In 2018, I partnered with Prashant and Saloni to create a platform that helped MBA applicants secure admissions to top business schools worldwide. In just three months, we facilitated over 250 sales, offering essay reviews and mock interviews. This is the story of that journey.
The concept was straightforward: We connected applicants with mentors who were current students or alumni of their target B-schools. Each mentor had a profile closely matching the applicant's in terms of education and work experience. These mentors guided applicants in crafting compelling stories for their MBA applications through personalized essay reviews and mock interviews. By charging significantly less than traditional admissions counselors, we made high-quality admissions consulting accessible to a big pool of otherwise unserved applicants.
Before we deep dive into this, here’s a summary first:
| Customer Journey | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| 🗣️ | Offering | We focused on essay reviews and mock interviews, helping applicants target the right B-schools with specialized support. |
| 💰 | Pricing | Our USP was affordable, high-relevance support, attracting applicants who typically wouldn’t invest in consulting. |
| 🥅 | Acquiring customers | We took the application submissions and experiences of mentors and compiled them into a single document. Then used this as a lead magnet marketed through ads and forum posting. |
| 🛒 | Placing an order | We created a lead magnet from mentor experiences and marketed it through ads and forums to generate interest. Then we would call the leads to nurture and convert them. |
| 🧑🎨 | Acquiring mentors | Engaging top students as mentors was easy, with many eager to participate, even at lower rates or pro bono. |
| 👓 | Application support | Applicants received personalized coaching through calls and emails, with feedback collected to ensure quality. |
| 🔍 | Adoption, Impact and Scale | In three months, we rapidly scaled, helping clients secure admissions and launch successful careers. |
| 🔮 | Future scope | The potential was vast—more schools, courses like MSBA, and expanded services like job interview prep. |
Now, let’s dive deeper into each part of the business in detail:
The admissions consulting market offers standardized services globally. After research, we identified three common offerings:
Given upcoming deadlines for ISB, INSEAD, and Cornell, we launched two targeted offerings most suitable for these colleges’ admissions: