How Monash alumni can foster partnerships to take their career to the next level

Businesses are rarely built on passion alone. Which is why Justin Grossbard says the greatest advantage he gained as a Monash alum was connecting with his current business partner, whose strengths perfectly offset his own.

Mr Grossbard lives a life of two worlds.

In the first world, he is CEO of national search and social digital agency Innovate Online, which boasts a range of clients from JB Hi-Fi to Metricon. In the second, he is co-founder of CompareForexBrokers, a global forex broker comparison company he founded with fellow Monash alum Noam Korbl.

“While my passion is marketing, Noam loves operations and finance,” Mr Grossbard says.

“This is what makes a great partnership work; the biggest benefit I have received from (the Monash alumni network) has been (Mr Korbl).”

The pair started CompareForexBrokers.com after they met at a forex training company in 2014.

“The owner made the statement that it was impossible to compare forex brokers, which led to Noam and myself taking up the challenge,” Mr Grossbard says.

His work with Mr Korbl has been an excellent business partnership, “as we share our different interests and skills to make things happen”.

“The biggest benefit I have received from (the Monash alumni network) has been (Mr Korbl).”

He says the key to the company’s success is each partner having the opportunity to progress and understand what they are doing in order to drive results.

“From my perspective, possessing a real marketing passion complements Noam’s finance and operational focus; We have clear roles and trust each other to execute them week-in, week-out,” he says.

Mr Grossbard says the company expanded to Asia and Europe and is now focusing on the final – and biggest – challenge of all: cracking the North American market.

“This means creating an offering for US and Canadian residences that is ‘above and beyond’ what other companies offer when comparing brokers giving additional insights,” he says.

How a Bachelor of Commerce opened the path to marketing

Playing an integral role in two large companies is a world away from completing high school, a time when – like many teenagers  – Justin Grossbard wasn’t sure of his direction.

“Commerce was a broad course and I tried most areas, such as economics, but it was clear from my enjoyment (and marks) that marketing was my forte,” he says.

“Despite that, I went down a management path in honours which in hindsight wasn’t the right path. It was for that reason that I decided to go back to university and complete the Master’s in Marketing.”

Mr Grossbard says he feels his Master’s has “given him the edge in business”.

“It was the most practical degree, using real-world examples and experiences that I remember to this day,” he says.

“Just this year, I worked with NETGEAR to help them drive online sales but used my marketing knowledge to create a marketing strategy based on segmentation, targeting and positioning.

“I would strongly recommend anyone who loves Marketing to consider the Master’s program at Monash.”

How connecting with fellow students has many benefits

Connecting with Mr Korbl wasn’t the only benefit Mr Grossbard derived from studying at Monash Business School.

He was part of Monash Student Society on Clayton campus, and the Marketing Student Society on Caulfield campus.

“One aspect that I enjoyed was being a football umpire for Monash sporting events including the VAFA where the Monash Blues played,” he says.

“This was a fantastic way to meet fellow students from different faculties and campuses.”

Top tips for current students

1. Have a rigid schedule for each day of the week and make sure other family members are on board. 

With most students completing their Master’s working part-time or full-time, if you don’t set aside for coursework you will not be able to attain 100% out of the qualification.

2. ‘Meal plan’ on lecture days.

With lectures occurring after work , having the right meal that keeps you alert (avoid fast food) ensures you take in the information during lectures.

3. Plan holidays during semester breaks.

As you need to make sacrifices during the semester, make sure you reward yourself during the break periods.