Offer Decision - Bain VS Growth Equity Portfolio Ops

Hi, I'm in a very similar position. I'm close to graduating undergrad and long term I want to run my own unicorn startup and was between a growth equity investment position (slightly different, less ops) and McKinsey. Moreover, I also run my startup which has just proven product-market fit and we're starting to raise a round now. I also have many friends at Harvard and Stanford who are working at McKinsey with me for the summer & full-time for a year or two before committing on our ventures or joining Y Combinator etc. 

I chose McKinsey because it has a much stronger brand name and I truly believe that you can't learn entrepreneurship. Plus, even if I did want to switch paths, all the doors will be open.  McKinsey is the training ground for C-suite executives at F500 as well as numerous startup founders, and I don't see why it cannot produce C-suite executives at unicorns (ever heard of Sheryl Sandberg?) 

Sure, growth ops will teach you broad growth strategies for Series A, B, C but it is only a small part of entrepreneurship. As I said, entrepreneurship isn't something you can just practice. It requires true creativity, unreal passion, and a set of skillset that is hard to develop apart from learning on-the-job or getting advice from your advisors and investors. That's all part of the fun to me. 

Ultimately, I think here's the crux of the answer. The Bain brand name will help you raise funding down the line and doesn't close any doors if you decide to go down the entrepreneurship route and you can certainly pick growth projects with smaller clients if you want. If you decide to go down the C-Suite unicorn route, I think Bain will also provide you with more credentials than some growth op at a fund. Moreover, you can just move from Bain back to the fund if you're so inclined. 

Wow great offers! Thats special in these times. Enjoy it.

Here's some pointers to help you make the decision:

1. Is the job and industry in line with what you want to do i.e. can you be joyful and give your best and not drag your feet everyday thinking there is something better out there or you should have taken the other job
2. No one knows what the world is going to look like in 5 years let alone in the next 6 -12 months.  Think about all the regulations & lifestyle changes we are going to experience with climate change and many other aspects. So consider that into your planning. Focus more on what you can do now and next 12 months and build from there
3. Whats your current risk appetitie i.e. if your move fails whats plan B?
4. Whats the pipeline of work in the companies you are looking at? 
5. As with every situation/event/choice in life, nothing will be perfect. Be mindful of this and work accordingly. Regardless of which job you take, there will be ups and downs and you cannot make that perfect choice as there will always be something a little better. So remove this pressure

Considerations to avoid at this stage:

1. Easier path
2. Peer pressure
3. Salary if the delta between the two offers is 10-15% or under

Good luck choosing!

Hi there!

I think you know your decision already :)

While I was reading your position descriptions, I was genuinely thinking "Ah, tough choice!"

However, here was the kicker for me...and you said it all:

"Long term goal is C-suite at unicorn or entrepreneurship, but don't have a specific industry preference yet. Had been working towards the MBB trophy for a long time, but never wanted to stay in consulting long term"

Go with what you truly enjoy/want. You don't want MBB! You want unicorn/entrepreneurship! So, you want Offer 2 AND your side hustle. Not only are you going to be happier, more fulfilled, etc. but it's the far more direct route to your end goal.

In life, don't go for trophies that other people want. At the end of the day the trophy sits in your room and no-one else cares. Make your own trophy.

Both are great options but I would go for Growth Equity Ops if your longer term goal is to be leading a successful startup. Bain will be a great way to develop your professional skills and breadth, but the experience and network will not be direcly relevant (i.e., Bain will be more dinosaur business problems) and it will always be there if you choose to pursue it later. Additionally, if you value having flexiblity with your time then continuing where you seem to be successful already makes more sense too. 

Hi there,

Well done with the offers, it is a good problem to have ;)

Bain is going for sure to help to achieve your goal of C-suite or entrepreneurship. For entrepreneurship in particular, the MBB brand is very useful for fundraising – it helped me a lot with my first startup.

With the Growth Equity option it seems you can have a great career. Seems also more impactful and less “power-point” based. However, it seems more aligned with a long-term commitment – possibly grow in the fund till senior positions. As mentioned by Vlad, you should also check if there are possible bottlenecks in terms of internal growth.

To decide, I would check the internal growth trajectory and exit opportunities with the fund. If it allows to move to what you are planning as an exit, it seems better than Bain on paper. You will lose in terms of brand, but likely get faster to your final destination. If you find exits are not aligned with your final goals – due for example to lack of brand recognition or internal bottlenecks – I would go for Bain.

Best,

Francesco

Agree with what the other coaches said. One additional lens (I know, doesn't make it easier!) is the reputation. Having MBB in your CV can be a consideration for VCs when you're looking for seed funding, so if that should be a possibility some point in the future, it the Bain position does have it's merits. 

Thinking a bit outside of the box here: Is this really a binary decision? Why not both? E.g. discuss with the Growth Equity team if they could also see you coming back after going through 2-3 years in consulting.

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the offers!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

I would highly advise you to opt for the option that better aligns with your professional (and maybe even personal) mid- to long-term goals. In order to make an informed decision, I would advise you to do the following:

• Weigh the different criteria that are meaningful to you independently of the current options (e.g., prestige, culture, international exposure, compensation, location). After that, score the two options based on your criteria and their weighting, resulting in two scores. This way, you have covered the left-brain perspective.
• Critically assess your initial reaction to the outcome of the scores. For instance, if you feel the urge to tweak the numbers, this is a solid indicator that you do not want this decision to become reality. This way, you have covered the right-brain perspective.
• By doing so, you will be able to integrate both parts of the brain into the decision-making, guaranteeing a higher chance that you will still be happy with it years later.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to address your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi,

I would go for Growth Equity since it's a great exit option post consulting. You have a chance to get this job directly after school. One thing I would check - do they require an MBA for further career growth or not.

Best

Hello!

Congrats, both are great, so for sure you cannot make the wrong choice here. Good problem to have. 

Given that your long term goal is Csuit and/or entrepreneuriship, I would go for Bain, since being a consultant for a while will give you wonderful foundation. However, also growth equity as you described it sounds great. 

Best, 

Clara

Hi there!
Congratulations! It`s amazing to get 2 offers from such successful companies. When I Was reading your question I understood that you already know your answer to this question. I am sure that you would like to choose a second option and I think that this will be the most appropriate solution for you. Please choose that option which you feel you will more enjoy and that will give you the best results in the future.
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