Scott James, Founder & President

Scott James, Founder & President, Fair Trade Sports

Undergraduate Degree and Major:
BBA, Marketing, Baylor University

Graduate School(s) / Degree(s) / Year(s):
MBA, University of Notre Dame. 1999

Most of the marketing falls to me, as well as overall strategy and vision for the company. The team leadership and people management skills I learned at Baylor and Notre Dame have proved invaluable. For a start-up, keeping the momentum strong and positively-focused is crucial.

Changing the world for the better.

Hearing from the naysayers that giant multinational brands like Nike and Adidas cannot be changed for the better. They can! They will! Ignore the naysayers!

A combination of my love of soccer and my passion to fight child labor. It helps that I married a social worker.

I wanted to become more well rounded in all the business disciplines.

Visio, a fun, fast little technology company that got acquired by Microsoft. I was told again last week that I'm still a geek, even after being in the sustainability movement for six years. I took it as a compliment.

Drive. Belief in yourself. Humility. Ability to find and hire others smarter than yourself. Ability to keep them motivated and excited.

Commit 100% to it. Allow it to consume your life for 2 to 3 years. You'll leave your program with lifelong friends and business contacts, as well as a truckload of new knowledge.

I'd ask just one question: Can you structure your life to take full advantage of the program?

Strength of the dean's vision and strength of alumni network.