Which post-MBA goal should I present?

[Spandrew]

I am trying to focus my post-MBA goals into a concise, coherent idea. I have narrowed my goals to two specific career paths, and I am trying to decide which one would be better.

My Backgound:
Two years ago, I stated an English education business in cooperation with U.S. and Korean universities. My education programs operate in cooperation with universities. We work with U.S. schools to obtain personnel and academic resources, and our clientele are largely Korean university student groups. I studied Korean and economics in my undergrad, I spent two years in South Korea as a volunteer missionary, and I completed internships in Korea. I also worked for different institutions as an instructor of Korean language. My background is in education and South Korea. I have a 770 GMAT score and a 3.5 GPA. I am targeting top-10 schools.

I have two post-MBA goals that revolve around my desire to work in market entry strategy specializing in East Asia. They are as follows:

1. Work as a consultant helping companies establish or strengthen a presence in East Asian markets.

OR

2. Launch an innovative English education service in South Korea. This idea would be an evolution of my current business, and I have been working on the model for some time.

I plan to work on the new venture during my MBA, but I know that the venture may never gain traction (this is a possibility with any new venture). In the likely event that the new venture does not get off the ground, I would like to work in a capacity that allows me to help western companies succeed in East Asia. Both paths would require an MBA since I would need significant business education to succeed in either path. So, which post-MBA goal do I emphasize? I feel like both paths are "true" to my career desires.

[Bryant@VeritasPrep]

To me the obvious choice is to leverage both, which in reality is your true plan. As you indicate, if your business does not fully take flight, you will pursue consulting anyway, so you might consider pitching your entrepreneurial plan with a backup to enter the consulting world. If you think you can develop your business on the side, it might also make sense to pursue a job as a consultant immediately after b-school while you still have access to recruiters and the career center. You could make the leap to your own business once it reaches the point of self-sustinance and/or you feel like you have gained enough consulting experience to make it successful. Neither way to present your goals is right or wrong, and as long as you cast your vision in a passionate way, you will be fine. You have the core qualifications for top schools, so don't be afraid to speak from the heart about your plans. They will all be impressed you have a backup.