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Kelley School of Business Indiana University Bloomington
Kelley Direct Online MBA

Kelley Direct Entrepreneur Spotlight: Laura Fooks, CEO, Light Speaks Loudest

Posted on by Kelley School

I always dreamed of someday setting out on my own and becoming an entrepreneur, so I figured getting my MBA would provide a solid foundation for that career path. What I didn’t figure, however, was how instrumental my MBA, and the Kelley Direct program, would be in helping me achieve that dream.

Beyond the tangible business skills, Kelley Direct gave me the confidence to start my own business. During my time at Kelley, I participated in the Entrepreneurship & Venture Capital Association’s pitch competition — and won! That was a huge confidence boost and the motivation I needed to start my own business, which I did in October 2020.

I am currently the Chief Encouragement Officer (CEO – get it?) of Light Speaks Loudest, a company that curates quarterly subscription boxes for teen Christian girls to give them the knowledge, empathy, and confidence they need to live out their faith. Now, I do everything from connecting with vendors to packing our subscription boxes to crafting Instagram and TikTok content – and I do it all out of my home office in Denver.

That was another reason Kelley Direct appealed to me. I specifically pursued an online program because I didn’t want to commute to classes after my full-time job and I wanted flexibility in my geographic location without having to sacrifice an excellent education and expansive alumni network. (more…)

Kelley Direct Entrepreneur Spotlight: Gary Phillips, Managing Partner, Forward Thinking Partners

Posted on by Kelley School

As a serial entrepreneur, I am used to wearing many hats.

The hats I’m currently wearing include CEO, Anime Village; Chief of Staff, ProBook; Chief Operating Officer, RoboNegotiator; and Managing Partner, Forward Thinking Partners and FTP-Studios.

One hat I donned recently was MBA student in the Kelley Direct program. I pursued an online MBA because of the flexibility to take classes and exams based on my availability. I chose to attend the Kelley Direct program specifically because of the reputation and top-tier quality of the programs and professors.

The Kelley Direct programs and professors proved crucial to my success. I had already started multiple businesses prior to Kelley, but the onsite case challenges, combined with how the program helped me explore additional ways of addressing operational initiatives and strategic planning, inspired me to co-found another business, which I did during my time in the program.

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Kelley Direct Entrepreneur Spotlight: Scott Baird, Sales Team Lead – Midwest, CloudKitchens

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Headshot of Kelley alum Scott BairdThe pursuit of diversifying my knowledge base and experience is a constant driver in my life, and my MBA experience was no exception. When I applied for my MBA, I worked in sales for the San Diego Padres. I wanted to diversify my business knowledge with topics I didn’t think I would be able to get on the job, but I worked non-traditional hours in sports, so an “in-person” MBA was not feasible.

I chose Kelley Direct because it had the most well-rounded online program and provided access to the best and brightest minds across multiple industries. The collaboration aspect of Kelley Direct really sets the program apart from other MBA programs. I loved working with people from all over the globe who excelled in their positions and picking their brains on how to apply that to my role. (more…)

How to build (or rebuild) a recruiting process that really works

Posted on by Kelley School

Rather than getting stuck just trying to gather the most applicants for a job or largest pool of people and simply hope that the quality of individuals will show themselves based on the number, Sarah Wanger Director of Admissions for the Kelley Direct Online Programs, shares that there is a smarter way to go about recruiting the right talent—one that matches your organizational values. So how do do you begin? In a recent ROI Podcast from Kelley School of Business Indianapolis Sarah shares her keys for success that helped her team at Kelley Direct smash all previous recruitment records for their organization.

Whether you’re a brand new company or a seasoned veteran, listen in as Sarah unpacks the fundamentals of recruitment to help you build (or rebuild) your recruiting process that actually works.

Interested in the Kelley Direct Online MBA program? Learn more today.

Kelley Direct Alumni – Q&A Series: Laura Fooks, MBA’20

Posted on by Kelley School

Laura Fooks, MBA’20 is based in Denver where she works as the co-founder and Chief Encouragement Officer at Light Speaks Loudest—a subscription box service designed to inspire confidence in teen girls and help them build empathy toward others and grow their spirituality. 

Why did you pursue an online MBA? I knew I wanted to get an MBA so I would have a better foundation as an entrepreneur. I specifically pursued an online program because I didn’t want to commute to classes after my full-time job and wanted flexibility in my geographic location.

Why did you choose Kelley Direct? Although I grew up visiting IU for basketball games and hearing about the incredible business program (my parents are Kelley alumni from long ago), I didn’t ever think I’d be a student here. When I began researching online MBA programs, I noticed that Kelley kept making the top of the list in rankings and tended to be more affordable than other options. Plus, I loved the opportunity to connect in person during Kelley on Campus week while still maintaining the overall flexibility of an online program. (more…)

Virtual Idea Blitz builds Kelley Direct student’s entrepreneurial, teamwork skills

Posted on by Hannah Carroll

What started last year as an effort to solve COVID-19 challenges transformed into a fast-paced virtual competition for Kelley Direct Online MBA students.

Held over a weekend in April 2021, the Idea Blitz introduced students to the process of developing, testing, and validating a business idea. Kelley Direct offered the intensive experience in lieu of Kelley On Campus, an in-person experience that was postponed due to safety and travel concerns.

“The Kelley Direct faculty and staff have become very nimble and found ways to engage students in spite of the pandemic,” said Punyatoya Mohapatra, MBA’22, a member of the winning Idea Blitz team. “The Blitz was something I wouldn’t have gotten to do without Kelley Direct. It was different and unique.”

The Idea Blitz combines components of two classic innovation models—a design sprint and a startup weekend. As in a design sprint, the teams follow a process to surface an idea, uncover insights, and prototype the concept. The weekend ends with a video pitch to a judging panel of venture funding experts.

“We’ve developed a strong set of materials that help students navigate their way through idea development, prototype building, validation, and product pitch at a rapid pace—in just 48 hours,” said event co-organizer Regan Stevenson, assistant professor of entrepreneurship and management and the John and Donna Shoemaker Faculty Fellow. “That time pressure gives them a bias toward action. Instead of getting stuck on things, they are forced to make decisions. We show them how to take small steps in the right direction to get the data they need to make critical decisions.”

Stevenson co-teaches the Blitz curriculum with Will Geoghegan, Interim Chair of Kelley Direct Programs and clinical assistant professor, and Greg Fisher, Larry and Barbara Sharpf Professorship and associate professor of entrepreneurship.

From idea to pitch

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Sleep is good for business

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How much sleep did you get last night? Managers across the globe reported that they got less than the magic recommended 8 hours. In Japan, for example, the national average is 5 hours and 59 minutes; in India, the average is 6 hours and 20 minutes. If you are an American, the numbers are not much different. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that about 83.6 million US adults sleep less than 7 hours. And we are becoming more sleep-deprived over the years. In 1942, getting 8 hours of sleep was the norm. Now the average across the globe is 6 hours and 45 minutes.

But we are managers, we are leaders, we are supposed to burn the midnight oil, right? In the end, work needs to get done! Well, yes, but should we compromise sleep? There is enough consensus that sleep deprivation is bad for your health. Lack of sleep has been related to cardiovascular disease, strokes, weight gain, memory loss, weak immune systems, diabetes, and decline in cognitive function. Overall, sleep deprivation is bad for our health.

But sleep deprivation is also bad for business. Sleep-deprived employees show low levels of work engagement, job satisfaction, job performance, citizenship behavior, creativity, and innovation, and high levels of decision errors and unethical behavior. When thinking about interpersonal outcomes, lack of sleep is related to high levels of social loafing, and low levels of team effectiveness and trust in negotiations. (more…)

Kelley Direct Faculty Q&A Series: Cristiano Guarana

Posted on by Kelley School

 

Cristiano Guarana is an assistant professor in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship, teaching Leading Organizations in the Integrated Core 1—Understanding Markets and Institutions.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

My personal life mission is to “help people improve their lives via education.” I set this personal mission years before pursuing my Ph.D. In fact, my personal mission informed my decision of leaving Brazil, my home country, moving to the US, and becoming a professor. As a professor, I am paid to create and share knowledge, which is a humbling experience. Every day I learn new things, I meet new people, I talk about ideas, and I truly hope that students can apply what I teach in their jobs, in their lives. It is extremely rewarding when students email me months and even years later saying that they still apply the leadership lessons in their new positions. It is humbling to see that some students attribute their promotions and new positions to the knowledge they got in my class. Perhaps even more gratifying is also seeing that the knowledge I shared with the students is now cascading down the organizations and we are creating a better and healthier work environment for all. Needless to say, I am super proud of my students.

What can students expect from your Kelley Direct courses?

Students will learn that leadership can be developed. We all can become leaders if we put in the effort. Leading Organizations focuses on leadership behaviors that students can learn, practice, and see the outcomes of. We talk about behaviors related to becoming a leader (leadership emergence) and behaviors related to performing as a leader (leadership effectiveness). Specifically, we have a holistic view of leadership and discuss behaviors related to personal leadership, relational leadership, contextual leadership, inspirational leadership, supportive leadership, and ethical leadership. We also focus on developing critical thinkers and do a deep dive into cognitive biases and team-level biases. To achieve these goals, we engage in a variety of activities such as case analyses, video case analyses, and simulations. I hope the students leave my class thinking differently about leadership and how they can make a positive impact in their organizations. (more…)

Kelley Direct Faculty – Q&A Series: Markus Vodosek

Posted on by Kelley School

Markus Vodosek is a clinical associate professor in Management and Entrepreneurship who joined Kelley in the Fall of 2019. He teaches Navigating the Global Business Environment, a new elective on managing in an era where success means balancing globalization with de-globalization.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

Without question, the most rewarding aspect of my job is when students tell me how the concepts and cases they encountered in my courses have helped them make a difference in their jobs. For example, a student mentioned to me recently that our discussion of an EU requirement for all textile products to be content-labeled in every language of the EU countries where the product is sold helped her small company save a bunch of money. Because of our discussion her company labeled its products correctly from the get-go.

What can students expect from your Kelley Direct courses?

I am eager for students to gain the knowledge and skills they need to advance in their careers. In my courses, we achieve this objective through a combination of guided self-study, video lectures, analysis and discussion of business cases, and individual reflections on how the topics of a given course relate to the company students currently work for.

I often introduce current events for class discussion. For example, in November 2020, 15 countries in the Asia-Pacific that account for one-third of the world’s population and economic output signed a regional trade agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). In class, we might discuss the opportunities and threats RCEP presents for the companies students work for in terms of exports, imports, and foreign direct investment. (more…)

Longtime Cisco CEO John Chambers, MBA’76, shares business, leadership advice

Posted on by Hannah Carroll

Ever want to pick the brain of an accomplished CEO? In its new webinar series, Kelley Direct does just that for the program’s online MBA and MS alumni.

Conversations with the C-Suite features Kelley School of Business alumni with remarkable executive experience. They share their insights on leadership and issues facing businesses, and offer advice for future executives. Kelley Direct alumni have the opportunity to submit questions and watch the live interview.

The series kicked off with John Chambers, MBA’76, chairman emeritus of Cisco Systems and CEO of JC2 Ventures. During his 20 years of leadership at Cisco, Chambers shaped how we use technology. He grew the company from 4,000 employees and $1.2 billion in revenue in 1995 to 70,000 employees and more than $47 billion in revenue in 2015.

Kelley School of Business Dean talks via Zoom with John Chambers, MBA’76, chairman emeritus of Cisco Systems and CEO of JC2 Ventures

Kelley Direct provides many opportunities for alumni to learn and connect. To learn more and get involved, email kdalumni@iu.edu.

Here are some of the lessons Chambers shared in his Conversations with the C-Suite interview with Idie Kesner, dean of the Kelley School of Business and Frank P. Popoff Chair of Strategic Management:

“If you don’t disrupt yourself, you’re going to get disrupted.
“I’ve watched what happens when you don’t disrupt. [The pandemic] is going to create a period of tremendous disruption. Probably 40% of the companies that people are working for today will disappear within a decade and almost all job creation will come out of start-ups. I’ve learned the hard way—if you don’t disrupt yourself, you’re going to get disrupted. If you don’t think out-of-box, if you don’t catch market inflection points, if you don’t realize that every business is going to be completely transformed and every business will become a digital business, then you’re going to get left behind.”

“The most difficult companies to change are those that have been successful.
“One of the quickest ways to fail is to keep doing the right thing for too long. Whether you’re a tech company or in another industry, the most difficult companies to change are those that have been successful. And you almost get that entitlement mentality. When you paint the picture of change, whether it’s for your small group that reports to you or for a large company, you want to do a combination of outlining a vision of why you have to change and showing the vision for how you’re going to change. You’ve got to hit them with the tough reality. If you don’t change, you don’t survive.” (more…)

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