MBA Class '09 – Birgit Serruys Birgit Serruys holds a master degree in industrial sciences/chemistry and had just started working as an independent consultant when she enrolled for the MBA program in 2007. Like most students, Birgit had no specific business idea in mind when she started. As the MBA-program aims to help students detect valuable opportunities for the company they work for or for their own business, she soon came up with the concept of a grooming service at international airports: Outn10'. During the second year, she developed the business plan for Outn10', the project she is currently working on Flanders Business School granted her the award for the Best Masterthesis of the MBA-class of 2009. | Birgit's business plan not only studied every angle of a most innovative concept, it also proved fit for a promising start-up with an international dimension. Surprisingly, Birgit had no background in entrepreneurship when she enrolled. In fact, like most engineers, she'd always worked for multinational companies. 'Entrepreneurship is not in our family,' she says. 'So, when I told my parents I was going to start my own business, they frowned upon the idea. Yet, as my work for the Master Thesis evolved, my enthusiasm grew. At a certain instance, you just feel you have a grip on it. What starts out as 'an idea' or 'an exercise' gradually becomes more and more tangible. My enthusiasm soon spread and a lot of people I know who where critical at first, became ardent supporters. I think this sums up the value of the program. Whether or not you are an entrepreneur when you enrol doesn't matter. You learn how to be entrepreneurial all over again. Most people lose this ability when they grow up: you forget you have it in you. That's a big loss, not only for them, but also for the companies they work for. Bringing entrepreneurship back in a company is a basis for growth. Combining that entrepreneurial spirit with a thorough understanding of how businesses are managed and with academic research on the topic, is exactly what this MBA has to offer.' www.outn10.com |