Nicholas Vaughan, MBA ’09, tells us about his times with McCombs and gives us an update on his career and future aspirations in the medical world. Nicholas currently serves on the MBA Advisory Board and is CEO at PAZ Veterinary.  

Tell us about your experience as a student here at McCombs. 

I rolled into McCombs at the ripe age of 33, excited to be learning again in a structured manner. I still had a pliable frame of mind, and it was a good time to be surrounded by intellectuals that had an opinion. My favorite group I was involved with was the one that got to class early so we could have first run at the tacos brought in by Juan in a Million! There was nothing more fun than starting a Friday with Dr. Jemison covering an interesting case review, current news, and high finance all in one class while having great coffee and a true breakfast taco. It made the experience LOCAL, GLOBAL, and very much AUSTIN—all in one big learning process that definitely counted as higher education, but felt closer to a large network where you held yourself accountable. Dr. Doggett was by far my most influential professor. His teaching style was a good fit for my learning style and most of his “biz stories” still resonate with me today and made me an unconventional creative when it comes to business. 

How did your educational experience change you? 

It added a lot of respect to my education portfolio.  I attended Louisiana Tech for undergraduate and although my program was challenging—bio medical engineering—I could sense that many colleagues that I worked with at large corporations took me a bit more seriously once I received a degree from UT. You could tell it elevated my game from a paper standpoint, and that gave me a lot more confidence to ask for more challenges. That is my ego answer and of course it lines up with my academic answer; I was able to prove that my degree was not in vain, and the UT program gave me new friendships, new perspectives, and a diverse way of looking at specific problems. It was the first time I had worked at such a high level with backgrounds from all over—it was not a homogenous group at McCombs, and to this day, it’s been hard to replicate how rich that network was for me. 

Please provide a brief summary of your career path since graduating. 

I did some things with Purina that even to this day are still developing and releasing to the public. My 50 page business review was (at that time) received by the CEO and Vice President of our Vet division—and I am pretty sure they thought I was crazy because of some of the ideas, but I have been told a lot of them have been action items over the last few years. That has been gratifying to find out, but the real fun came from using the MBA to leverage investing in myself. It was easier for me to have conversations with high officials in banking, etc., and added to my profile so I could start my own business. It gave me a leg up on competition and I have been able to grow a company valued at over $25 million dollars in just 5 years—and it was all on a $300,000 loan that was offered to me by Citibank, and I know for a fact the UT MBA was one of the components that sold my idea. 

What are you most proud of in your career so far?  

The ability to create culture as I see it in my work place. It’s a natural fit that enjoys profitability but not at the expense of employee happiness.  

Has your career path played out the way you expected?  

I have been more successful than I imagined and have had more opportunities offered than I would have dreamed—being a consultant, helping non-profits, and I’m even in development for an educational TV show.  

How have you stayed involved with the school as an alumnus?  

Many of the alums in my class—who I am either somehow aligned with through a business venture or as part of a local network of coffee drinkers—I still see and we talk about local business, global markets, and crack up laughing at what we though we knew in 2009. The family and I still go to basketball, baseball, and football games. My wife and I also stay involved by donating to the arts at Blanton, and anytime UT or McCombs reaches out to me to help current students with projects, mentoring, etc., I am all over it. I currently serve as a member of the McCombs MBA board. My hope is to get more time in the next few years so I can dedicate myself completely to the cause of teaching sustainable business and being a diverse mentor for students coming through the program. 

How have you personally benefited from being a part of the network?  

I am a veterinarian first, so it’s always nice to know that my fellow class mates come visit my practice for pet health, but beyond that, I have had a chance to prove my entrepreneurial worth and when you couple that with the fact I am a McCombs graduate, it has really opened up a different set of opportunities. I have not been pigeon holed into only being a marketer, only being a doctor, etc.—it has allowed full visibility on what I can bring to an organization as a vision seeker 

What are your goals for the future? 

Goals include spreading our brand of medicine beyond Austin and hopefully having an influence on human medicine. I am already starting to see some of our approach being adopted by human physicians, which is encouraging.  We have a strong reputation of making medicine less fear-based and more about healing from within and focusing on mental health first as it leads to better physical health. 

Any other community involvement, hobbies or tidbits you’d like to share?  

I’m a busy father of 3 young dudes, so I am active in anything Zilker and PTA. I also t-ball coach with South Austin Little League and basketball coach at the YMCA and WAYA.  I am proud to be in a charitable book club known as the 512 society—I chartered this group right after my graduation from McCombs and it has seen over 50 members come and go and become successful business leaders in Austin. My hobbies tend to follow the interests of our children but many things have stayed constant for me, even when I was at McCombs. I am an avid fan of the outdoors, camping, hiking, biking, skiing, running, climbing, and I am all over any activity that allows you to see within yourself and expand your mind. 

Mario Barrett received his MBA in 2014 after being an officer in the Army. Here he shares his experience shifting from the Army to the business world and highlights his career path as an entrepreneur. Mario frequently volunteers at McCombs and loves connecting with fellow Longhorns. Thank you for your continued relationship with the Alumni Network, Mario!  

Tell us about your experience as a student here at McCombs. 

Prior to attending McCombs, I was an Army officer. I knew I wanted to enter the business world and figured an MBA was the best way to do that. A bunch of factors went into my choosing McCombs — location, entrepreneur program ranking, strength of Texas economy, and being a native Texan. When I finally got to McCombs and met my fellow classmates, I knew I made the right choice. I was heavily involved in the Adam Smith Society and Entrepreneur Society — both of which played a profound influence on my time at McCombs and introduced me to interesting individuals who challenged my typical way of thinking (I’d say this held true for most people I met). It’s hard for me to really pick a favorite class, but one of my favorite teachers was Professor Doggett. I loved the way he challenged students to give real answers (no MBA jargon) and made an effort to take them out of their comfort zone. 

How did your educational experience change you? 

I definitely gained a solid foundation in “business basics.” The Army can teach you about time management and leadership, but you aren’t reading balance sheets. My experience also demystified the entire process behind starting a business or what it meant to have a “real job” as I’d refer to it in the Army. I realized that people in the business world were mostly the same as the Army, just with a different mission. 

Please provide a brief summary of your career path since graduating. 

I’d like to consider my career path out of McCombs anything but ordinary! I graduated and took a job with Deloitte Consulting, but had almost a year between graduation and my start date. So instead of taking time off, I started a subscription box company. Surprisingly, the company grew and I was able to hand off most of the operations by the time I started at Deloitte. After two years at Deloitte, I made the decision to leave and join Cratejoy, the world’s largest subscription box marketplace to help lead new seller growth and success. 

What are you most proud of in your career so far? 

I was able to take an idea and very little money and turn it into a growing, profitable business that I was eventually able to sell.  

Has your career played out the way you expected?  

No way! To be honest, I did not know what to expect after leaving school. I still think I’m finding out what I want to be when I grow up. 

How have you stayed involved with the school as an alumnus?  

I always volunteer to come back to McCombs to chat with new students interested in entrepreneurship or veteran students looking to transition into the business world. These are my favorite events to participate in. 

How have you personally benefitted from being a part of the network? 

The network has done a lot for me! The biggest benefit of McCombs is that I have a diverse set of professionals I can leverage if I ever have a question. Someone is always out there who has “done it” and is willing to help a fellow grad. I’ve stayed very close to several of my classmates in different industries and always leverage them for advice, guidance, or motivation.  

What are your goals for the future, career wise and in relation to McCombs? 

I plan on starting another business or buying a business in Austin. Regardless of the path, I want to continue to stay involved in events at McCombs and mentor or give back to any students looking to pursue a life in entrepreneurship. 

Any other community involvement, hobbies or tidbits you’d like to share?  

Yes! If you or anyone you know is selling a business in Austin, let’s talk!