Thanks Matt!

In June of 2006, I graduated from what is now called the Chicago Booth School of Business with an MBA focused on Strategy and Finance. I can honestly say that without this educational experience, I would have never had the nerve to fulfill my lifelong goal of becoming a retail store owner. Check out this blog post by Matt from the career services offices written about my story and how SHOP came to be.


Entrepreneurial spirit lives in Milwaukee
One trend we’ve noticed among students recently has been to investigate the possibility of entrepreneurialism. As the job market continues to remain increasingly tight there certainly is some incentive to enter into an entrepreneurial venture. In a meeting on Friday with ’06 alum Liz LeBlanc, I got to meet with one such person. While at Chicago Booth, Liz particularly enjoyed her course work in strategy. Having worked for Boeing’s retail division, she already had a strong foundation in the business of retail, but she knew from the numerous case studies she reviewed at Booth, that opening a boutique in Milwaukee wouldn’t require the huge amounts of capital that many ventures do, and therefore, the decision to open her own store posed somewhat limited risk. So with the help of her mother, she dove head first into the challenging world of retail ownership. Today, 18 months later, Liz’s store SHOP remains an increasingly important part of the Milwaukee-area boutique retail community. Furthermore, Liz continues to innovate in order to remain successful in a market that is increasingly challenging for the retail industry. In January, she aligned herself with other business owners to cross-promote and generate business while at the same time effectively expanded her brand recognition among the general public. In a time when many stores are closing their doors, it’s encouraging to meet a Booth alum who is able to experience success. Her story indicates that though we may continue to hear about the very real challenges that exist in the current market with the right business model, planning, and educational background, a dedicated and intelligent individual can achieve success.