Entrepreneurship is so much more than starting a new business or managing a small or medium sized enterprise. It’s about connection, coaching, building a team, creating the conditions to get the most out of people, dealing with conflicts, uncertainties and setbacks, co-creating and innovating. Entrepreneurship is also about leadership, regardless you own your own business of are an employee in a large firm.

The module ‘Entrepreneurship and New Business Development’, part of the On-Campus track of MaastrichtMBA, addresses these topics. “This course has broadened my perspective immensely”, says Ziyad Kammareddine (34), student and entrepreneur in Budapest. Student Maranatha Nduaya Ntambwe (42) student and entrepreneur in Belgium: “The module was a good source of inspiration, reflection and benchmarking.”

Strong leadership and people skills

Maranatha, who has 19 years of experience in large consulting and corporate firms recently started his own company Kipeps, a platform promoting Afro-Caribbean products. “With Kipeps we want to stimulate the enormous potential of our African partners and create new synergies between the North and the South of our planet.” He considers it essential to develop strong leadership and to surround himself with the best talents and stimulate them to offer the best of themselves. Ziyad is managing director of EDT-ONE, the company he founded five years ago, as part of a group of companies. EDT-ONE designs and develops electrical equipment for industrial applications in various industries. “My main asset is that I have good people skills, meaning that I can place the right person in the right job. I know what kind of skills and abilities are required and fit into my company. This also helps me in negotiations with clients or suppliers.”

Course benefits

Although EDT-ONE and Kipeps are at different stages of development and face different type of challenges, both Ziyad and Maranatha are convinced that the knowledge gained in the course will benefit them. Ziyad: “It was beyond my expectations, and everything I’ve learned will benefit me in many different ways. I acquired new ideas and techniques on how to approach the challenges I face. The session given by Harm de Laat (CEO of Kabisa) was especially insightful because he went through similar experiences as I did, and still do. My company is also growing and looking for expansion in new fields of business. This has been especially challenging in light of the pandemic. It took some bold decisions, but I am confident those have prepared us to take on new challenges effectively. I believe it’s essential for any company to constantly re-invent itself.”

Maranatha: “We are still in the initial phase of our company but we have already learned that success demands a clear vision and a path to reach that vision in small and achievable steps. You also have to keep both feet on the ground and solve problems in a creative way. In my opinion innovation is key to sustain a competitive advantage.”

Instant success

Ziyad states that in the week directly following the module he was already able to implement some of the techniques he learned during the leadership session. “The success was astonishing! I felt more confident with the knowledge I had acquired; I was able to make the most out of my encounters with colleagues and got very positive feedback from them as well. I am very much looking forward to using and improving on these skills in the future.” Maranatha agrees: “Key takeaways for me were the theories about testing ideas, entrepreneurial decision and collaboration models and dealing with conflict and trust. I especially considered the lectures and readings related to leadership very useful as, in my opinion, the success of a company is based on its talents and the ability to use them to their full potential. The Entrepreneurship module has provided me with the tools and techniques to do just that.”

This article gives student insights in the experiences of our On-Campus MBA module on Entrepreneurship and New Business Models. Our On-Campus track has an on campus learning format and is part of the executive modular part-time MaastrichtMBA programme. The programme has a Triple Crown accreditation and is aimed for professionals with at least 5 years of working experience.