Brandon Frere, CEO of Frere Enterprises, Encourages a Nuanced Look at Higher Education and Entrepreneurship

A Nuanced Look at Higher Education and Entrepreneurship

Higher education and entrepreneurship coincide in many different ways. Most people will think of degree programs like undergraduate business majors or MBA programs. But entrepreneurship and academia might also intersect with a student starting a business out of their dorm room or a professor inventing a world-changing new product. Brandon Frere, an entrepreneur and CEO of Frere Enterprises, encourages a nuanced look at higher education and entrepreneurship.

“I got my degree in construction management and it set me up for a career in that field, which in turn prepared me in many ways to be an entrepreneur,” said Frere, who graduated from a California State University school and worked in the homebuilding industry for several years before going into business for himself. “That was a specific degree in a specific industry, but it did give me the tools to move forward with my career and branch out into industries where I could develop my abilities.”

Learning and making connections at school can be a huge help, but you need that spark in you or else you will be nowhere.

Brandon Frere, CEO, Frere Enterprises

There are a variety of degrees that may give students the hard skills that they will need to successfully run a business. But just as a business-related degree doesn’t guarantee anyone success in the business world, English majors or physicists may find success as entrepreneurs as well. Entrepreneurship is, of course, not just about running a business, but seeing new avenues to explore and analyzing how well they will fit in that moment. That kind of critical, analytical thinking can be found in the minds of people with a variety of educational backgrounds—including those with very little formal education at all.

That’s why those considering getting a degree in a business program should look carefully at all their options. Enrollment in traditional MBAs has actually declined recently, though other business programs remain popular. While a degree could have positive effects on a person’s success in the business world, the tuition and the opportunity cost must be factored in. Many folks take on debt to get their degrees which could later be an obstacle in breaking out as an entrepreneur.

“Founding a business is about the minutiae, no doubt, but it’s also about the big picture—the vision, the drive, and the tenacity that it takes to keep going,” said Frere. “Learning and making connections at school can be huge help, but you need that spark in you or else you will be nowhere.”

About Frere Enterprises
Brandon Frere is an entrepreneur and businessman who lives in Sonoma County, California. He has designed and created multiple companies to meet the ever-demanding needs of businesses and consumers alike. His company website, www.FrereEnterprises.com, is used as a means to communicate many of the lessons, fundamentals, and information he has learned throughout his extensive business and personal endeavors, most recently in advocating on behalf of student loan borrowers nationwide.

As experienced during his own student loan repayment, Mr. Frere found out how difficult it can be to work with federally contracted student loan servicers and the repayment programs designed to help borrowers. Through those efforts, he gained an insider’s look into the repayment process and the motivations behind the inflating student loan debt bubble. His knowledge of the confusing landscape of student loan repayment became a vital theme in his future endeavors, and he now uses those experiences to help guide others through the daunting process of applying for available federal repayment and loan forgiveness programs.

FrereEnterprises.com

Source: Frere Enterprises

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