Courtrooms to Startups: How the NUS MBA Empowered Lee Min Kyung’s Leap into Entrepreneurship

Lee Min Kyung The NUS MBA Class of 2025 (Full-Time) Pre-MBA: Legal Counsel, GSK Korea, South Korea Post-MBA: Head of Korea Business, BoostDraft, South Korea

A conscious mindset shift

When Lee Min Kyung enrolled in the NUS MBA, she wasn’t simply seeking a career upgrade. She was pursuing a transformation. A seasoned lawyer at GlaxoSmithKline Korea, Min Kyung had spent years climbing the corporate ladder in law. Yet, she entered the MBA with an unusual goal. To stop asking, “What should I be doing?” and start asking, “What excites me right now?”

“For most of my life, I had focused on my responsibilities and duties — first as a student, then as a lawyer — doing what I thought I ought to do rather than what I truly wanted,” she recalls. “When I was coming into the MBA program, I made the conscious decision to step away from that mindset. I wanted to focus on being true to myself.”

This new approach changed everything. “The change was made possible when I stopped asking questions such as ‘is this something I should be doing?’ and started asking ‘does this sound exciting? Would I want to spend my days doing this now?”

The result? She left the MBA not just as a lawyer, but as an entrepreneur and business leader. “It gave me the courage to step out of my comfort zone, take risks, and accept uncertainty. At least at the end of the day, I know I followed my heart and have no regrets.”

Balancing startups, studies, and a newborn

During her MBA, Min Kyung co-founded two very different ventures: BillDetail, a legal tech startup, and Kinder, a platform connecting expat and local families. At the same time, she was raising her newborn child.

How did she manage it all? By reframing her perspective. “I tried to engage only in projects that truly spoke to me. I chose to see them as privileges and opportunities, rather than mere tasks to complete,” she says. “Being a student, learning from world-renowned scholars, and joining a community of motivated peers was a privilege I deeply appreciated.”

Even during the hardest weeks, gratitude carried her forward. “Of course, I had moments when I thought, ‘I just want to get it done and take a break.’ But if you remember you are fortunate enough to be presented with this opportunity, your fatigue turns into appreciation and empowers you.”

That gratitude extended to her ventures. “Instead of feeling weighed down by deadlines or setbacks, I reminded myself that very few people get the chance to develop and test ideas in real time while surrounded by such a supportive MBA community.” Indeed, with gratitude at the core of her journey, even the most challenging moments became opportunities to learn, create, and grow.

Lessons in leadership

From there, her entrepreneurial path began to take shape. 

Running BillDetail and Kinder simultaneously revealed something about Min Kyung’s leadership style.

“When I first read this question, I immediately came up with a laundry list of things about myself that I can and should improve on — haha,” she jokes. But one positive stood out: “Passion is what drives me.”

She realised she couldn’t commit to ideas that didn’t resonate deeply. “Even when some ideas made sense on paper, if they didn’t excite me, I couldn’t follow through. As an entrepreneur — and as a leader — I learned that I need to be true to who I am. I value that integrity above all, and I want to lead in a way that reflects it.”

For Min Kyung, integrity also means creating impact beyond herself. “With Kinder, I wanted to improve cultural interactions of expat families. With BillDetail, I wanted to make lawyers’ work less burdensome. What kept me committed was not only my interest, but also the belief that these ideas could leave a positive footprint in society.”

Insights from the classroom

Beyond her ventures, Min Kyung treasures the knowledge she gained in the classroom. Courses like Entrepreneurial Management, taught by Professor Weiyi, and Legal Issues in Business, taught by Professor Ravi, shaped her perspective in ways she still applies daily.

“The biggest takeaway was this lesson: perspective matters,” she says. “AI can provide data, but it cannot replicate the lens through which I interpret it. Learning how to sharpen that lens — and bring your own values, context and creativity into analysis — is what makes education enduringly valuable.”

That, she adds, has become her professional signature. “Whether I’m working on startups, leading at BoostDraft, or even making personal decisions, I return to this mindset. Perspective is not just a skill — it’s what keeps you relevant.”

Embracing diversity at NUS

The diversity of the NUS MBA community also pushed Min Kyung to grow.

“At first, I preferred working with teammates who had the same work ethic, communication style, and personality as me. As an introvert, I felt much more comfortable when the work felt seamless.”

But one class — Leading with Impact — changed her view. Watching other groups present, she realised how much she was missing. “The way they approached problems was so different from how I would have done it. Their ideas, angles, and narratives felt completely new. And I realised that this was exactly what I needed: disruption in my thinking.”

Her takeaway? “Break away from what comes naturally. Embrace new perspectives. Engage with people who think differently. There may be friction, but that very friction can create breakthroughs.”

Looking back, what ties her journey together isn’t merely resilience but a willingness to shift perspectives.

Redefining work–life balance

For many prospects, the question lingers: Is it really possible to pursue an MBA while raising a family or already holding an advanced degree? Min Kyung doesn’t sugarcoat her answer.

“Raising a child and juggling different responsibilities is challenging, to say the least,” she admits. “Sometimes, you can’t do it all — and that’s okay. It doesn’t mean you give one thing up completely; it means you need to calibrate your priorities more carefully on a case-by-case basis, accept your limitations, and lean on your support group.”That support group, she found, extended well beyond her family. “I was surprised by how understanding professors and classmates were — some even gladly offered to spend time with my baby,” she recalls.

She also began to redefine what balance actually means. “Before, I thought balance meant excelling at everything all the time. Now I realise it means making conscious choices — sometimes sacrificing in one area so you can give your best in another. The key is not feeling guilty when priorities shift, but being present in whichever role needs you most at that time.”

Her advice for future students is both candid and reassuring: “Don’t be afraid of the trade-offs. Yes, there will be long nights and moments of exhaustion. But there will also be breakthroughs, friendships, and growth you couldn’t have imagined. And if you embrace the experience with gratitude, the tough days will start to feel like privileges too.”

By treating every demand as a privilege and every challenge as a chance to grow, Min Kyung transformed her MBA into a profoundly personal journey of leadership, entrepreneurship, and gratitude. 

Takeaway for future students

Today, Min Kyung has carried her entrepreneurial spirit into her post-MBA role as Head of Korea Business at BoostDraft, a legal-tech startup. She leads market entry, partnerships, and business expansion, all while drawing on the courage and perspective sharpened at NUS.

“What makes me most proud,” she says, “is that I stayed true to my passion, choosing a path that excited me rather than settling for comfort.”

Her story is not just about a career change, but about living with intention. “At the end of the day, no matter what happens, I know I followed my heart. And I have no regrets.”

Min Kyung’s journey is proof that the NUS MBA is a platform for reinvention, courage, and community. For those who hesitate, her message is simple: “It may not always be easy, but it can be transformative. With the right mindset, support, and willingness to embrace uncertainty, you can chart a path that feels both authentic and impactful.”

Ready to pursue a transformation like Min Kyung’s? Explore how the NUS MBA empowers professionals to grow with purpose and impact. Visit our website and speak to our admissions team today!