A third criteria perhaps would be a MBA which has a truly global curriculum. But I suppose those with very international student bodies already focus on this perhaps?

LBS is looking the goods at the moment.

But keen to get other people's thougts.

<blockquote>Hi all,

I graduated about 5 years ago from Pharmacy college but my passion for many years now has been the financial markets.

I've been trading equities for my own account for several years (Since my Uni days) with much success. I've only worked in my field for a year or so. About 3 years ago, I decided to launch my own funds management business managing money for external clients. It started with a few family and friends but we have now gotten to a stage where I see myself needing to employ more people in Investment and also non-Investment roles (like compliance for example) in the near-term future.

Myself and the other partners are also discussing overseas expansion, and of course, this will also require more personell. As the Managing Partner, I would prefer to handle the day-to-day running of the company myself, and if required hire people in manegerial roles that can report to me.

At the moment I just have a secretary/admin person and also an Algorithmic Trading developer who works closely with me. We also have a small team overseas.

I'm 28 years old. </blockquote>

Sounds pretty good. On another note, everybody wants to the Managing Partner and run the show with having others report to them.

<blockquote>
The problem is I do not have any solid knowledge/experience at all in terms of how to manage a people or how to operate a large and growing business (to be fair to myself I have managed well up until this point). So I want to get an MBA so I can learn these skills and also things like Marketing and Strategy, etc.

</blockquote>

Do you really want to waste 1 year, or even 2 years of your life studying for something when you could have made millions in the market? 1 year is a lifetime in terms of trading - given that you've already started something, and in some sense are living the dream that others want, you might be better off NOT doing a full time MBA, but instead doing a distance learning/online course/ or even just reading up management books.

There are thousands of books out there - if you, a pharmacist can become a investment management firm founder, you're smart enough to learn how to manage people....

<blockquote>
My career ambition post-MBA is to grow my own business, not to work for somebody else or get a "job".

I realise the general management training which will teach me the above I can pretty much get it from any Business school. But additional criteria that I am looking for are

*Schools from which Investment Banks and Asset Management firms recruit from. I want to network with those who are already working in my field or who will end up getting jobs in my field.
</blockquote>

You may want to look at INSEAD and LBS - given your criteria, those would be the best. However, LBS before INSEAD. If you can drop the international requirement - Columbia, Wharton and Chicago could be considered.

Again, question whether a full-time MBA is really for you... I would think that in investment management (as in most industries) - your performance track record speaks more than where you've graduated from....

Hi fishball,

Thanks for your reply.

In terms of "wasting 1 or even 2 years of your life studing for something when you could have made millions in the market", I just want to point out that all of my trading is automated these days, so requires very little input from myself. I just get one of my guys to keep an eye on everything and I may occassionaly glance at the P&L maybe once a day.

Most of my time is spent designing new systems or finding new edges in different markets, and a small part of my time in seeing current or prospective clients.

You make a good point about management texts, etc, especially as I'm not after an MBA for the purposes of impressing anybody.

You are absolutely correct that track record is more important than where you graduated. In fact, track record is really the only thing that matters.

But we are overlooking the other reason I wanted to do an MBA. Networking. 5% of LBS graduates last year got jobs in Asset Management. Thats 16 people. Now these 16 people are gonna be scattered everywhere, perhaps a handful in the UK, Europe, the US, but you will also have a couple in Asia and in the Middle East. This is what the textbooks and distance learning courses won't get me.

<blockquote>
But we are overlooking the other reason I wanted to do an MBA. Networking. 5% of LBS graduates last year got jobs in Asset Management. Thats 16 people. Now these 16 people are gonna be scattered everywhere, perhaps a handful in the UK, Europe, the US, but you will also have a couple in Asia and in the Middle East. This is what the textbooks and distance learning courses won't get me.
</blockquote>

Hi Gekko (by the way, apparently Gekko didn't do an MBA ;) )

By and large, I'm a great supporter of the MBA. I believe that it looks good on the resume, it gives you the opportunity to learn new experiences and importantly - you develop a new network that you can tap on.

However, having said that, there are exceptions to the rule. In your case, you might be an exception. From what I've been told, the network that you tap on will be your immediate network of close friends - and that's the same with the MBA as well.

16 people may go into asset management, but you may only be close enough to tap on 5 of them. In general, the question is, are those 5 people going to make or break your firm? If they are, then you definitely need an MBA. If you think you are going to be fine without them, then maybe, just maybe, you don't need the MBA ;)

Secondly, because track records are paramount importance - build it and they will come.

Build on what you have now - I'm not sure whether you're the key person in developing new systems/new edges - but if you can, spend more time on the business development side. Because that is where you're going to build your name and reputation - and that will attract those 5 to 16 people from LBS.

The network in an MBA is valuable, no doubt about it. But the network that you build with your firm is even more valuable. If building a network with people in asset management is important, there are many ways to do so.... without an MBA.

Maybe one way that might be useful would be pick 2 of 3... if you can honestly choose 2 of the 3 reasons and say, those are the reaons I want to do an MBA, then go for it. If not, then maybe not.

1. I want the brand name.
2. I want the network.
3. I want the education.

Hi fishball,

You make some good points and may well be correct in your suggestion that I don't need an MBA.

I guess I could always hire somebody (perhaps from LBS!) to work for me in an operations role so I can focus more on what I'm good at - Trading.

I could imagine booklists for insead or LBS shouldn't be too hard to track down.

From your list of 3, number 1 holds no importance to me at all, except for the fact that the best students go to the "brand-name" schools.
But as you said, I could always recruit the best 1-2 guys as opposed to studying alongside them.

Fishball what is your background, do you have an MBA?