For this EMBA grad, classmates became colleagues

Students entering WashU Olin’s Executive MBA are frequently looking to accelerate their careers and expand their business networks. For Shawn Sanders, EMBA 2024, that acceleration and expansion took a turn he never expected.

Sanders and six EMBA classmates clicked so well that they went into business together. They formed St. Louis-based 58th Street Consulting — named for the number of their EMBA cohort — which offers services to small and medium-sized businesses and governmental organizations. 

He said none of the group knew each other when they joined the program in August 2022. “We were all independent strangers.” He said WashU’s program is set up to encourage fast bonding: The program immediately splits students into small teams, and midway through, reshuffles those teams. Sanders met two of his eventual 58th Street colleagues in that first team and more like-minded future colleagues after the shuffle. 

“We started bonding immediately,” he said. “We’d stay up late working, and then we’d come back and meet for breakfast.” 

His classmates’ talents and collaborative nature led Sanders to an idea. One day, he was talking with another classmate about it. “I said, ‘These are the smartest people I’ve ever met, here in this classroom. Wouldn’t it be really fun to start a business with these people?’” 

That kicked off their search for other class members who might be interested in collaborating on a consulting business. He said they sought out the most diverse skillsets possible; for example, one member is a change management expert, another excels at information technology, while Sanders specializes in operations. 

“We were looking at it from the idea of extreme diversity,” Sanders said. “When we talk to clients, we can say, we’re here, and we can help, because we have a diverse background of folks.” 

The group waited until a month after their May 2024 graduation to ensure everyone was still willing to invest their time and money into starting the company.  

All still have core jobs that are separate from 58th Street; Sanders, a US Marine Corps veteran, now works for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. They schedule their consulting work around those jobs, usually in the evenings. 

Sanders said their client base has benefited from their EMBA network — not just their own cohort, but the members of other Olin MBA classes. He credits Darlene Lissone, associate director of EMBA recruitment, with organizing inter-program networking events that put them in touch with other EMBA cohorts as well as Professional MBA and Full-Time MBA students. 

Sanders believes the 58th Street Consulting team has created a good foundation on which the company can grow. As it does, he doesn’t rule out returning to their Olin network to bring more people aboard. 

“One of the fundamental things that we took from the EMBA program was to reach out to our networks, from a business-to-business perspective,” he said. “To say, ‘Hey, we have this thing going on, do you want to join us?’” 

For his part, Sanders said his EMBA experience has been “fundamentally a life-changer.” 

“The value you get out of the EMBA at WashU is hard to quantify,” he said. “I feel better, not just because I graduated from the program, but because it made me a more well-rounded person. I feel like I’m in alignment with my most true self.” 

For those considering the WashU Olin EMBA program: “You’ll see the ROI in ways you could never have predicted,” Sanders said. “Do it. You will not regret that decision.”