Thomas Maddison has used the impact-focused ASB MBA to begin his entrepreneurial journey. Through building key skills, expanding your network, and providing tailored career support, an MBA can equip you with the tools to become an entrepreneur. An MBA can drive your career in a new direction—allowing you to change industry, function, location, or all three. As many as 35% of global MBA applicants list achieving such career changes as their reason for going to business school. But for others, the benefits of studying an MBA go beyond career impact. When Thomas Maddison enrolled in an MBA at Asia School of Business (ASB) after a period working in Australia’s mining sector, his aims included expanding his network and experiencing a new culture, alongside gaining opportunities outside his industry. Since graduating in 2025, Thomas has embarked on an entrepreneurial journey. He is currently in the early stages of developing a solution to help MBA graduates work on their leadership capabilities and be better prepared to secure jobs. We spoke to Thomas about how the MBA has helped kickstart his journey to becoming an entrepreneur. What is the entrepreneurial toolkit? From building a network of likeminded professionals to strengthening your problem-solving and strategic thinking skills, an MBA can help build various tools necessary when launching your own startup. More than a quarter (29%) of learners pursue business education to become entrepreneurs, according to our 2025 Prospective Students Survey. “The MBA has definitely helped me in my entrepreneurship journey,” says Thomas. “One of the main ways being that my customers are MBA students, so it’s massively helpful to have just come out of a cohort.” Thomas cites key advantages that have come from his MBA network. For example, through getting to know potential buyers and CEOs throughout the program, he has learned how they think and work—which he feels is an advantage when developing ideas. As his entrepreneurial journey develops, Thomas feels the skills he built during his MBA have prepared him for the various challenges this will bring. “Some things really stuck out to me, which have helped me come to some big realizations,” says Thomas. “Once I get to the more advanced stages—we did things like financial modeling during the MBA, so I already have the experience.” How can career development resources benefit entrepreneurs? An MBA helps build a range of hard skills, such as technical literacy and data analysis, though soft skills are increasingly important in business—helping professionals manage teams and navigate challenges. Research suggests that skills such as problem-solving and strategic thinking, as well as interpersonal skills such as communication, emotional intelligence, and adaptability, will increase in importance in the coming years. For Thomas, the ASB Career Development Office (CDO) has been invaluable in helping him work in these areas. While the CDO provides students with a range of resources such as interview preparation, and access to employers, it also offers career coaching, individual mentoring, and workshops. “There are some hard skills the CDO helps teach, like how to create a strong resume, but the soft skills are really important—how to prove it, how to show it, how to story tell,” explains Thomas. “I can’t thank the CDO enough for the energy they put into the students, introducing us to their networks, and just being willing to take a bet on us,” he adds. How can you make the most of MBA career support? With a range of career development resources available, it’s important to be able to prioritize and determine which elements will be most helpful to you and your career progression. For Thomas, the focus has been on progressing in his entrepreneurial journey, however he feels his approach can be applied across other career paths. He advises to seriously consider how career resources can provide the greatest benefit for achieving your goals. “I did one or two steps, then I would come back and reevaluate. It wasn’t always linear, but that’s how I managed all the resources that were available to me,” he explains. Having a clear idea of his goals when entering the program helped Thomas develop a targeted approach. He suggests evaluating your strengths and weaknesses before the program begins to understand where you need the most support. “I knew what I wanted to do quite early on, which helped me use the resources to get to the next step,” he continues. Although programs like the ASB MBA typically offer various forms of career support, having career goals in mind and being proactive upon entering the program will enable you to make the most of these resources. “Be prepared to actually get tested in the first few months,” says Thomas. “Ask for feedback, ask your classmates, ask faculty, ask CEOs who have observed you, so you know what you really need to work on.”
