About MBA On The Run

Hello, my name is John Richardson. This site grew out of an inspiration to further my career with a Master’s Degree in Business. I did a lot of research and I found many routes that I could take to reach the goal of a business degree in hand. Unfortunately most of the alternatives are very expensive and take many years to complete.

My background has three distinct careers that have been very fulfilling and rewarding. The first was a career in Automotive repair with over 20 years as a Mercedes/Volvo technician, service advisor, and shop manager. I have a two year college certificate in automotive technology which provided the hands on training to be very successful. While working in this field I achieved the status of ASE Master Technician and Volvo Master Technician.

My second career was in outside sales to the Automotive Industry. I worked for a international fastener company headquartered in Germany. This was a very rewarding job and I met many influential business owners and business executives. The greatest part of the job was learning to sell. I took a Dale Carnegie Sales course which really changed the way I looked at selling. I learned to sell benefits instead of price and learned to sell something really important… myself.

Of all the jobs I have ever had this was the best… and the worst. Selling is a mind game and when people are buying there is nothing better. When people don’t buy it is a very humbling job and you learn to deal with rejection on a daily basis. The truly great salesmen can look past rejection and find opportunity. The high point in my five year selling career was making it to number five salesman in the US.

One of my great passions has always been to work with the latest technology. In the mid nineties I had the chance to do some retraining and moved from the automotive industry to a career in computer networking. This necessitated a fifty percent pay cut and a slow climb up the corporate ladder. I trained with Novell and achieved a certificate as a Novell CNE which I soon realized meant, “Certified No Experience”. My technology experience started with an Aerospace company, then on to the County of San Diego, and finally into the K-12 education field. I currently have a great job in data management.

The education field is very rewarding but a degree is paramount to advancement. Most teachers and administrators have masters degrees as a minimum and many are working towards their doctorates. I looked into degree completion programs from the University of Phoenix and the University of Redlands. Both are great programs but both would require 4 to 5 years of study and at least $50,000 in tuition. Given my age and the expense involved neither program looked like a workable solution.

Over the past 6 years I have been involved with an organization known as Toastmasters International. This group specializes in communication and leadership training. This last year I made it to their highest level of achevement that of Distinguished Toastmaster. This organization has taught me many things and the greatest is that with imagination, determination, and persistence anything is possible.

I decided to take an inventory and see what was possible.

What does two years of college, a master technician certificate, numerous sales awards, a Novell CNE, and a Distinguished Toastmasters award get you? A lot of real world experience but little else. This is where the imagination had to take over. As a blogger for the last year I have met many amazing people. And on one of their blogs was a tiny little link…

It was for a site called ChangeThis.com which has many personal “manifestos” written by many influential authors.

One stood out… It was for a manifesto entitled, “The Personal MBA” by Josh Kaufman.

A Personal MBA… what is that I wondered?

Here is a brief synopsis…

The Personal MBA (PMBA) is an experiment in educational entrepreneurism. This manifesto will show you how to substantially increase your knowledge of business on your own time and with little cost, all without setting foot inside a classroom.

The PMBA is more flexible than a traditional MBA program, doesn’t involve going into massive debt, and won’t interrupt your income stream for two years. Just set aside some dedicated reading time, pick up a good book, learn as much as you can, and go out and make great things happen.

At the core of the PMBA is a list of 42 books and periodicals. By investing time and effort in using these resources, you will progressively develop a greater understanding of business and increase your effectiveness at work. Even if you only read a few, you’ll get a substantial return on your investment.

If you decide not to go to business school, the Personal MBA is a low cost way to educate yourself about business. (Even business school graduates can benefit greatly from reading these books.)

The bottom line: You get the education but not the piece of paper (degree) that may be critical. After looking at the list of books and the probable time commitment, I considered doing this. I asked myself the question… How will this fit into my time schedule and can it be somehow worked into the next two years? When will I be able to read 42 books? I thought to myself… I’m already time strapped and a commitment this big may not fit.

Just then my e-mail popped up and there was a special offer from Audible.com for audio books.

The light went on…

Do this program with Audio books on my Ipod…

Another light went on…

Do this program while I’m already doing something else…

Another light went on… it was getting brighter..

Do this program while walking or exercising… something I’m already doing 30 minutes a day.

A crazy flashing light went on…

Walk or run in different business areas for greater continuity

Neon lights popped up…

While out walking Interview business owners about the subject material

A bright white spot light came on...

Blog about the results. Create an online thesis…

An MBA on the Run!

That’s what this site is all about…

A crazy idea and some audio books.

As each book is completed you can read about it here…

Not only the book report but the business experience and an interview with someone in the business field.

Along with the book reviews you’ll also find some great business and career links as well as some traditional MBA resources.

Bottom Line… I encourage you to come along with us on this crazy adventure… known as the MBA on the RUN!

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