Move over, Wall Street—the new MBA dream comes with a toolbox, not a corner office.
In a trend turning heads from Harvard to Houston, hundreds of elite US MBA graduates are shelving plush corporate jobs in favor of something with a little more…dust. Armed with degrees from America’s top business schools, these young professionals are diving headfirst into businesses most of us associate more with musty basements than management theory: air duct cleaning, plumbing, car washes, and HVAC services.
It’s not a midlife crisis (at least, not yet). Instead, it’s called Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA)—a model that lets MBAs buy existing, often “unsexy,” small businesses rather than start something from scratch.
Leading the charge is Dan Schweber, a Columbia Executive MBA grad who traded health-care consulting for the fragrant world of Atlantic Duct Cleaning. He now manages 60 employees and a fleet of 30 trucks, and hopes to suck up not just dust, but $25 million in revenue by 2028.
According to him, it is vile, but as long as people use AC, dirty ducts will be there, and so will be business. Meaning, his business will thrive as long as air conditioners are in use.
Why the sudden pivot?
Two words: autonomy and opportunity.
Thanks to the search funds fueling this movement (with $1.5 billion invested since 2019 alone), MBAs see blue-collar businesses as less risky, much-needed goldmines—where consumer demand isn’t about the next app, but the next dead bat discovered in your daycare ductwork.
Of course, it’s not all smooth sailing (or cleaning). New owners face financial stress, long hours, and the charming challenge of learning why your janitorial staff needs “octopus whips”. Yet for an increasing number of graduates, the call of Main Street is drowning out the call of Wall Street—one air filter at a time.
The result?
America’s next business leaders might be those who know their way around a marketing plan—and a clogged sink.
So, the next time your MBA neighbor shows up with a toolbox, don’t be surprised. They’re not fixing your sink for free—they might just be fixing their future.
