What if you could learn the most valuable parts of an MBA — without spending years in school?

In this episode of The Agent of Wealth Podcast, host Marc Bautis is joined by John Cousins, an investor, tech founder, and bestselling author who is revolutionizing business education. As the founder of MBA A$AP, a platform that has trained over 30,000 students across 165 countries, John has distilled the traditional MBA into an accessible, fast-track learning experience.

Tune in to discover how he’s making business knowledge more practical, affordable, and globally available.

In this episode, you will learn:

Why traditional MBA programs may not be the best return on investment.
How the 80/20 rule applies to business education, helping you focus on the most impactful concepts.
The innovative ways MBA A$AP is leveraging AI to enhance learning and accessibility worldwide.
And more!

Resources:

MBA A$AP | Corporate Finance A$AP: Level Up With Powerful Finance Tools and Better Decision-Making | Bautis Financial: 8 Hillside Ave, Suite LL1 Montclair, New Jersey 07042 (862) 205-5000 | Schedule an Introductory Call

Disclosure: The transcript below has been edited for clarity and content. It is not a direct transcription of the full episode, which can be listened to above.

Welcome back to The Agent of Wealth Podcast, this is your host Marc Bautis. Today, I’m joined by a special guest, John Cousins, who has redefined what it means to deliver business education.

John is an investor, tech founder, and bestselling author of Corporate Finance A$AP: Level Up With Powerful Finance Tools and Better Decision-Making, along with over 60 other books. He’s the founder of MBA A$AP, a platform that has trained over 30,000 students across 165 countries, including employees at global companies like Apple, Lyft, and PayPal.

With degrees from MIT, Boston University, and an MBA from Wharton, John has an extraordinary career. From leading two companies to IPO as a public company CEO and CFO to his work as General Partner at Tetraktys Global, he’s seen – and done – it all.

In this episode, we’ll dive into the challenges of traditional higher education, how MBA A$AP is making business knowledge more accessible, and the lessons John has learned from his remarkable career.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a lifelong learner, or just someone curious about how to gain an edge in business, this episode is for you. John, welcome to the show.

Thanks, Marc. It’s a pleasure to be here.

The Path to MBA A$AP

You’ve had an incredibly diverse career as an investor, tech founder, author, and educator. Can you tell us about your journey and where MBA A$AP fits into it?

That’s a great starting question. My journey really began at Wharton, and in many ways, that experience planted the seeds for MBA A$AP.

Before attending Wharton, I had the option to work full-time while pursuing an MBA at night. ABC would have covered tuition if I attended NYU or Columbia. But balancing a full-time job, night classes, and a young family — my son was two years old at the time — felt overwhelming. Instead, I chose to enroll in Wharton’s full-time MBA program.

At that time, tuition was around $50,000 per year. Between the cost of attendance and lost income from not working, I dug myself into a financial hole of roughly $300,000 to $500,000. That experience left me questioning whether it was the smartest decision.

Don’t get me wrong — the education was fantastic. I wanted the Ivy League experience, the networking opportunities, and the challenge of competing at that level. In many ways, it was worth it. But from a financial and time investment perspective, it was a major sacrifice.

The Reality of an MBA

Unlike a medical or law degree, an MBA doesn’t provide a set of technical skills that immediately translate into a profession. At its core, business comes down to simple principles — selling a product for more than it costs to make and using marketing to create awareness. Of course, there’s nuance, but the fundamental concepts can be learned outside of a traditional MBA program.

That realization got me thinking: Was my MBA the best use of my time and money? It was a great experience, but I started to see that there were other ways to gain the same knowledge.

I eventually transitioned into entrepreneurship, starting multiple companies and taking two of them public. I navigated direct listings, market makers, and trading desks — all invaluable experiences that shaped my perspective on business education.

Teaching and the Birth of MBA A$AP

My sister was teaching finance at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey while working at AT&T Credit. I thought, That’s really cool — I’d love to teach. So, I started looking for teaching opportunities and landed part-time positions at different universities.

As I taught, I noticed a gap between what students were learning and what they actually needed to know. Many of my students had taken multiple accounting and finance courses, but when I asked them a simple question — “What’s on a balance sheet?” — they’d panic. They’d throw out buzzwords like “debits,” “credits,” and “assets,” but they didn’t truly understand how it all fit together.

To simplify it, I’d compare a balance sheet to a house:

The asset is the house itself.
The debt and equity on the other side represent how it’s financed.
The mortgage is the debt.
If the house is worth more than the mortgage, the remaining value is the equity.
This follows the basic accounting equation: Assets = Liabilities + Equity.

When I explained it that way, I’d see light bulbs go off. Students who had struggled through six accounting courses suddenly understood the fundamentals. That’s when I realized: Business education was overcomplicating things.

I started distilling down these massive 800-page textbooks into the essentials — what truly mattered for decision-making in the real world.

From Teaching to Publishing

At first, I created PowerPoint presentations for my classes. Then, I turned those into white papers. Eventually, I compiled my insights into books.

When Amazon launched Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), it was a game-changer. Suddenly, I could upload a Word document, use their cover creator, and have a book available for sale as an eBook or in print-on-demand format. This eliminated the need to print thousands of copies and handle distribution myself — Amazon took care of all of it.

That success led me to online education platforms like Udemy, where I could supplement my books with video courses. Again, this was a cost-effective model — I could reach students around the world without any upfront costs.

Over time, I built my own website, developed my own courses, and launched a Substack newsletter. I also created a peer-to-peer learning community where students could support each other — not just learn from me.

That’s how MBA A$AP was born: a faster, more accessible way to learn business essentials without the massive financial and time commitment of a traditional MBA.

The Global Reach of MBA A$AP

So I started developing various toolsets, and that’s really how MBA A$AP was born. Over time, I realized that not everyone knows what “ASAP” stands for — As Soon As Possible. The idea behind MBA A$AP was to distill business education down to the essentials so that people could quickly grasp the key concepts and apply them in their everyday lives.

I wanted to create a learning platform that focused on the most critical aspects of business — marketing, finance, leadership — so students could build a strong foundation without unnecessary complexity. And I’ve been amazed by its reach. As you mentioned, MBA A$AP now serves students in 165 countries. Honestly, I didn’t even realize there were that many countries! I have students in Madagascar, the Maldives — places I never imagined.

It’s incredible to see people all over the world eager to improve their lives through business education, particularly within a capitalist framework. The gratitude I receive from my students is one of the most rewarding aspects of this journey. It reminds me of the old saying: “Give a person a fish, and you feed them for a day. Teach them to fish, and you feed them for a lifetime.” I love being on the teaching side — helping people acquire knowledge that will serve them for years to come.

The 80/20 Rule in Business Education

You’ve talked about how getting your MBA was a huge time and financial investment. In your book MBA A$AP, you mention the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule. If I understand correctly, 20% of the knowledge accounts for 80% of the value. Your approach to MBA A$AP seems to focus on that essential 20%. Can you explain how that applies to business education?

That’s a great way to put it, Marc, and you’re absolutely right. The Pareto Principle, named after the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, describes a power law distribution where 20% of inputs yield 80% of the results. Identifying that high-impact 20% allows you to maximize efficiency in learning and application.

This principle appears in many areas of business and life. For example, Coca-Cola has what they call “super users” — 20% of their consumers drink 80% of their products. The same concept applies to business education. Instead of wading through 800-page finance textbooks, I focus on the key insights that drive decision-making and success.

What Is MBA A$AP?

So what exactly is MBA A$AP? We’ve discussed the book, videos, and a community platform. But how does it all come together? If someone wants to start learning, where do they begin?

MBA A$AP is structured around multiple learning formats to accommodate different preferences.

Online Courses: I have a portfolio of courses on Udemy covering topics like bookkeeping, accounting, finance, marketing, negotiation, leadership, management, entrepreneurship, and even niche subjects like cryptocurrency and using Python for financial modeling. The MBA A$AP course bundles all these topics into a comprehensive program.
Structured Curriculum: While Udemy allows students to choose courses in a pick-and-choose manner, MBA A$AP provides a more structured curriculum. On my website, MBAasap.com, I’ve organized the courses into a logical progression — starting with fundamentals, moving to intermediate skills, and then to advanced concepts.
Community Learning: The MBA A$AP community is hosted on Mighty Networks, a platform designed for peer-to-peer learning. Here, students can engage with each other, ask questions, and participate in group discussions.
Cohort-Based Learning: I’m now introducing structured six-week “sprints” that guide students through the curriculum in a step-by-step manner. Each cohort moves through the foundational, intermediate, and advanced levels together, ensuring accountability and steady progress.
Books & Publications: I’ve written over 60 books, covering everything from financial statements to negotiation tactics. Now, I’m reorganizing them under the ASAP brand — similar to the For Dummies series — to make them more accessible. I’ve already published Bookkeeping A$AP, Accounting A$AP, Financial Statements A$AP, and Corporate Finance A$AP.

How to Stay Accountable in Online Learning

One of the biggest challenges with online learning is accountability. The flexibility is great, but it also makes it easy to procrastinate. Do you have any advice for students on how to stay disciplined and complete their courses?

That’s a great question. There are two main ways I help students stay accountable:

Community & Cohorts: The structured sprints create a learning cadence where students follow a clear schedule. Each week, there are deliverables—specific chapters to read, videos to watch, and discussions to participate in. Knowing that their peers are progressing helps keep students on track.
Psychology of Payment: There’s an important concept from Nassim Taleb’s Skin in the Game: people pay more attention to what they invest in. Free resources are great, but I’ve noticed that when students get something for free, they’re far less likely to complete it. When they pay for a course, they feel compelled to follow through because they’ve made a financial commitment.

To make MBA A$AP accessible to everyone, I offer tiered pricing based on region — lower pricing in areas with less economic opportunity and standard pricing for those who can afford it. That way, students invest in their education at a level that makes sense for them, and they’re more likely to engage with the material.

Have you seen any trends in the profile of your students? Are they more established professionals looking to gain knowledge part-time? Or do you see recent college graduates who, instead of committing to a full-time MBA program, choose to fast-track their education with a course like yours?

That’s a great question, and the answer is both. In marketing, you develop customer archetypes — your ideal customers — and I’ve found several distinct groups.

Some students are young, in their early twenties or even late teens, eager to learn about business fundamentals. Others are mid-career professionals, often in middle management, who never learned how to read a financial statement. These short, focused courses provide them with critical skills that can accelerate their careers and help them climb the corporate ladder.

Then there are those who have been out of college for a few years, considering an MBA but unsure about the commitment. For them, this is a great way to test the waters. Instead of diving in headfirst, they can invest a couple hundred dollars and some time to see if this is truly the right path for them.

I also have students who are investors. One of my courses focuses on reading a 10-K report — the annual financial report that public companies must file with the SEC. Understanding financial statements is essential for making smart investment decisions, whether you’re evaluating Google, Apple, or any other company.

Finally, I see students who are in their late 40s or 50s, beginning to think about investing for retirement. Some are already retired and want to protect and grow their nest egg. No matter where they are in their journey, the goal is to provide them with the knowledge they need to make informed financial decisions.

Do you have any new courses or projects in the works?

I’m glad you asked… Yes, I’m expanding into artificial intelligence. My holding company, Intelligentsia, owns MBA A$AP, and now I’m integrating AI into education in two key ways.

First, I’ve developed a chatbot that digests all my course material. Students can interact with it on my website, asking questions and getting instant responses without having to search through the content manually.

Second, I’m about to launch an AI-driven negotiations course. This course features a video avatar of me — it looks and talks just like me. I had to record scripts so they could capture my lip movements. The AI-powered system interacts with students, assesses their knowledge gaps, and customizes its responses accordingly.

The best part? It supports 120 languages. Until now, my courses have only been available in English, which has worked well since English is widely spoken as a second language. But now, with this AI-driven approach, I can offer personalized, one-on-one interactions in people’s native languages. I believe this will take education to the next level.

I’m calling this next phase MBA A$AP powered by Intelligentsia, and all of my AI-driven educational tools will fall under the Intelligentsia brand.

It’s incredible how AI is transforming every industry, including education.

Absolutely! I use AI tools like ChatGPT daily for drafting content and brainstorming ideas. Now, bringing AI into education feels like a natural progression. I’m very excited about what’s ahead.

John, that’s all the questions I have for you today. Thanks for joining me and sharing your insights. Before we wrap up, where can listeners learn more about MBA A$AP?

Thanks, Marc — this has been a pleasure. The best place to start is MBA-ASAP.com. Listeners can also Google my name, John Cousins, or MBA A$AP, and they’ll find plenty of links. I’m active on social media, I publish a Substack newsletter, and I answer all messages personally — no chatbots for that!

Great. We’ll include links to all that in the resources section of the show notes. Thanks again, John. And thank you to everyone who tuned into today’s episode. Don’t forget to follow The Agent of Wealth on the platform you listen from and leave us a review of the show. We are currently accepting new clients, if you’d like to schedule a 1-on-1 consultation with our advisors, please do so below.

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