Photo credit: Rowan and Clover Photography.
Brigid Tebaldi was an experienced entrepreneur long before she enrolled in the general Master of Business Administration hybrid program at Youngstown State University.
But even with a few years under her belt as the owner of Five Fillies Farm, a wedding and horse training business in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, Tebaldi had a lot to learn.
“I didn’t have any set goals I was trying to accomplish with the MBA — it was more for my development,” she said. “I wanted to learn the many facets of the business world and then use what I learned to make my business more successful.
In addition, Tebaldi is staying busy as an online teacher and self-paced advisor at Kolbe Academy in Napa, California.
“I have been teaching and working in an administrative role. I am part of the marketing and technology team, so the MBA has been applicable to helping the company I work for grow.”
The Starting Line
Tebaldi grew up in New Wilmington where serendipity led her to become a business owner before she had planned out a career track.
“The business started when one of my older sisters wanted to get married and only had 10 months to plan it because she was in school,” she said. “My parents had an old barn that we fixed up for the wedding.
“From there, we had other people ask if they could get married there, too. I took over the business and have been running it since 2014.”
Tebaldi hosted her first wedding one week after graduating from Allegheny College with a bachelor’s degree in biology and a minor in psychology.
Along the way, she completed internships at New Wilmington Veterinary Services and the Kentucky Equine Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center while pondering her future. Although she applied to veterinary school, she opted instead for an MBA from YSU for a number or reasons.
“I decided to enroll at Youngstown State because of the program cost, accolades, time to completion and ranking,” she said. “I also liked the facilities and the course selection. Many of the professors have good credentials. It’s also an established university. It was a perfect fit.”
OMBA 6955: Marketing Strategy was Tebaldi’s favorite course in the MBA program curriculum. She learned a great deal about personal development and marketing that continues to help her in both careers today.
“I also liked the project that I had to do at the end to graduate,” she said. “There were a lot of the practical applications that you learn in the program. I did the general MBA, but the managerial and organizational aspects have been useful, too.”
Hitting Her Stride
Since graduating from Youngstown State in 2016, Tebaldi and her husband, Tony, have started a family. They have three children — Grace (4), Patrick (2) and Leo (5 months).
In addition to teaching confirmation classes at her church, she works from home as business owner, teacher and advisor — and still somehow has ample time to spend with her family around her busy schedule. She has no plans to change anything about her life in the foreseeable future.
“I like the small business side,” she said. “I don’t want to get into the corporate world if I don’t have to. The school I work for is small — there are about 15 of us on the staff.
“I like working in a smaller capacity, so I can see the difference I made and have my hand in everything. I have been teaching chemistry since I graduated with my bachelor’s degree. It keeps my science brain working.”
Tebaldi completed her experience at Youngstown State by walking in the commencement ceremony. In earning an advanced degree from a respected university, she followed in the footsteps of her mother (MD) and father (JD), not to mention two sisters, one of whom holds a DVM and the other an MS.
With the help of the knowledge she gained in the MBA program (which has Leadership, Marketing and Healthcare Management specializations available), she has continued to enhance her business skills in marketing, accounting and entrepreneurship over the last four years.
“Because there was no real gap, the MBA was sort of a continuation of my bachelor’s degree,” she said. “It’s a great program that is flexible and ideal for people who are working. It was a good experience.”
Learn more about Youngstown State’s online MBA programs.
