Blair Pircon
The Graide Network
Chicago, IL USA
"Don’t look at what other people are doing in order to set expectations for yourself. If you’re doing what you want to do, it shouldn’t matter what else is going on. Let go of the things you’re comparing yourself to or the expectations other people have you."
Career Roadmap
Blair's work combines: Education, Entrepreneurship, and Problem Solving
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
I faced this assumption that getting my MBA was too big of an investment for an entrepreneur and that it wouldn't really do anything for me. I found that there were a lot of crossovers and compliments between getting my formal education and my informal education in starting my business. It was definitely an invaluable resource for me and gave me a different perspective on the process of entrepreneurship.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Finance, General
University of Notre Dame
Graduate Degree
Business Administration and Management, General
Northwestern University
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
As a fourth-generation entrepreneur, she grew up admiring the creativity of new business ideas—says she would “wonder when an idea would come along she was passionate enough about to pursue.”
2.
In middle school and high school, she dabbled in various entrepreneurial ventures including an arts and crafts company, and a video production company.
3.
Following her interests in math and business, she attended the University of Notre Dame where she received a degree in finance.
4.
She got a job at Robert W. Baird & Co. investment bank where she worked as an equity research analyst covering U.S. and Chinese education services companies.
5.
After spending over six years studying K-12 education, she began to notice the problems plaguing the system and how technology could make a difference.
6.
In 2014, she decided to leave her job in investing to attend Northwestern University and pursue her master’s degree in business administration.
7.
She spent her two years in grad school actively working to start her company alongside her co-founder and fellow MBA classmate, Qinyuan (Chen) Liu.
8.
In 2016, she launched The Graide Network, which connects teachers with qualified assistants to grade and provide data-driven feedback on student work.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
Why would you get your MBA as an entrepreneur? That's an investment better suited for a different career path.
How I responded:
I faced this assumption that getting my MBA was too big of an investment for an entrepreneur and that it wouldn't really do anything for me. I found that there were a lot of crossovers and compliments between getting my formal education and my informal education in starting my business. It was definitely an invaluable resource for me and gave me a different perspective on the process of entrepreneurship.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I'm a military brat and went to 8 different schools by the time I got to the 8th grade. I learned to be really comfortable with change.
Being a lone CEO and running a startup is definitely a challenge. I'm super passionate about the company and staying focused on our mission helps keep everything going. I take it all one challenge at a time.
Right now, I don't have a lot of time for hobbies or free time. Starting your own business is really hard and it can consume a lot of things in your life. Unfortunately, my social life has been one of those things I've sacrificed for now.