Tuck Executive Education program endorsement

Let me open with an expression of thanks to the faculty and staff of Minority Programs at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth for an excellent program, the October 2008 session of Building the High-Performing Minority Business. The courteous treatment the participants received, the nurturing environment of the campus, and the willingness of my fellow participants to share was a refreshing change from the day-to-day. Running an effective and profitable business in this economy is important and ensuring owners have the proper tools to lead and grow their businesses has always been important, but especially now. 

I found that Building the High-Performing Minority Business excelled in providing development strategy—the curriculum was challenging and the practicum was effective.  The most beneficial offering, for me, was one-on-one mentoring with Len and Jason.  As a result of their suggestions, I am positioning my company to take advantage of some potentially upcoming trends, and changing the appeal—and consequently the marketing—of my business.  

I made revisions to several details of my business, some of which are:  the nature of my blog; the content of my website and linkedin profile; and the general focus of my company.  It will take me months to fully implement all of the changes and solutions that came out of the Building program, but I am already seeing some payoff.  Once these changes are complete, I will most likely pursue a moderate capital infusion, as well as strategic teaming agreements, to allow more breadth and scale. 

Since returning to the Carolinas and applying what I learned in the program, the virtual perception of my company has already improved.  Some clients whose value I had determined to be questionable evolved and solidified, and I was also able to secure business from some clients that I had not heard from in a few years. Additionally, I have begun laying the groundwork for strategic alliances with classmates; once my company’s internal realignment is complete, I will likely be able to capitalize on some of the synergy that came out of the program for several of us.  I have already referred some clients to classmates, and I have likewise received some great leads from classmates.  

As a result of what I have learned I have reorganized to pay off debt, removed dead weight and have new projects in the pipeline.    

I personally and actively advocate that all business leaders, business owners and associates should attend this program to help them with their businesses, as well as equip them with the tools they need to help others. Thank you so much for the opportunity to attend—it was, and remains, of great benefit.  I strongly recommend this program to any business owner. Having the proper tools to run your business is important in any economic environment. 

You can learn more about the program here http://www.tuck.dartmouth.edu/exec/

Or you can contact Paula E. Graves at Paula.E.Graves@tuck.dartmouth.edu or Janet Elro at Janet.Elro@Dartmouth.edu