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Frequently Asked Questions about the Personal MBA

by Josh Kaufman

There’s often a theme in the questions I’m asked by readers. If you have one of these questions, there’s no need to contact me: the answer is below.

Re: The Personal MBA Book

Re: Personal MBA Training

Re: The Personal MBA Reading List & Website

Re: MBA Programs & Business Schools

Re: Business in General

Questions answered below…

What’s the difference between The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business (with a dollar bill crane on the cover) and The Personal MBA: A World-Class Business Education in a Single Volume (with a silver cover)?

It’s the same book. Publishing rights are typically sold and commercialized by territory. The hardcover “money crane” version is the US / Canada edition, and the silver paperback is the UK / International edition. The content is the same.

Is the book available in audiobook format?

An audiobook version is in the works. The production process is very involved, and we’re evaluating the best way to produce the audiobook version now. When it’s available, I’ll announce it on the Personal MBA blog and via the Personal MBA newsletter.

I’m interested in translating The Personal MBA for publication in another language. How can I help?

Portfolio/Penguin (my publisher) manages and controls translation rights for The Personal MBA. In order to protect the copyright of the book, Penguin/Portfolio will only grant translation rights to established publishers.

If you are a translator interested in bringing The Personal MBA to your country or region, you should contact established local publishers to discuss the project. Once the publisher has acquired the necessary rights to publish the book via Portfolio/Penguin’s rights department, they may hire you as the translator.

Is Josh Kaufman available to speak at an upcoming event?

No. I’m currently in the midst of researching and writing a new book, which is very time and effort intensive. I have no plans to accept paid speaking engagements in the near future.

Is Josh Kaufman available for corporate training?

No. I’m currently in the midst of researching and writing a new book, which is very time and effort intensive. I have no plans to accept corporate training engagements in the near future.

Is Josh Kaufman available for consulting or coaching?

No. I’m currently in the midst of researching and writing a new book, which is very time and effort intensive. I have no plans to accept new consulting or coaching clients in the near future.

I’m an _______, and I want to learn _______. What should I read next?

Good question. Some readers find the 99 books on the Personal MBA recommended reading list a bit overwhelming. In general, my advice is to browse the list until you find a book that jumps out at you as once that would help a lot, given your current situation.

To narrow down the list to books that are applicable to entrepreneurs / small business owners, managers, and corporate individual contributors, check out the Personal MBA Business Book Recommender.

Due to the volume of requests, I can’t provide free individualized book recommendations – otherwise, I’d never get anything else done. I’ve found that the current recommended business book list covers the vast majority of things you need to know, so I recommend starting there.

I’m an author or publicist – will you put my book on your reading list?

Probably not, but you’re welcome to send me a copy for review. I’m an independent-minded fellow, and I rely on my own determinations of the suitability of a book when updating the Personal MBA reading list. Sending me an e-mail that says “you should put my book on your list” is a quick way to start off on the wrong foot.

That said, I welcome review copies of books as long as you understand and agree with my Book Review Policy. No need to contact me – just send me the book, and I’ll decide what (if anything) happens next.

Fair warning: if you’re a publicist who decides to put me on your mailing list without my permission, I immediately set a rule to mark all messages from you as spam, and I hope Google blacklists you permanently. Permission is a very big deal.

Is a list of books that used to be on the Personal MBA reading list, but were removed?

Yes. Check out the Deprecated list.

Why can’t I leave a comment on the Personal MBA blog?

In short: Opportunity Cost. For the first six years of running PersonalMBA.com, comments were enabled. While I enjoyed the conversations, managing comments had a steep time cost – fighting spam, moderating trolls, and trying to keep up with hundreds of conversation threads.

Managing comments made it more difficult to do what most readers of this site value most: teaching (and learning about) business. Time I spend moderating comments is time not spent writing book summaries, essays for the blog, and finding new business education resources to recommend.

The web is now full of places you can use to comment on what you read. If you find something on this site interesting, useful, or provocative, feel free to leave a comment about it on Twitter, Facebook, Hacker News, or your personal website.

How does the Personal MBA make money?

I’m essentially a business teacher. I work directly with entrepreneurs, small business owners, and CEOs to improve their business systems. This teaching takes many forms:

  • The Personal MBA Book is a curated summary of the most important business in business practice, regardless of market or industry.
  • The Personal MBA Business Crash Course is an online training program designed to teach the ideas presented in the book in a thorough, structured, community-supported, discussion-oriented way.
  • The Personal MBA Masterclass is a three-day live training program held in Fort Collins, Colorado a few times a year.

I also make money via the Amazon Affiliates program if you purchase books from this website. Here’s my full disclosure policy if you’re interested.

I would like to place an advertisement on The Personal MBA. Are you interested?

I do not accept any form of advertising on this website. That includes banner ads, text link ads, search engine ads, and paid posts. If I publish something on this site, it’s because I either really like it, or really don’t – my opinions will be very clear in my post.

This particularly goes for MBA programs, whose representatives routinely ask to purchase advertising space without reading the website. I wouldn’t recommend enrolling in an MBA program on this site for any amount of money.

Here’s my full disclosure policy for reference.

Should I get an MBA, Masters in Management, Masters in Finance, or other similar academic credential?

Probably not. Given the time, money, and effort involved, it’s unlikely that your investment will pay off. That’s not just my opinion – read the research and make up your own mind. It’s your money and your life, so do your research before you sign on the dotted line.

What if the academic credential I’m looking at is highly ranked?

It doesn’t matter. As Malcolm Gladwell pointed out in a recent issue of The New Yorker, college rankings are mostly a sham, and are “optimized” (read: gamed) by colleges to bring in more students.

Universities are big businesses, and rankings are a marketing tactic. Credentials, particularly those financed with debt, close as many doors as they open. Highly-ranked schools tend to be the most expensive, and often leave students with the highest debt loads.

Do your own research before you sign on the dotted line.

Why is Josh Kaufman so hard on business schools?

I’m not against business schools per se. If business schools taught useful business fundamentals, and did so in a cost-effective way, I’d be a fan. They don’t, so I’m not.

What I’m really against is student debt, and business school is a very easy way to find yourself with an enormous debt load overnight. In the US, student debt has very few consumer protections, isn’t tax-deductible, and is non-dischargeable if you have an unexpected event (like a health issue) that forces you to declare bankruptcy. Borrowing money to go to school is always a big risk, but few people consider all of the risks before they sign on the dotted line.

Since research indicates business schools don’t do anything to make their students more successful, I believe business school is a poor choice for most people. The direct costs, opportunity costs, and risks far outweigh the benefits. You can get a better education at a fraction of the cost by learning on your own.

For more details on my research in this area, see these posts:

Does Josh Kaufman hate business school professors, students, and graduates?

Not at all. Most business school professors, students, and graduates are lovely people – ambitious, curious, and driven. My work is not motivated by a desire to personally attack anyone. I do believe the current system of conflating business education with business credentials is harmful, and I’m not shy about saying so publicly.

Is Josh Kaufman mad because he applied to business school and didn’t get in?

No – I have never applied to business school. I seriously considered it, did the research, and decided the costs far outweighed the benefits. I have no chip on my shoulder, and I have nothing to prove. My views on the value of academic credentialing are informed by research.

This site is designed for those who, like me, want the benefits of a solid business education without the debt and loss of flexibility.

Don’t I have to have an MBA to get an interview for a corporate position?

No. Have you tried applying for business development positions sans-MBA? You may be pleasantly surprised at the response. Make them say no to you, instead of assuming they’ll say no.

Companies that automatically screen you out based on a checkbox don’t deserve you as an employee.

How can I convince an employer that my self-education is valuable enough to give me a job / promotion?

This question has three answers, depending on the type of company you want to work for and the type of work you intend to do.

For companies that care more about your skills and abilities than your credentials, constructing a portfolio of your research and experience can be very valuable. In your portfolio, be sure to make the following things clear:

  • What you were responsible for / what you set out to do.
  • What you actually accomplished.
  • What results your work delivered.

Remember, nobody cares how many books you’ve read. Books are a useful tool, not an end result – you should use them to learn new skills, but you ultimately have to go out and accomplish something in the world for your investment to be worthwhile.

The best companies care about results. Show them your ability to deliver results, and you’ll find success.

Companies that place a high value on hierarchy and social status, or use credentials as a screening mechanism, probably won’t care about your self-education. Companies that fall into these categories use credentials to (1) pre-filter applicants, so they don’t have to do as much work to identify promising candidates; (2) ensure applicants respect the hierarchy, and are willing to do whatever their superiors tell them to do.

I recommend avoiding working for these types of companies if at all possible. It’s not worth it in the long run.

Often, you’re better off working for yourself. Starting your own business means that the only person you have to impress is your prospective customer. The fastest way to become a CEO is to start your own business – no interview required.

Can Josh Kaufman help me write my MBA application essay?

No – you’re definitely in the wrong place for that kind of help. The Personal MBA is devoted to business education, not business credentialing. It’s a self-improvement program, not an MBA application service. Best of luck to you.

I have an idea for a great new business. Will it work? Should I do it?

Any honest business teacher will give you the same answer: “I don’t know”. Success in business requires a good idea combined with experimentation, determination, discipline, perseverance, and a non-trivial amount of luck. Even the best business ideas and opportunities can turn out poorly if one or more of these factors are absent.

To evaluate your idea, I recommend starting by reading my book and/or taking my live course or online course. These resources will give you an overview of the most important ideas in modern business practice, and it will help you determine how promising your idea actually is before you invest too much time/money/effort into a project that won’t bear fruit.

What business sectors will outperform in the next few years? How will interest rates, oil prices, and gold prices change? What’s the next hot stock pick?

I don’t know. Neither does anyone else. Anyone who tells you that they know these matters with certainty is selling you a bill of goods. Keep in mind, if these individuals actually possessed the ability to divine the future, they’d have no need to sell anything to you.