5 Things I Learned from Mansi That I Wish I Knew in B-School (Like, Yesterday)

 You know those people who drop one line and your entire worldview shifts? That’s Mansi Panchal – CEO, founder, unapologetic truth-bomber, and the kind of leader B-school never warned me about (but should have).

I joined FounderX as a marketing intern thinking I’d learn about lead funnels and ad copy. Instead, I got a crash course in how to think, lead, and build like a founder. Here are five things I learned under Mansi that I seriously wish someone had tattooed on the inside of my eyelids back in B-school.

1.  More Followers ≠ More Success

If B-school teaches you to chase KPIs, Mansi teaches you to question them.

“Your business doesn’t need more followers. It needs more buyers.”

She flips the script: it's not about vanity metrics, it’s about value delivery. Watching her cut the fluff and focus on execution taught me something no textbook did - clarity beats complexity every time.

2.  You Don’t Need Another Strategy. You Need to Execute.

The number of hours I spent in B-school building slide decks and dreaming up hypotheticals? Embarrassing. Mansi’s voice now echoes in my head:

“You don’t need a new strategy. You need to actually execute the one you keep postponing.”

No more perfection paralysis. Done is better than perfect. Progress > planning.

3.  Entrepreneurship Isn’t About Being Liked

One thing Mansi doesn’t sugarcoat: if you’re building something real, someone’s going to label you the villain.

“You didn’t sign up to make friends. You signed up to make an impact.”

This hit me hard. As someone who’s always avoided conflict, learning that leadership often means making uncomfortable calls was liberating. Being liked won’t build your business – conviction will.

4.  Start Small, But Start Now

The biggest myth B-school sells? That you need it all figured out before you start. Mansi calls BS:

“Start small. Every empire began with baby steps.”

She’s right. Your idea doesn’t need a perfect pitch deck or a co-founder with a Stanford MBA. It needs action. Momentum. Grit. Period.

5.  Not Every Client Is Worth It

In B-school, they teach you to attract more clients. At FounderX, Mansi taught me to attract the right ones.

“If your business is for everyone, it’s for no one.”

I saw her turn down deals that didn’t align on values, process, or pricing. No guilt, just clarity. That’s when I realized: growth isn’t just about more. It’s about getting better.

Filtering clients isn’t arrogance, it’s strategy. And it saves your energy, your team, and your brand.

Final Thoughts

Mansi doesn’t just lead FounderX - she redefines what it means to lead yourself. If I’d learned even half of these lessons earlier, I’d have shown up to B-school with a sharper mindset and maybe fewer color-coded to-do lists.

But hey, better late than never.

To every student out there: consider this your early-access, no-BS blueprint. And to Mansi, thanks for the real education.

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