MBA grad, entrepreneur Daniel Valdez founded company to help underrepresented groups reach more business leadership roles

As a former member of the U.S. military and firefighter turned entrepreneur and business consultant, Daniel Valdez (MBA '21) knows how much determination and hard work play into success.

As a former member of the U.S. military and firefighter turned entrepreneur and business consultant, Daniel Valdez (MBA '21) knows how much determination and hard work play into success. His decision to pursue an MBA was driven by a desire to make a difference for himself and others from underrepresented communities.

“I thought, ‘If these high paying jobs are requiring you to get your MBA or a graduate degree, and there's only this many underrepresented folks attending those programs and getting those opportunities, that's not good,'" he says. “I decided I had to go and do this. Being from an underrepresented group, I wanted to get into an MBA program and show we can do it right.”

And so he did. After graduating from the W. P. Carey School’s Full-time MBA program — where he was named one of Poets & Quants' Best & Brightest — Valdez launched an organization that connects students from underrepresented groups to business leaders and mentors, with a goal of bridging the opportunity gap.

W. P. Carey spoke with Valdez about his MBA journey, what inspires him about his work and entrepreneurship, and advice for future students.

Why W. P. Carey?

After graduating with his bachelor's in exercise and wellness from ASU, Valdez began his business career working as a consultant for an agency that specialized in startups and ecommerce companies. While an MBA had always been on his mind, he figured he wasn't at a point in his career where it was necessary.

That was until he received a call from the W. P. Carey graduate recruiting team. Valdez had already taken the GRE exam, but hadn't completed his MBA application. "A lot of times, folks from underrepresented groups won't apply to things if they feel like they're not going to get a chance at making it in," he says.

The extra personal touch made a huge difference. "They called and said, ‘Hey, Daniel, we saw that you attended one of our events. It looks like you had started an application, but you never finished it. I'd like to encourage you to go ahead and complete that.’ Things were a little bit rocky in the situation I was at when he called. I had nothing to lose and decided to go for it.”

Valdez did get accepted into the Full-time MBA program, hoping to "learn to run a business like a Fortune 500 CEO." Entrepreneurship was a natural concentration area for him, which he combined with marketing to form a curriculum customized to his career goals. Many of the MBA classes and projects, particularly the experiential learning opportunities related to entrepreneurship, have stuck with him and made lasting impacts in his career.

"The way we went through our hypothesis testing was really cool. I think that's carried along with me," he says. "I enjoyed the chance to test some different theories, products, and ideas. We had workshops for those with the professors, and we were able to start a couple companies in class. It was outstanding."

Why entrepreneurship?

Valdez has always been entrepreneurial-minded and dreamed of starting his own video game or clothing companies growing up. He started his first venture, a supplement company called ATP Nutrition, with some colleagues from his time as a firefighter. His previous experience working at a supplement manufacturer lended valuable knowledge to support their success.

ATP was put on pause when Valdez enrolled as a W. P. Carey MBA student — looking to sharpen his skills and take his business acumen to a larger scale. His experience in the program inspired his most recent and current entrepreneurial venture, Accelerated Leadership for Underrepresented Minorities, which started as a club on campus.

Also known as ALUM, their digital platform connects minority business leaders and mentors with students and young professionals for advice, networking, knowledge building, and more.

"There wasn't any sort of MBA club for specifically underrepresented groups," he says. "We created one group for all underrepresented folks to go in and get leadership development. Then I thought, ‘We need to do this on a bigger scale, not just at school.’"

Valdez thought about turning ALUM into a company at that point, but decided not to when he heard about a similar project taking place at another university. But after graduating with his MBA and beginning his career with Accenture, the drive to create an organization to help those underrepresented in the business world was still there, and he found out the other project never went any further.

"It’s all based on the fact that I know where I came from," he says. "I was a high school dropout. When I was growing up, people told me I wouldn't amount to anything. And for a while there, I believed it."

"Recognizing how difficult it was for me to jump social classes and to get a job at Accenture, I want to use ALUM to level the playing field for other underrepresented groups to be able to get jobs working at Accenture, Microsoft, Google, and other wealth generating careers that can ultimately be life changing."

What's next?

MBA alumnus Daniel Valdez with his wife, Laura, and their children (from left), Frankie, Enzo, Mateo, and Roman.

After establishing ALUM as an organization beyond Arizona State University, Valdez is looking forward to the future of this venture and its growth. "I'm in the process of building out a team so I can step back a little bit and look at it from a more strategic level," he says.

"Right now, I'm really in the weeds, building the product, working as a customer success manager, working on building out processes and whatnot. What I found with my other companies that I've started is that when you're that close to actually doing the work, it's hard to build a strategy and help drive things moving forward."

Valdez continues to balance his entrepreneurial ventures with consulting work at Accenture, and has found ways to juggle both responsibilities, along with everything else life entails, without burning out. He cites his strong passion for his work as a big reason he is able to do so.

Part of his advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is to ensure that work-life balance is always a priority, even when it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of a new idea or venture.

"Make sure that you have some hobby that you can constantly rely on, where you can go and clear your head," he says. "It doesn’t even have to be a hobby. Maybe it's just going for a drive or listening to loud music. You need to have some sort of outlet to keep you sane, especially if you're working and building something."

Going along with the theme of balance, Valdez also recommends not holding back, both in education and when starting a business. He tells would-be entrepreneurs to not let fear of rejection hold them back from networking and sharing their ideas with anyone who will listen, as new ideas and help can come from anywhere.

He also wholeheartedly recommends the MBA program at W. P. Carey, and urges anyone who is considering to go for it like he did. "Do as much as you can, go to all the conferences, make great friends, and really participate,” he says. "It's only two years, and it flies by. So jump both feet in, and just give it your all."