Do entrepreneurs really need an expensive business degree to build and grow a successful company?

In this episode, I sit down with John Cousins, entrepreneur, investor, professor, and bestselling author of more than 60 books, including Corporate Finance ASAP.

John is the founder of MBA ASAP, a global business education platform that has served more than 30,000 students across over 160 countries. His training has also been used by teams at companies including Apple, Adidas, PayPal, Lyft, Pinterest, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen.

Before becoming an educator, John spent 15 years as a public-company CEO and CFO, took two companies public, and earned his MBA from the Wharton School.

But after spending approximately $400,000 between tuition and lost income to complete his MBA, John began questioning whether practical business knowledge needed to be so expensive, complicated, and inaccessible.

In this conversation, John breaks business down to its essential components

Connect With John Cousins

Website: https://mba-asap.com

Search MBA ASAP to find John’s courses, books, videos, and other business education resources.

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Timestamp Chapters

00:00 Welcome to Class of Business
00:24 Introducing John Cousins
01:35 Business education versus business reality
02:00 The true cost of earning an elite MBA
03:02 The simple foundation of every business
04:01 Finding product-market fit and building profitably
05:00 What running public companies taught John
05:42 Why traditional business textbooks often create confusion
06:45 Making practical business knowledge accessible
07:40 What entrepreneurs are really paying for with an MBA
08:09 How prestigious degrees act as career signals
09:28 Why the value of an MBA changes for entrepreneurs
10:26 Using affordable education to test your interest in business
11:35 Has higher education become a luxury product?
12:21 Democratizing business knowledge around the world
13:12 Join the Class of Business newsletter
13:44 Financial mental models every founder should understand
14:36 Why accounting is the language of business
15:31 The three essential financial statements
16:17 The difference between accounting and finance
17:20 Understanding present value and net present value
18:28 Using financial models to make objective decisions
19:33 Where beginners should start learning finance
20:40 Why business jargon creates unnecessary intimidation
21:28 Applying business thinking to everyday life
21:43 Where to find John and MBA ASAP
22:30 Final thoughts from John
22:54 Apply one lesson and join the newsletter