ESCP Europe Alumnus Julien Carlier - A Natural Born Entrepreneur

Julien Carlier believes the best time to do an Executive MBA is when you are humble enough to realize you need to learn more – and that’s exactly what he did.

A Global Vision

As well a high standard of business education, entrepreneur Julien Carlier chose ESCP Europe’s Executive MBA for the global vision it promised – and he wasn’t disappointed. “I was a bit stuck in a company with a lot of experience but without academic degrees,” he says. “The EMBA totally delivered on its promise of offering a high quality education with a global vision. First it raised me up to the GM position in my previous company and today, with Social Dynamite (Carlier’s one-year old startup social media business for Digital Strategy and Marketing), it helps me in three aspects: day-to-day operation, financial management and bank relations, and finally, the global network.”

Entrepreneurial Skills for Social Media Business

Carlier self-financed 50% of his ESCP Europe EMBA tuition fees and says the ROI has been, “totally positive in just two years”. He also benefited further from his studies when launching and running his social media business, thanks to the entrepreneurial skills. “[The EMBA] helps with defining priorities and always being aware of each component of the entrepreneurial journey,” he says. “It is really important, now that Social Dynamite is a year old, that I split my time between strategy, sales, operations, finance and accounts. The EMBA helped me learn to use my entrepreneurial skills and to prioritize.”

He also learnt to manage his three life roles: “I had a new position with a new team, I was studying the EMBA and I also had my second child during the MBA! Time management is one of my best takeaways!”

ESCP Europe benefits

Carlier is not the only one to have reaped rewards and global vision from his ESCP Europe EMBA experience. His colleagues did too. “They benefited from my experience in two different ways,” he says. “The first is they had to work more because I was not there during my classes. It helped them to become more autonomous and to take the lead on several projects. The second is related to the academic learning I received from ESCP Europe. I tried to help other managers and explain how they, too, could use the tools I acquired.”

After successfully completing his EMBA studies and using his entrepreneurial skills to found his own social media business, Carlier is in a good position to offer other business school candidates advice. His top tip for the admissions process: “You need to show how the EMBA will help you leverage your career within or outside of your current business, and what your experience can bring to other stakeholders.”