you. That’s why the most successful companies are always innovating, whether it’s improving on products that already exist or coming out with entirely new stuff. Think about why so few people leave their Apple products once they switch over. Apple consistently manufactures the leading laptops, smartphones, and tablets. Every time another company catches up, Apple zooms ahead again.

Innovating at the small business level looks a little different, but still impacts the business. Improving a product, finding a way to offer a lower price, or discovering new ways to show customers you appreciate them are all powerful innovations. Never stop pursuing great ideas.

Pursuing long-term goals

Successful companies have both short- and long-term goals. Whether these goals are making investments in new technology that won’t be ready for several years, or working toward growing the company a certain amount in the next decade, long-term goals are important. Instead of jumping from small success to small success, a long-term goal puts those smaller successes together into a bigger picture.

At the same time, companies have to be willing to change and adapt if a long-term goal is no longer serving the mission or the customers. Privately held companies with big successes often pursue strategies that other businesses might deem too risky. Once you go public, you lose some of these opportunities. Even on your first day of business, you should already be working toward those extended goals.

Adapting to new technology

As new technology develops that will help you run your business, use it. Successful companies are quick to embrace new technology. For one thing, customers certainly are embracing that technology, so being on the bandwagon is part of what makes a company successful. Plus, as you add new technology, you build the infrastructure to continue advancing. If you wait several years, then you have to implement something completely new and complex, instead of adapting as new editions and formats come out.

New technology gives businesses the chance to lower costs or improve the customer experience. Automating a system or using software to analyze customer data will enhance how the company runs. The best companies are always adapting to new technology and making it work for them. Even if you can’t afford something big and fancy, look into new software or office equipment that will make your days easier.

Every business has a unique approach to these elements of success. One business may get more mileage out of investing in new technology, while another might find that increasing quality customer service is the best way to go. If you want to emulate successful businesses, always keep learning. Follow your favorite business leaders and track the companies you admire. You’ll continue to get ideas for giving your own business more success if you learn from both their triumphs and failures.

Should you send that follow-up? Get your answer by discovering the best practices for pitching to investors.

If you’ve been asking questions like, how will I know when I find a product market fit? How long should I explore before launching? Or what should I initially price my product? These are all questions that founders have asked, and below are the answers from the founders who’ve figured it out.

Tom Hewitson, Chief AI Officer at leading AI training company General Purpose , offers tips for small businesses

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10 Things You Must Do to Be Successful in Business (and in Life)

Here are stories from several successful entrepreneurs who live a successful life as well..

There have been thousands of books written about what it takes to be successful in business, and a thousand more about achieving success in life as well. You can find another thousand articles on the web that discuss the topic, and a thousand more will be written tomorrow. With such a broad subject and with so many things that can play a role in making us happy, it can be difficult to boil it down to a short list of things that anyone can read and apply in their lives.

However, across those thousands of books and articles, among the countless legends and stories, you'll find some common themes woven throughout. You'll find principles about us as human beings that many of us think about but never try hard enough to achieve. You'll hear about ideals and decisions that we all wish we could aspire to but often fail to understand. Here are ten of those things you'll find among the tales of those who achieved success in business (and in life) - which ones do you currently have and which do you need to obtain?

1. Be Fearless

Want to know why becoming successful in a business venture is considered such a daunting feat by society? While there are obvious hurdles to face, one of the biggest challenges is in overcoming the fear of jumping into a business in the first place. Most people dream all day about launching a successful business while watching the clock tick at their mundane day jobs. The reason they never quit the security of a paycheck is because they are too scared by the unknown that comes with starting a business. If you want to separate yourself from that crowd, you need to learn how to manage your own fears. Don't worry, you're not alone. When I quit my job to start my business, I was making double my salary outside my day job than I was inside working my eight hour job. I still had that huge fear of failure.

However, this is only the beginning of the road for those who want to be truly successful in business. Overcoming your fears and getting started is noble, but the true tests of a fearless entrepreneur will be constant, from initiating a conversation at a networking mixer, asking for the sale on a major deal, severing ties with a partner who is causing harm to the venture, and perhaps the most frightening of all situations - watching a business fail (it happened to Henry Ford twice before he designed his famous assembly line!) One who can fail miserably and not be scared to dust themselves off and try again and again until they are successful is truly fearless.

2. Understand Finance

Now, people all the time will talk about how a well known business brand started at one time in someone's basement or garage, so much that it's become a romantic notion of sorts that going from rags-to-riches is what really identifies a true entrepreneur. The reality of most successful businesses ventures couldn't be farther from the truth - if you want to make it, you're going to need money. However, that doesn't necessarily mean you need to have a lot of it when you're just getting started, but more importantly understanding how finance works and how to use your money to grow in the smartest way.

Robert Kiyosaki is most famous for teaching the world about the importance in how financial literacy plays such a crucial role in the lives of successful entrepreneurs. Those who live from paycheck to paycheck are also those that fill their lives with liabilities - car and house payments, credit cards, and other materialistic things that cost them money. Those who are financially literate, however, understand the importance of building assets - things that make them money instead. Once you start having a positive asset column, you can then learn how to make even more money through investing. To be a successful entrepreneur you need to know how to take money and make it work for you.

3. Grow As A Leader

Once you harness your fears and make the leap to starting a business, you've already begun the journey of becoming a leader. As we'll discuss shortly, your ultimate success will have a lot to do with how you help others find their own. Many of us hold successful entrepreneurs on a pedestal much like football fans hold a star quarterback or wide receiver in high regard. However, there's always a team that these individuals lead that ultimately leads to their success. You must learn how to be a leader on some kind of level in order to motivate others to join you in your venture, believe in what you preach, or give you money for a product or service that you offer.

Just because you need to possess leadership qualities does not mean that everybody successful in business has to be the CEO, face of the company, or person "in charge". When Google started to really grow, the company's founders brought in a successful CEO in Eric Schmidt to come in and run their company - they were engineers, not CEOs. The ability to lead a team or lead the masses can sometimes come down to just having the right charisma and message to get the right people to do the things that need to be done in order for the entire thing to just work . A great soldier may be good at leading troops on the field, but not managing the entire war. An amazing product designer may also be a lousy salesperson. But a great leader will discover what they do best and where their weakness lies, and know who to put where in order to ensure that their company is one that achieves real success.

4. Use Your Leverage

One of the greatest challenges that will stand in the way of an entrepreneur from getting what they want is understanding what "to do" with the opportunities that fall in their laps along the way. This is where leverage becomes such an important concept that people going into business need to understand, and it takes a certain kind of mind to think "outside the box" in situations to find the value in a new relationship or circumstance. The same people who are too scared to quit their day jobs are also the same people who do not know how to leverage the assets and relationships in their life. A successful entrepreneur, on the other hand, is constantly finding ways to create profits and new opportunities each and every day.

The simple adage "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade" is a great example of using leverage to move your business forward. Many people will make the lemonade and drink it themselves. A true entrepreneur will make lemonade and sell it to those without lemons, and use the profits to buy more lemons or move into another business. While today a polarizing political figure, Donald Trump is a great example of an entrepreneur who time and time again used leverage to acquire crucial pieces of real estate or strike very lucrative business deals. Love him or hate him, his book The Art of The Deal is a great resource on how leverage can make someone mega successful.

5. Acquire Partners

We talked earlier about how becoming a leader is one of the most important qualities one needs to "move the chains" in the game of business. In order to achieve greatness as a leader, one must then have a team of individuals who believe in the mission in order to move forward. That's where assembling a great team of partners plays such an important role in any profitable business. Many start out alone and the wearer of many hats, but a business can only scale so far if there is only one source of energy, of inspiration, and of the actual sweat equity it takes to keep the lights on.

As we will see in understanding the meaning of success both in business and in life, a true "business owner" is one who does not need to be a part of the day-to-day operations in order for the business to run and stay profitable. The classic book " The E-Myth " is a great story of how many try (and fail) at running a business all by themselves. Instead, you need to take those leadership skills and motivate others to take their own specific skillsets and apply them together as a team for the greater good of the company. This doesn't just include employees, but also includes knowing who to shake hands with, how to create strategic partnerships, and how to use that leverage we previously discussed to convince others to have an interest in your venture. And once you reach a certain level of success, it will be an even greater feeling when you get to share it with all who helped make it possible.

6. Having the Right Attitude

So far we've discussed some of the most important concepts you need to understand in order to achieve success in business - but how do you exactly justify what is true success? Is it money, or sales, or the influence your actions have over the environment around you? Ultimately real success in business only matters if it also equates to success in life, and that all starts with having the right attitude towards it. Nobody cares about those who are rich but hate the world they live in. Everyone knows the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge, the jaded old man that had all the money in the world but did nothing but create misery for others.

To have a truly happy and fulfilling life, it's important to know what's really important and to develop values around what you can do each and every day to make that world a reality. Sure, many who start a business venture want to achieve a certain level of financial independence. But what does one do with those riches once they finally have them? Those with the attitude that having money means they can buy more "things" to surround themselves with in order to feel superior to others will never be successful in their life. The entrepreneurs who focus on how they can create wealth that can help others and solve problems have the right attitude needed to obtain true happiness and be seen in a positive light by their peers and partners, and are the true embodiment of the word "success".

7. Showing Gratitude

We live in a world that is changing each and every day, at a speed that any of us can really truly appreciate. Technology over the last 30-50 years has altered the way we communicate not only with our neighbor and loved ones but our business contacts around the world. The generations that have grown up with this technology often take it for granted, never once stopping to "smell the roses" and to realize that they live in an amazing time in history and that much of what they have in their lives - everything from the electricity powering their lights, the cars that help them get to their next meeting, to their smartphones in their pockets are all things they should very much be thankful for.

Those who are happy in both business and if life are those who are grateful for the world they live in. These are the people who make sure to thank the barista for their coffee in the mornings, who open the door for others, who actually listen to those who they have conversations with. Successful entrepreneurs should never forget all the people, places and things that have played a role in their lives that helped them get from their humble beginnings to where they are today. The next time you're flying on a plane, remember the comedian Louis CK's amazing observation that you're "sitting in a chair in the sky", and be grateful for all the wonderful things we get to experience every day.

8. Staying Healthy

Your money and success isn't going to do you any good if you're not around to use it - so why would you live your life so dangerously that you would sacrifice your health? What good is all the passion you have for your business dreams if you're not going to be around to see them come true? Too many of us get caught up in the game of life that we never think about the damage we all do to our bodies along the way. As entrepreneurs our days are so full of work and juggling projects that are lunch breaks become mere small breaks in the day where we shove fast food down our throats to get rid of our hunger. I personally inhale my food.

Our nights turn into a time where we sometimes burn the candles at both ends, turning the stress of the day into an excuse to ease the pain with alcohol and drugs. While we worship the celebrities who died before their time, is that how we define success in life? Our obsession with money and material things makes us greedy and insecure of who we are and how others perceive us. Without our health, we can never truly achieve success. A leader needs to be strong, and we're not just talking about a lean body or muscles here - your mind has to be healthy in order to persevere through the day and not only achieve the success you're looking for, but to be able to enjoy it as well.

9. Keeping the Right Friends

We've discussed the importance of not going it alone along your path to building your business, and this same ideology applies to your personal success and happiness. What's the point of doing anything if you don't have special people in your life to share it with. No one wants to be the Bruce Wayne of their city, the quack who owns the huge dining room table with no one to dine with.

People are social by nature, and it's important to have a life outside of those you work with. Your friends are people to share your experiences with, who will be there to high-five you with every victory and also pick you up after every failure. Make sure they are also the ones who have the same attitude, give back gratitude, and remain a positive force in your life. Those who feed off of negative energy are the ones you can bring the whole house crashing down around you.

10. The Importance of Family

We've discussed in detail why we become entrepreneurs in the first place, and the importance of deciding what goals we're trying to achieve. Most will begin the journey with dollar signs in their eyes, or seeking some level of power. Many times these things are personal and selfish, but one who is seeking true success in their lives will be doing so not just to share with their friends, but more importantly their families.

Not everyone has the greatest of childhoods, and no one is expected to share wealth with their siblings just because of blood. Not every entrepreneur has a soulmate, not will we all have children. It is important, however, to think about success beyond just the material or power one might ultimately yield. Real success lies in having a positive influence on those who you call family and those who will eventually remember, and hopefully continue, the legacy you leave behind.

A refreshed look at leadership from the desk of CEO and chief content officer Stephanie Mehta

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Entrepreneurial Personality Essay: Traits & Characteristics

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What personal traits are considered important to the entrepreneur? Find the answer here! This entrepreneurial personality essay focuses on the importance of characteristics necessary for a successful business career.

Introduction

• Personal Traits

Reference List

An entrepreneur is an individual who sets up and administers a business for the main purpose of making profit. In the present world, entrepreneurship is paramount in fueling the growth of the economy and providing employment opportunities.

Anyone can become an entrepreneur but not everyone is suited for successful entrepreneurship. Most successful entrepreneurs share certain personality traits that give them a comparative advantage over their competition. This essay explores the personality traits required to be a successful entrepreneur.

Personal Traits Important to the Entrepreneur

Determination is one of the personality traits that an entrepreneur should possess in order to increase their chances of being successful. Determination is a very intense longing to achieve success. The trait requires a lot of persistence and the ability to recover in case of a period of downturn.

It is not easy to attain success within a short time. Therefore, an entrepreneur should exercise a lot of patience and should not easily give up when things go wrong .

Dedication is another important personality trait of a successful entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs should dedicate themselves towards the accomplishment of their objectives and visions. Having focus and being dedicated enables an entrepreneur to be more successful in his or her business ventures.

Starting a business requires hard work and a lot of effort. Regardless of numerous difficulties, an entrepreneur should be dedicated to all tasks by working towards a positive outcome and to be willing to ask for assistance once in a while.

Self confidence, being another personality trait enables an entrepreneur to be assertive in achieving their own interests in a way that is socially recognized. Self confidence usually results from thorough planning which decreases uncertainty rates and risk levels.

Self confidence should be sufficient enough in order to successfully achieve planned profits. When an entrepreneur is skilled and knowledgeable, self confidence comes naturally. The confidence also gives them the ability to listen to the opinions of other people without feeling intimidated .

Creativity and innovation are very important traits that an entrepreneur should possess. Being innovative enables an entrepreneur to develop fresh and improved products to be able to survive in the competitive world of business.

This trait also encourages the entrepreneur to constantly learn, question and think outside the box in order to be in line with the ever changing technology. With fresh and improved products and services, an entrepreneur is more likely to be successful in the world of business.

Interpersonal reactivity is essential in entrepreneurial life because it enables an entrepreneur to put himself or herself in the position of another person.

The entrepreneur who possesses this trait has the ability to approach other business people and develop a relationship that is intended to be beneficial.

Research says that sufficient levels of interpersonal reactivity enables an entrepreneur to produce products that are client oriented hence success in the business is more likely .

All business ventures have their fair share of upturns and downturns. Success does not come immediately to an entrepreneur instead it takes a lot of time. Every entrepreneur possesses the above personality traits but in different degrees. Every skill and trait can be achieved through practice and learning.

Therefore, any entrepreneur can achieve the above traits after some time. The entrepreneur can also hire a person who has the admirable strengths to take care of his or her business to better and greater heights.

Action Coach . (n.d). 12 Essential Characteristics of an Entrepreneur . Web.

Caliendo, M., & Kritikos, A. (2007). Is Entrepreneurial Success Predictable? An Ex-Ante Analysis of the Character-Based Approach . Web.

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Skills and Behaviors that Make Entrepreneurs Successful

What makes a successful entrepreneurial leader?

Is it the technical brilliance of Bill Gates? The obsessive focus on user experience of Steve Jobs? The vision, passion, and strong execution of Care.com’s Sheila Lirio Marcelo? Or maybe it’s about previous experience, education, or life circumstances that increase confidence in a person’s entrepreneurial abilities.

Like the conviction of Marla Malcolm Beck and husband Barry Beck that high-end beauty retail stores and spas, tightly coupled with online stores, was the business model of the future, while other entrepreneurs—and the investors who financed them—declared such brick-and-mortar businesses were dinosaurs on their way to extinction. The success of Bluemercury proved the critics wrong.

“We’ve always had a hard time being able to identify the skills and behaviors of entrepreneurial leaders”

Despite much research into explaining what makes entrepreneurial leaders tick, the answers are far from clear. In fact, most studies present conflicting findings. Entrepreneurs, it seems, are still very much a black box waiting to be opened.

A Harvard Business School research team is hoping that a new approach will enable better understanding of the entrepreneurial leader. The program combines self-assessments of their skills and behaviors by entrepreneurs themselves with evaluations of them by peers, friends, and employees.

Along the way the data is also allowing scholars to study attributes of entrepreneurs by gender, as well compare serial entrepreneurs versus first-time founders.

“We’ve always had a hard time being able to identify the skills and behaviors of entrepreneurial leaders,” says HBS Professor Lynda Applegate, who has spent 20 years studying leadership approaches and behaviors of successful entrepreneurs. “Part of the problem is that people usually focus on an entrepreneurial ‘personality’ rather than identifying the unique skills and behaviors of entrepreneurs who launch and grow their own firms.”

Complicating this understanding are the many types of entrepreneurial ventures that exist, says Applegate. These can include small “lifestyle” businesses, multi-generational family businesses, high-growth, venture funded technology businesses, and new ventures designed to commercialize breakthrough discoveries in life sciences, clean tech, and other scientific fields.

“These types of ventures seem to both appeal to and require different types of entrepreneurial leaders and we are hoping that our research will help us understand those differences—if they exist,” says Applegate, the Sarofim-Rock Professor of Business Administration at HBS and Chair of the HBS Executive Education Portfolio for Business Owners & Entrepreneurs.

The answers are already starting to come in, thanks to initial results from a pilot test of “The Entrepreneurial Leader: Self Assessment” survey taken by 1,300 HBS alumni. Results allowed the researchers to refine the self-assessment and to create a second survey, “The Entrepreneurial Leader: Peer Assessment.” Both are being prepared for launch in summer 2016.

The team included Applegate; Janet Kraus , entrepreneur-in-residence; and Tim Butler, Senior Fellow and Senior Advisor to Career and Professional Development at HBS and Chief Scientist and co-founder of Career Leader.

Dimensions of entrepreneurial leadership

A literature review combined with interviews of successful entrepreneurs helped the team define key factors that formed the foundation for the self-assessment. These dimensions were further refined based on statistical analysis of the pilot test responses to create a new survey instrument that defines 11 factors and associated survey questions that will be used to understand the level of comfort and self-confidence that founders and non-founders have with various dimensions of entrepreneurial leadership.

These 11 dimensions are:

• Identification of Opportunities. Measures skills and behaviors associated with the ability to identify and seek out high-potential business opportunities.
• Vision and Influence. Measures skills and behaviors associated with the ability to influence all internal and external stakeholders that must work together to execute a business vision and strategy.
• Comfort with Uncertainty. Measures skills and behaviors associated with being able to move a business agenda forward in the face of uncertain and ambiguous circumstances.
• Assembling and Motivating a Business Team. Measures skills and behaviors required to select the right members of a team and motivate that team to accomplish business goals.
• Efficient Decision Making. Measures skills and behaviors associated with the ability to make effective and efficient business decisions, even in the face of insufficient information.
• Building Networks. Measures skills and behaviors associated with the ability to assemble necessary resources and to create the professional and business networks necessary for establishing and growing a business venture.
• Collaboration and Team Orientation. Measures skills and behaviors associated with being a strong team player who is able to subordinate a personal agenda to ensure the success of the business.
• Management of Operations. Measures skills and behaviors associated with the ability to successfully manage the ongoing operations of a business.
• Finance and Financial Management. Measures skills and behaviors associated with the successful management of all financial aspects of a business venture.
• Sales. Measures skills and behaviors needed to build an effective sales organization and sales channel that can successfully acquire, retain, and serve customers, while promoting strong customer relationships and engagement.
• Preference for Established Structure. Measures preference for operating in more established and structured business environments rather than a preference for building new ventures where the structure must adapt to an uncertain and rapidly changing business context and strategy.

While the 11 factors provided some level of discrimination between founders and non-founders, five factors showed statistically significant differences. For example, founders scored significantly higher than non-founders on “comfort with uncertainty,” “identification of opportunities,” “vision and influence,” “building networks,” and “finance and financial management.” Founders also had significantly lower ratings on their “preference for established structure” dimension.

Entrepreneurial leadership differences between founders and non-founders

Although some of the factors—like comfort with uncertainty and the ability to identify opportunities—seemed like obvious markers for entrepreneurial success, the study built a statistically reliable and valid tool that can be used to deepen understanding, not only of founders versus non-founders, but also of differences and similarities among founders who start and grow different types of businesses, between male and female founders, serial founders and first-time founders and founders from different countries.

In addition, a deeper examination of the individual questions that make up each factor provides richer descriptions of specific behaviors and skills that account for the differences in the profile of entrepreneurs who are launching different types of ventures and from many different backgrounds.

Take vision and influence, for example. Although it is a long-standing belief that great leaders have vision and influence, the researchers found that entrepreneurial leaders have more confidence of their abilities than the average leader on this dimension—and that leaders working within established firms actually rated themselves much lower.

Financial management and governance turned out to be another non-obvious differentiator.

“Financial management is a skill that all of our HBS alumni should feel confident in applying,” Kraus says. “Yet among the alumni surveyed in the pilot, those who had chosen to be founders rated themselves as much more confident in their financial management skills—especially those related to managing cash flow, raising capital, and board governance—than did non-founder alumni.”

Self-confidence in financial management and raising capital was especially strong for male entrepreneurs, she says. “Our future research will broaden our sample beyond HBS alumni to enable us to differentiate between those who graduated with and without an MBA, and to assess confidence in raising capital and financial management and a wide variety of other skills by different types of founders and non-founders.”

Efficient management of operations was another crucial, yet less obvious, factor. “While we often think that employees within established organizations would be more confident in their ability to efficiently manage operations, we were surprised to see that it is a distinguishing and differentiating attribute of entrepreneurs,” says Kraus. “All entrepreneurs know that they must do more with less—which means that they must work faster and with fewer resources.”

Differentiating male and female entrepreneurs

The pilot study allowed researchers to examine gender differences. While men and women rated themselves similarly on many dimensions, women were more confident in their ability to “efficiently manage operations” and in their “vision and influence,” while men expressed greater confidence in their “comfort with uncertainty” and “finance and financial management."

Entrepreneurial leadership differences between male and female founders

These differences rang true for Kraus, herself a serial entrepreneur who founded and grew three successful entrepreneurial ventures.

“Successful women entrepreneurs that I know have lots of great ideas, and are super skilled at creating a compelling vision that moves people to action,” she says. “They are also extremely capable of getting lots done with very little resources so are great at efficient management of operations. That said, these same women are often more conservative when forecasting financial goals and with raising significant rounds of capital. And, even if they have a big vision, they are less confident in declaring at the outset that their goal is to become a billion-dollar business.”

Indeed, research confirms observations that women start more companies than men, but rarely grow them as large.

Based on his earlier research, these results also resonated with Tim Butler: “When it comes to self-rating on finance skills, women are more likely than men to rate themselves lower than ratings given them by objective observers. There are definitely implications for educators when lower self-confidence in skills associated with entrepreneurial careers becomes a significant obstacle for talented would-be entrepreneurs.”

The researchers hope to deepen their understanding of male and female entrepreneurial leaders as they collect more data.

Differentiating serial founders and first-time founders

Not all founders are cut from the same cloth, the study underscores. Analysis of the pilot data also revealed important differences between first-time founders and serial founders—those who launch and grow a number of new ventures, such as Elon Musk (PayPal, Tesla Motors, SpaceX) and research team member Kraus (Circles, Spire; peach).

One key difference the research team discovered: serial founders appear more comfortable with managing uncertainty and risk. That doesn’t mean they enjoy taking risks, Kraus says, “but they appear to be confident that they are adept and capable of knowing how to ‘de-risk’ their venture and manage uncertainty from the very beginning."

Entrepreneurial leadership differences between serial founders and non-serial founders

While the data are not yet robust enough to say so with certainty, Kraus believes that serial entrepreneurs often enjoy launching businesses where the risk is highest because of confidence in their ability to manage uncertainty, and perhaps because they enjoy the process of creating clarity from uncertainty.

Other factors that set serial entrepreneurs apart from one-timers include confidence in their skills at building networks, securing financing and financial management, and generating creative ways to identify and meet market opportunities.

FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES

As more people take the assessment and HBS develops a richer data set, scholars, educators, entrepreneurs and those who support them will be able to develop insights that will have a number of payoffs.

“The entrepreneurial leaders we know are constantly searching for tools that can help them become more self-aware so they can be more effective,” Kraus explains. “This tool is going to be uniquely useful in that it was specifically developed to help entrepreneurs gain a deeper understanding of the skills and behaviors that they need to be successful.”

In addition, researchers will be able to examine the data by age, gender, country, industry, size of company, pace of growth, and type of venture “to understand the full range of entrepreneurial leadership skills and behaviors, and how different types of entrepreneurs are similar and different,” Applegate says. “These insights will enable us to do a better job of educating entrepreneurs, designing apprenticeships and providing the mentorship needed.”

The data will also be useful in identifying skills and behaviors needed to jumpstart entrepreneurial leadership in established firms, and in understanding how an entrepreneurial leader continues to lead innovation throughout the lifecycle of a business—from startup through scale-up.

“Today, I often see that the creativity and innovation that was so prevalent in the early days of an entrepreneurial venture gets squeezed out as the company grows and starts to scale,” says Applegate. “But, rather than replace entrepreneurs with professional managers, we need to ensure that we have entrepreneurial leadership and creativity in all organizations and at levels in organizations. We hope that our research will help clarify the behavior and skills needed and, over time, will help us track the entrepreneurial leadership behaviors and skills of companies of all size, in all industries, and around the world.”

Given the critical importance of entrepreneurial leaders in driving the economy and improving society, shockingly little is understood about them. The data and analysis emerging from HBS will provide important insights that can help answer the questions, “What makes a successful entrepreneurial leader and how can I become a successful entrepreneurial leader?”

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