Redefining my family’s business with an MBA

Founded in 1973, TekTone grew steadily through the first 20 years of business and has maintained market share in the nurse call and intercom industry for the past 10 years. As the 3rd generation in this family business, I grew up with the desire to work for TekTone and take it to new levels. Small businesses are generally faced with resource constraints, and lack the size to provide high-potential individuals with an opportunity to grow and learn from others within the company. TekTone only employs about 85 people, and because of our size all employees perform multiple jobs but have an opportunity to make a substantial impact. This environment provides a great deal of stability, but also makes growth challenging because there are few new people and new ideas from which to learn.

As a result of my desire to take TekTone to the next level, I started my EMBA program at UNC in 2007. Within the first few months, my previously held beliefs about business were all being challenged. The program forced us to consider different perspectives and focused on the importance of leadership and development.

When I completed the program in 2008, I was a completely different person and realized that I could have a much larger impact on the company than I previously expected. Because of the diversity of the program and focus on all facets of business, I felt comfortable taking over several additional departments and leading them toward a common goal. As opposed to managing two departments, I was leading several departments across the company and developing new leaders to continue the change. The EMBA program challenged me and gave me the skills and confidence required to accomplish and redefine my goals.

To learn more about my MBA experience, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn.