College Experiences That Helped a CEO and Co-Founder at Wild One Succeed
Bill, CEO & Co-Founder at Wild One, highlights the importance of "exploring everything" and "casting a wide net" during college to discover passions, further emphasizing the unexpected but significant role of "discipline and rigor" gained from being a college athlete in shaping professional success and teamwork skills. The experience translated directly into early career success, particularly within a consulting environment populated by other former athletes who inherently understood "how to get things done."
Problem-Solving, Teamwork, Discipline, Career Exploration, Leadership
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Bill Wells
CEO & Co-Founder
Wild One
University of Pennsylvania
UCLA Anderson MBA
Economics
Apparel, Beauty, Retail & Fashion, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
Entrepreneurship and Business Owner
Student Athlete
Video Highlights
1. Develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills through academic coursework.
2. Explore diverse areas and meet various people to discover your interests and passions.
3. Cultivate discipline and teamwork by participating in extracurricular activities, such as college athletics, to build valuable transferable skills for your professional career
Transcript
Q12: College ideas for success.
What did you do in undergrad to set you up for success in your career?
In addition to academic coursework, which you might not use explicitly in your career, you learn how to problem-solve and think critically. This is very important.
Also, like in business school, exploring everything really helps. Casting a wide net and meeting different people gives you exposure to various areas. This helps you understand what is interesting and compelling to you.
Being a college athlete, specifically on the track team, was also critical. The discipline and rigor of practicing daily, sometimes multiple times a day, and the team structure provided a drive that carries over to a professional career.
You learn to be very focused and how to work with others to get things done. In my early consulting career, many other college athletes and I knew how to get things done intrinsically.