Alumna Embarks on an 'MBA' of Another Stripe: A Major Boating Adventure
When Kathy Harkey graduated from The College of William & Mary's Executive MBA Program, she felt the need for an adventure. Her travels took her to New Zealand and then sailing around the world, and now she and her fiance are having fun making their adventure permanent while launching their sailing charter business:
When I graduated from the College of William & Mary's Executive MBA program, I felt the world was my oyster and that it was time to seriously evaluate my priorities. After ten years of experience in the Biotech field -- five of those as Sales Manager managing PhD level sales reps for a biochemistry and molecular biology solutions company -- the MBA was the perfect spring board to my future aspirations. But as I worked my way through the MBA, a career change seemed imminent, and a seemingly insatiable desire for an adventure beckoned me far beyond the aspirations of an international career or a biotech start up.
First, however, I needed a considerable vacation to consider the many possibilities that lay ahead. I'd always dreamed of sailing around the world, learning another language through total immersion, and volunteering full time for a worthy cause. Perhaps I had too many conflicting aspirations and too little time, but after considerable financial analysis, some hard thinking and maybe even some William & Mary inspired multiple-regression analysis, I decided to pack up my worldly possessions and board a flight to Guatemala.
Once in Guatemala, I immersed myself in Spanish, living with a local family and volunteering at a Tortugaria where I helped protect wild turtles from extinction. During these months of living and traveling around Central America, I decided I must attempt to fulfill my goal of sailing around the world or, at the very least, doing some serious sailing. Little did I know that I was about to embark on my second "M.B.A.": my Major Boating Adventure.
The search for a boat ultimately took me to New Zealand. It was there that I found the opportunity to fulfill my sailing dreams and met David, a kindred spirit, sailing partner, and now fiancé. The journey began with a 1200-nautical-mile north to Fiji. At times we were a little seasick, frightened, and tired, but at other times we were filled with awe as our boat was escorted by dolphins under a sky lit by thousands of stars. Our life is now filled with crystal-clear waters, teeming with marine life displaying every color under the rainbow and secluded beaches where we wonder if our footprints in the sand may be the first and last. We experience countless sea miles, exotic islands and endless adventures, and I hoped to keep working on this "M.B.A." well into the future.
Unfortunately, the treasure chest was beginning to look a little empty, so it was time to put my "real" MBA to the test and create a business plan that could keep the dream alive. The plan first called for a capital investment in a larger boat to accommodate our adventure sailing charter business. Our business plan was simple: have guests join the adventure in locales not serviced (i.e., spoiled by tourism) by existing charter companies.
Our charter business, sailpacifica.com, is now an ongoing concern aboard our new sailing yacht, Pacifica. For us it's not about making a lot of money, it's all about maintaining the lifestyle of exploring new places and meeting new friends along the way. David and I plan to keep sailing around the world, so our ideal marketing niche is those customers that are interested in following us virtually and meeting up with us in some exotic locations. We hope to cater to those more interested in an eco-friendly adventure rather than the floating "gin palaces," with every convenience that a home would have. Our motto is "simple is better," so you won't find air conditioners or hair dryers aboard, and our electrical needs are provided by solar power. Even though we offer eco-friendly adventure sailing, there's no shortage of luxuries, as trips are all-inclusive with gourmet meals every day and plenty of drinks with ice.
In some ways I felt that if I wasn't doing a biotech start-up than it wasn't really the business I always thought I would start. At first I felt guilty that I was not using my MBA for what I felt it was intended for -- to start a successful business, to make a lot of money, or to run a non-profit -- but I got wonderful motivation from a fellow executive MBA student, who reminded me that the MBA is not just about business skills, but about enhancing life skills. That included having a fuller perspective of any situation you might come across or become a part of. In any situation you get involved in you can view the options available with a broader background and set of abilities than you would without the MBA. It took a lot of soul searching to realize that I don't have to conform to society's expectations, but then I realized that I can fulfill all my dreams and goals at the same time.
It goes without saying that the William & Mary Executive MBA Program played a significant role in my personal and professional development. Immediately after completing the program I found the courage to quit a very successful job and sail off into the sunset. After moving from the biotech-centric West Coast and coming to William and Mary, I learned a whole new appreciation for the variety of careers and life paths that many of my colleagues have taken. This gave me some confidence to take an alternate route from the one I thought I would ultimately take.
David and I plan to keep sailing and living abroad indefinitely. We hope you can join us virtually via sailpacifica.com -- or better yet, enroll personally in our very unique MBA program for a week or two!
