About ButcherBox
Industry: Food delivery service
Location: Watertown, Massachusetts
Company size: Less than 250 employees
Website: www.butcherbox.com
Meet Ben Ghosh, Head of Revenue at ButcherBox
Q: You're a former Northeastern MBA student who was hired by ButcherBox, the company that hosted your residency. Can you tell us more about that experience?
A: It's true, I'm a poster child for how a corporate residency can lead to career success. Before earning my MBA, I worked in politics. But then for my residency, I had the chance to work for a new company that was transforming an old industry, and that changed everything. I was so inspired by working in a fast-paced startup environment and making a real impact—I consider my residency one of the defining moments of my life.
ButcherBox is a company that delivers high-quality meats to consumers across the country. At the time I did my residency, I was only the seventh person to come aboard. Four years later, after taking on a variety of roles and responsibilities, I'm the head of revenue. We have over 100 employees now, and I'm in a position to bring Northeastern residents on board to work for me.
Q: What's the daily reality like for a resident at ButcherBox?
A: We expect that residents will do the same work and we treat them the same as any other person we hire. We give them a complete introduction to the company before they start so they're familiar with everything from day one. When they come on board, they work with a direct manager to identify goals and responsibilities, and then they begin working closely with their assigned team.
From my own experience, I can tell prospective residents that they'll use knowledge from all the courses they're taking in their new roles. For me, data analysis and marketing modeling were critical at first, and then as I progressed within the company, I really appreciated what I'd learned about organizational behavior and managing information systems. My Northeastern coursework prepared me well for my future in the company.
Q: What responsibilities do you give residents?
A: They do high-impact work. Our current resident is our marketing revenue manager and reports directly to me. He's tackling some of the top problems on my plate, including sales reporting, forecasting, and planning. Northeastern students are well prepared—all their instruction is geared toward actionable skills that make them ready to do the job, so we're comfortable giving them important roles.
Q: Do you typically hire the residents you host?
A: We've had two more Northeastern residents since I joined the company, and we hired them both. We approach each residency with the possibility that we'll be together over the long haul—the experience gives both the MBA student and the hiring manager the ability to get familiar with each other first to see if the relationship will be a good long-term fit.
Q: What advice would you give MBA students about the corporate residency?
A: Personally, I'd encourage you to seek out a startup. It's exciting to be on the front lines of transforming an industry, and you'll be able see the immediate impact of your work very clearly no matter what your role.
