The Next Economy MBA

A 9-month journey for emerging leaders of an equitable, inclusive & regenerative economy.

A new cohort begins September 30th, 2025.

If you are here, you already know we need a new way forward.

And you also realize the potential of business as a force for good.

 

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The vast majority of MBA programs are based on outdated, extractive premises developed during the industrial revolution that only further our global social and environmental crises.

By design, these programs produce mid-level managers of high-paying large multinational corporations - where your salary can support the repayment of your $100k-$200k of student debt.

This only exacerbates the cycle of wealth extraction and traps emerging leaders inside our "business as usual" paradigm.

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I joined the Next Economy MBA because I wanted to understand, on a deeper level, what business practices looked like that more aligned with my values.

I really think the course would be good for almost anybody, whether it be an entrepreneur, or someone actually in the "business as usual" economy but wants to be a change agent within their own organization. The spectrum is wide, and I think most people could find it applicable for what they want to do.

— Wendy, Cohort IV

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We know a different future is possible.

So we did something about it.

 
 
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The Next Economy MBA program was born out of the LIFT team's 15+ years of work with 300+ social enterprises and organizations that are helping grow the next economy. This course examines the patterns and pitfalls we believe everyone should know in order to create transformational organizations that serve all life.

We do it while fostering the community and connection we need to stay resilient, inspired, and motivated in our movement for global change.

All at the fraction of a price of traditional MBA programs.

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Join Us For A FREE Q&A Session!

Join our facilitators for a live intro webinar to learn more about the upcoming Next Economy MBA. You'll learn about our course overview and methodology, hear from previous participants, and get to ask your questions about the course. 

Free Q&A dates (all at 12p PST): September 2nd

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Interested in Learning More?

Grab a 15 min coffee chat

You’ve got questions. We’ve got answers. Sign up for a 15 min coffee chat with a LIFT Partner to learn more about the program, ask questions, and get to know one of our facilitators.

Download Our Course Outline & FAQ!

Receive an in-depth overview of the curriculum and pedagogy for the LIFT Economy MBA course. We also include an FAQ with answers to the most common questions about the course, including dates, pricing, and benefits.
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Course dates and format:

  • Online webinars are accessible to anyone worldwide.
  • 90 min facilitated course sessions 2x per month.
  • Recordings are provided after each session.
  • 60 min office hour for participant Q&A 2x per month.
Dates and times:
  • Tuesdays from 11:00am-12:30pm Pacific Time (the first two sessions and the last session will be from 11am-1pm).
  • Office hours Thursdays at 11:00am - 12:00pm Pacific (on week of scheduled class).
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Enter a reimagined MBA program.

Designed to support entrepreneurs and intrapraneurs courageously creating an economy that benefits all life.

You will learn...

  • The key business principles of the world's most innovative next economy orgs
  • Design and redesign your business model, strategy and org design to embody the next economy
  • Get inspired by in-depth case stories from organizations leading this movement

Alongside...

  • Visionary, dedicated next economy teachers and leaders with over 10 years of experience
  • A supportive, mission-aligned peer group of emerging leaders
  • A growing community of next economy leaders and MBA alumni

And leave with...

  • Stronger business fundamentals that operate from an entirely new, life-serving paradigm
  • Tools and connections to create a career in alignment with your deeper purpose
  • A better understanding of the traps and pitfalls of the current system and new strategies to be a successful intrapreneur or entrepreneur
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Next Economy MBA - Book Cover

The Next Economy MBA Book

 

Participants in the course will be referencing our commercially-published book, The Next Economy MBA, as part of the course curriculum.

 

 

Inspirational case stories from:

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Join a flourishing network of
hundreds of alumni:

 
 

It allowed me to bridge the gap between theory and practice, to create more possibility in my mind's eye as I go into my community and take on the work that I already committed to. Now I'm deepening my commitment because of my access to these resources.

I think that {the Next Economy MBA} provides a broader understanding of what it takes socially and emotionally to build community-led economic models.

— Geo, Cohort XIV

 

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100+

Next Economy Founders

50+

Working Groups Initiated

4.75/5

Average Session Rating

They are leading the next economy at organizations like:

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What Next Economy alumni say:

"My relationship with business  has transformed significantly since the beginning of the Next Economy MBA program.  It can be overwhelming figuring out where to begin when you are trying to build a business that doesn't perpetuate the adverse effects of capitalism.  LIFT Economy shares many tools and templates that help you build a next economy business.  This course has given me a space to be intentional about creating a business that can have potential for generational shifts in the way we relate to our food system."

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Olive Watkins

Social Entrepreneur, Land Steward | Black Farmer Fund

Hear from more alumni ->

Meet your facilitators:

The LIFT Economy team has been leading on the cutting edge of next economy businesses for decades.

Collectively, we have a diverse set of entrepreneurial and professional skills including operating worker-owned co-operatives, field-building for movements like regenerative agriculture, and advising some of the most influential and inspirational next economy organizations like Fibershed, OurTable, and CoLab Cooperative.

We’ve offered the Next Economy MBA twice per year since 2018, evolving the experience and curriculum along the way. We are here to inspire you, grow your capacity for change, and catalyze the leaders of the next economy.

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Phoenix Soleil, Partner

Specializes in

  • Organizational Development
  • Inclusion And Diversity
  • Nonviolent Communication
  • Personal Development and Play

Phoenix Soleil is thrilled to be bringing her understanding of how to navigate the many complex dynamics of starting a social enterprise such as conflict management, diversity and inclusion, and team culture. She also brings her teaching and practice of Nonviolent Communication (NVC), a form of compassionate communication that supports us in attuning to our feelings and values for more successful interactions. She has led trainings in communication, racial justice, and meditation for organizations such as Google, Kellogg Foundation, UC Berkeley, Insight Meditation Society and Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute.

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Erin Axelrod, Partner

Specializes in

  • Equitable and Bioregional Fiber Systems
  • Integrated Capital Financing
  • Community Organizing
  • Agroecology and Perennial Food Systems

Erin’s client work supports indigenous-led hemp economies in northern Minnesota, the Trees for Climate Health Initiative and more. She loves supporting MBA participants around themes of creating equitable food systems and reimagining retirement (see The Next Egg Initiative for more). When not working, she loves to plant trees, raise backyard chickens, milk goats and connect with ecosystems.

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Shawn Berry, Partner

Specializes in

  • Systems design
  • Workplace democracy
  • Company Culture
  • Strategy

Shawn is a lifelong cooperator, having worked in cooperative enterprises for his entire 24 year career. He brings this knowledge and experience to help participants navigate the paradox of running a mutually beneficial enterprise in the context of the exploitative capitalist marketplace. Shawn delights in connecting with the amazing community that has formed around this training and helping them approach the next set of challenges they are facing.

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Ryan Honeyman, Partner

Specializes in

  • The B Corp Movement
  • Anti-Racism / DEI
  • Visioning and Marketing
  • Raising Capital

Ryan Honeyman loves working with the wide variety of diverse, intersectional, and inspiring participants in the Next Economy MBA. Ryan helps participants with visioning, raising impact capital, marketing, positioning, and personal productivity. Ryan is passionate about anti-racism and increasing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within organizations. He’s experienced in mobilizing other white-identified folks as part of a multi-racial, cross-class movement towards collective liberation. Ryan is also an expert in B Corporations. He is the coauthor of “The B Corp Handbook: How to Use Business as a Force for Good” (Berrett-Koehler Publishers).

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Kevin Bayuk, Partner

Specializes in

  • Alternative financing/fundraising
  • Strategy
  • Operations planning
  • Regenerative design

Kevin approaches facilitation through providing inspiration about what is possible contextualized into the opportunities and challenges of today. He loves co-working on specific problems faced by participants during office hour time and especially enjoys sharing case stories from the dozens or hundreds of next economy organizations he has had the privilege to work with over the last 15 years. Kevin is excited about the prospect of someday having thousands of alumni and allies working together on the next economy with a shared literacy and vision for a truly transformed economy that meets everyone’s needs while enhancing the conditions conducive to life.

Our inclusive MBA pricing:

We offer our course with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. We have also created discounts to make our learning environment as accessible, inclusive, and equitable as possible. We have three billing options.

  • Installment pay - $4950 if paid in $550 installments over nine months.
  • Pay upfront - $4500 or $3600 Early Bird.
  • First six-sessions - $1000 for a taster of the first six sessions. The balance will be charged in $500 monthly installments.
NOTE: People of color are eligible for a 50% discount on any of the above options.
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It supports a new way of imagining something outside of the traditional structures of how we've arranged how we exchange economically. 

 Woven throughout is this sense of community, whether it's the pedagogy that's being taught or just the way that we conduct ourselves in the actual program.

— Nadia, Cohort X

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Want a taste of the MBA?

Join us for Introduction To The Next Economy!

Not sure if the full MBA is right for you? We now offer the first six sessions of our course as a standalone offering: Introduction to the Next Economy. 

This is great for folks who want to obtain a thorough understanding of our current economic system (the Business As Usual economy) as well as the challenges and complexities of transitioning to the Next Economy. 

Interested in joining an upcoming cohort?

 
 
The Next Economy MBA is offered each year in the Spring and Fall. Sign up to receive announcements about LIFT Economy's MBA program including new cohort dates, discounted tuition periods, events, and more information about the course.
 
 

With Gratitude To Our Partners:

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