This is the first guest post by George Tarakhovski. We’re hoping that he will become a regular contributor here. If you’d like to contribute to One Day, One Job, let me know at Willy@onedayonejob.com.

Odds are that you are, know or have heard of someone who has a knack for collecting stuff. Perhaps, it is your grandfather who keeps a prized archive of 18th century stamps or your friend from middle school who proudly laminated every single Pokémon card he could get his hands on. MBI Inc., a Connecticut-based $400 million-dollar consumer-products company, has successfully transformed society’s affinity for collectibles into a highly profitable business.  The company markets its products through four in-house operating divisions – Danbury Mint, PCS Stamps & Coins, Easton Press and MBI UK. Each of these divisions is responsible for churning out collectibles such as licensed sports figurines, die-cast models, jewelry, fine leather-bound books, vintage coins, and stuffed animals. MBI has successfully survived several recessions and seems to remain profitable to this day. Considering the current economic climate and the unorthodox nature of the collectibles industry, this is good news for somebody who seeks an unusual business career, yet suffers from cold shivers when the words “lay” and “off” are mentioned together in the same sentence.

The Curious Case of the Collectibles Manager

Although MBI’s generic-looking website is in dire need of a facelift, it does a good job of introducing the prospective applicant to the careers offered at the company. According to the website, the nature of the Assistant Product Manager – the only entry-level opportunity at MBI – is entirely cross-functional. The new college graduate is expected to interact with advertising, marketing, product development and product sourcing departments in order to cultivate a comprehensive set of skills needed to succeed in a management career. The good news is that MBI does not require any professional business experience. Intelligence, ambition and commercial instincts are sufficient factors for consideration and success.  While no other jobs outside of product management are listed, there are other career opportunities available at MBI. Those include accounting, customer service, and operations just to name a few.
 
While you may scoff at the notion of marketing antiques to seniors in Florida retirement homes, MBI does the bulk of its recruiting at elite Ivy League campuses, which means that they take hiring very seriously. After all, their business model is profitable and historically sustainable. So, if you do well at MBI, there is a chance that you may start your own collection of rare watches sooner than you thought. Just don’t get your hopes up, yet.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

• MBI-Inc.com
• Jobs at MBI Inc.
• About MBI Inc.
• MBI’s History
• Corporate Philosophy at MBI
• MBI Employee Profiles

Are you ready to start collecting?

We've identified MBI Inc. as having career opportunities in the following categories:

• all employers
• Connecticut
• product management
• sports

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