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Big Business: The Value of the Liberal Arts in Our Founders’ Story

05 July, 2024

Is a Business Degree Really Necessary?

It never seems to fail that on the rare occasion I overhear people talking about C-Level executives, questions about pedigree invariably come up. I’d bet good money we all can hear the exact same stereotypical gossipy questions about the newsworthy CEO du jour: Where did they do their undergrad? What business school did they attend? “It wasn’t an Ivy League?!” these figments of our imagination gasp in abject terror with upturned noses. Luckily, times are changing, and the prejudice (yes, let’s call it what it is, people) once held against “alternative” paths to the top isn’t looked down upon as it once was.

My career started in entertainment as a producer, where I dabbled for over a decade in reality, talk, and digital media production. Now, for all the flaws of that industry (of which there are many), I never saw anyone question if your degree, prestigious, communications-based, or otherwise, had any significant impact on your ability to get the job done right. So imagine my horror transitioning my career into a world where the value of a liberal or fine arts degree is lost on people! My music theory degree and I are offended! And while quality education is undeniably invaluable, an over-representation of white men touting their nepo-baby business degrees doesn’t mean that business acumen only comes from specific classrooms.

Living proof of that can be found in Amodhi Weeresinghe and Caroline Lopez, the Co-Founders of HCL Designs. In its nascency, HCL Designs, a company that helps businesses with their branding and website development, has achieved a level of success that other agencies are still striving to achieve decades into their existence. Amodhi and Caroline’s leadership, combined with the team they’ve assembled, has led us at HCL Designs to help our clients see an average of 100% conversion rate improvement (!), 70% reduction in cart abandonment (!!), 100% back-end efficiency improvement (!!!), and a return on their investment within three to six months (!!!!). Dramatic parentheticals aside, the cold-hard facts of HCL Designs’s success would lead many people to assume Amodhi and Caroline’s readily apparent collective business perspicacity was born from the type of desire that drives future entrepreneurs exclusively to the world’s top business schools. Well, dear reader, GUESS AGAIN!

Amodhi and Caroline’s Journey to the Top

Both in the graduating class of 2014, Amodhi, an English literature major, and Caroline, a music major with an emphasis in vocal performance, met at Williams College as a part of the school’s entry system, which, for those of us who didn’t go to Williams essentially boils down to them being in the same dorm. Now, it’s worth noting that Williams has been ranked as THEE #1 Liberal Arts school in the nation every year since 2004 by U.S. & World News Reports and was the first-ever undergraduate institution to receive three first-place rankings by Forbes. Acceptance is highly competitive, landing around 8% of applicants, and the accomplishments of the alumni run the gamut from Nobel Laureates to Academy Award winners. And while the image that those stats conjure up is one of students who have a plan and are committed to a dedicated path, it should be obvious now that wasn’t exactly the case for Amodhi and Caroline.

Amodhi chose to major in English literature because it was her… *checks notes* worst subject. Even in high school, Amodhi could see how the world was full of people who couldn’t communicate efficiently or convey meaning, herself included. Clearly showing the tenacity it’s fair to assume would later lead her to chase her dream of starting HCL Designs, Amodhi willingly walked into her degree knowing her deficiencies and wanting to course correct from the best of the best. Despite earning a degree notably devoid of classes in marketing strategies and economic principles, Amodhi’s education provided her with all the skills she needed to succeed post-graduation. Able to rapidly dissect and analyze information, and equipped with a disarming charm and ability to connect with anyone (despite her self-attestation of being an introvert), she took her inimitable skillset and inherently entrepreneurial spirit into the social impact space and started an education non-profit in South Korea and oversaw the operations and development of a residential school for students of the lowest socio-economic status outside of Bangalore, India.

Showing a beautifully comparable level of capability and a wide breadth of skills, Caroline began her career trajectory to COO by making the deeply obvious and natural pivot from music to… medicine. At first glance, the only immediately visible overlap between the two subjects seems to be the first letter they share. However, Caroline took her love of voice and passion for medicine and found the perfect solution by studying and getting a master’s in speech and language pathology. The degree of discipline that got her into and grew at Williams College became even more evident in Caroline’s work life. Caroline entered her career in a clinical setting, but within six months, she had already taken on an administrative role while still seeing her clients. It should not come as a surprise then that Caroline was the Chief of Staff responsible for supervising 15 clinicians and eight administrators, in addition to maintaining a caseload of 25 clients within two years. Not too shabby.

But trite as the platitude may sound when it’s coming out of your mom’s mouth, “Success in life isn’t just success in a career,” (or something to that effect) holds true. And while Amodhi and Caroline were out in the world doing what they could to make it a better place, the friendship that began over their shared values and love of dancing stayed strong. So strong, in fact, when it came time for Amodhi to start staffing what would become HCL Designs, she turned to Caroline first. Now, if you’ve been hoping for the scene where the million-dollar idea gets scribbled on a napkin, get your popcorn ready. On a girls trip in 2022, Amodhi laid out the bones of HCL Designs, on what you ask? Yes, cue the napkin. HCL Designs would be an agency that partners, not just in the business sense, but in the way that denotes connection and mutual trust, with companies to help them create legacies and find mutually beneficial success that is only created through honest connection and collaboration. But Amodhi knew she couldn’t do it alone; she needed help with operations and knew Caroline would thrive in the role. So began what would be known as HCL Designs, an agency that, at its core, is here to help others.

Amodhi and Caroline’s Impact

Our ethos here at HCL Designs is unique and rare in today’s market. Its principal goal is innovation through genuine support and dissemination of skills and knowledge that lead to changes in brands that make them, to put it simply, iconic. While it would be irresponsible to suggest profit isn’t a concern, people will always come first at HCL Designs. As a new hire, from the first moment I figuratively walked through the doors on my first day (read: signed on to a digitally remote meeting), my success was a priority through emotional and operational support. Amodhi and Caroline genuinely care. It would be easy to say, “Well, that’s just who they are,” and that’s not wrong. However, it would be remiss not to acknowledge that it’s also an expression of their ability to manage everything thrown their way because they still have the time and energy to care.

It’s indisputable that many business schools are phenomenal at teaching business. That’s like saying water is wet – you’ll have a big old DUH headed your way. But, in the same vein, the acuity of Amodhi and Caroline’s skillset as leaders is a product of their education. Having just passed the 10th anniversary of their graduation, Amodhi and Caroline credit their success to the things they learned in college that were transferable at a universal scale. Their insatiable curiosity about all aspects of the human experience, diversity of thinking, and ability to communicate and collaborate are the skills that led them to and refined at Williams College.

It cannot be overstated that a liberal arts education has inherent value, regardless of the final goal. The critical thinking and intentional application of myriad skills requisite of C-level executives to see the big picture and manage the chaotic thrumming of a start-up isn’t found solely in a classroom. If Amodhi and Caroline’s entrepreneurial journey is proof of anything, it’s that the intellectual foundation, skills, and mindset needed to succeed in a quickly evolving world are learned and practiced every single day.

About the Author: Marshall Wootton is a copywriter and strategic marketing expert who is perpetually wondering if there’s ever a perfect moment to use the word pauciloquent and not come off as pretentious. Marshall is thrilled to be writing for HCL Designs, an agency that helps build revolutionary companies through branding and tech development. If you’re interested in working with us, let us know!