Leland+ Content Library

How I Founded, Scaled and Exited my Brand Last Year

Cashmere is the Founder and CEO of Beauty Bakerie, a cosmetics company she built into a globally distributed brand before being acquired by West Lane Capital Partners. Sold in nearly 2000 locations worldwide and backed by more than $15M in venture capital, Beauty Bakerie grew into San Diego’s fastest-growing private company from 2015 to 2017 and developed a strong, multi-platform social media presence with over 1M followers. The brand earned recognition from publications including Allure, Cosmopolitan, Forbes, Good Morning America, Teen Vogue, Essence, Elle, Oprah, and BuzzFeed. As a founder who led vision, branding, product development, and overall strategy, Cashmere has firsthand experience navigating fundraising, hyper-growth, market expansion, and the acquisition process. In this session, she will share key lessons from scaling a consumer brand, building a team, developing products, working with retailers, and preparing for exit. Attendees will gain insight into what drives brand value, how to manage rapid growth, and the strategic decisions that shaped Beauty Bakerie’s trajectory from inception to acquisition.

Pivot to Product: Different Paths to Land Your First PM Role

Breaking into product management doesn’t follow one predictable path—and understanding the variety of ways people get in can massively increase your chances of success. In this session, you’ll learn the most common entry points into product, how to leverage your current skills, and what companies actually look for when hiring first-time PMs. Your coach, Kritika, who has worked at Microsoft, Amgen, and Amazon, will share lessons learned from her own journey of pivoting into top PM roles. She’ll unpack the strategies that work (and the ones that don’t), the tradeoffs of different pathways, and how to position your experience based on your background—whether you're coming from engineering, design, operations, consulting, or something totally different. You’ll leave with a clearer map of potential routes into PM, tactical steps to strengthen your candidacy, and a smarter strategy for choosing roles, companies, and timing that align with your goals.

From Waitlisted to Admitted: Insider Tips for MBA Admissions

Navigating the MBA waitlist can feel like walking a tightrope—but with the right strategy, it’s often your strongest chance to turn a “maybe” into a “yes.” Join Karla M., a seasoned AdCom-trained strategist who has coached over 300 MBA applicants, helped more than 150 M7 admits, and has deep insight into waitlist dynamics. Drawing on her experience shaping successful narratives and guiding candidates through revisits, updates, and communication, she’ll walk you through proven tactics to strengthen your profile, re-engage with schools, and advocate for your admission.

Human + AI Collaboration: Learn How to Think With AI

In this reflective and practical workshop, you’ll learn how to use AI as a true thought partner--one that helps you reason through ideas, uncover blind spots, and make better decisions. Through live examples, you’ll see how to move beyond surface-level use (like writing or summarizing) and instead use AI to challenge assumptions, explore alternatives, and clarify strategy. You’ll practice “collaborative prompting,” a method that turns AI into a sparring partner that helps you think deeper, faster, and more creatively. Outcomes: You’ll leave with a set of conversational prompts for strategic thinking, a clearer understanding of what humans do best in an AI-powered world, and confidence using AI as an extension of your judgment and creativity. Learning Objectives: *Recognize when to rely on human intuition vs. AI reasoning *Practice “collaborative prompting” for deeper insight and reflection *Use AI strategically to analyze, debate, and refine complex ideas

PM Coffee Chats: How to Network Like a Pro

Networking is one of the most underrated skills in product management—and often the difference between landing interviews and getting stuck in the application void. In this session, you’ll learn how to build meaningful relationships with product leaders, run effective coffee chats, and turn casual conversations into real opportunities. Your guide, Robert E., a former Head of Product at Home Depot who has built and led high-performing PM teams, will share insider strategies from the perspective of someone who has been on the hiring side. He’ll break down what works, what comes across as transactional, and how candidates can authentically stand out in a crowded market. You'll walk away with tactical scripts, outreach strategies, and a repeatable playbook for networking with confidence and purpose—whether you’re breaking into product, pivoting roles, or leveling up your career.

Breaking into Venture Capital - Ask Me Anything

Venture capital is one of the most competitive and relationship-driven industries to break into—but this AMA will give you rare, unfiltered access to someone who’s done it. Jason C. has spent the last decade building and investing in companies, from founding two startups to becoming a partner at Contrary shortly after graduating from Wharton/Lauder. He’s led investments in standout companies like Orchard Robotics, Nomic, and Endeavor AI, and his angel portfolio includes high-growth names such as Warp, Ramp, Clara, and Slingshot AI.

Get Started on Your Deferred MBA Panel: Actionable Tips from Experts

Kick off your Deferred MBA journey with a panel of top Leland coaches who have helped countless applicants earn admits to programs like HBS 2+2, GSB Deferred, and Wharton Advance Access. They’ll break down what you should be doing right now—from crafting your narrative to securing impactful recommenders—to stay competitive ahead of this year’s deadlines. You’ll leave with clear, actionable next steps to start your application strong.

Behavioral Interviews & How to Tell Your Story

Landing an investment banking offer starts long before the technical questions—your behavioral responses and personal story often determine whether you even move forward. In this session, you’ll learn how to craft a compelling narrative that highlights your motivations, showcases your strengths, and aligns with what banks actually look for in candidates. We’ll break down common behavioral questions, effective frameworks, and the biggest pitfalls that sink interviews, plus how to tailor your story whether you’re coming from finance, consulting, engineering, or a non-traditional background. You’ll leave with clear strategies, practice prompts, and a structured approach you can use to walk into interviews with confidence and tell a story that sticks.

Michigan (Ross) MBA Interview Question Bank

Question bank tailored to Michigan (Ross) MBA interviews

CV Guide for Graduate School Admissions

How do graduate admissions committees view CVs? What's most important to include? What type of format should I use? Your answers are in this guide!

GRE Quant Cheat Sheet: Most Used Formulas

This is a one page sheet with the most commonly used GRE Quant formulas and concepts for you to memorize.

How to Land a role as a PE Summer Analyst

Learn exactly what it takes to break into one of the most competitive finance roles: the Private Equity Summer Analyst position. In this session, top Leland coaches will walk you through the recruiting timeline, essential technical and behavioral prep, and how to stand out—even without a “traditional” background. You’ll leave with a clear strategy, proven tactics, and actionable steps to make yourself a compelling PE candidate.

Break Into MBB Consulting

Join top Leland consulting coaches who’ve helped hundreds of candidates land offers at McKinsey, Bain, and BCG as they break down what it really takes to break into MBB. They’ll walk you through the recruiting timeline, essential networking strategies, and how to stand out in both the case and behavioral interviews. You’ll leave with a clear roadmap—and insider guidance—to make yourself a top-tier MBB candidate.

Your Path to PE: Non-IB Strategies, Skills, and Opportunities – AMA

Breaking into private equity without an investment banking background is challenging—but far from impossible. In this AMA-style session, expert Leland coach and former consultant turned PE Connor P. will answer your questions about the alternative paths into PE, the skills that matter most, and how to position a non-IB background competitively.

Building real world products with genAI

The AI landscape is evolving faster than most teams—and candidates—can keep up. In this session, a panel of experienced AI product leaders will share candid insights on what’s actually working, where organizations are going wrong, and how product managers can position themselves to build meaningful, defensible value in an AI-first world. After quick intros and opening remarks on the biggest mistakes they’re seeing in AI today, panelists will respond to a mix of curated questions and live audience Q&A. You’ll walk away with clearer frameworks for evaluating AI opportunities, stronger language to articulate your value, and a practical understanding of how companies are approaching AI product work in 2025.

Product Manager Resume Example

Master's in Info Systems Student - Secured a Capital One Product Management Full-Time Offer

School Agnostic Recommender Guide

Non-program specific recommender guide with templates.

UVA (Darden) Interview Question Bank

Interview questions tailored to applicants interviewing for UVA Darden

Intro to Logical Reasoning: Breaking Down the Task and the Stimulus

Are you new to studying for the LSAT? Or has a commercial test prep course left you confused with their complicated jargon and unintuitive hacks? This is the first presentation in a series that will break down logical reasoning in a simple, practical way. Many LSAT prep approaches were crafted by people who performed really well on the LSAT but may not have ever practiced law, or possibly never even went to law school. What those courses miss are the every day applications of LSAT skills to real-world law school scenarios and legal practice. I am a graduate of Georgetown Law who scored in the 97th percentile on the LSAT with several years' experience practicing at one of the most prominent law firms in the country, as well as a mid-sized boutique. My work in legal research, case strategy, briefing, discovery, and client relationships have informed my perspective on the LSAT. I know the LSAT is not just a test to be hacked, but rather a sensible evaluation of the skills required to succeed in law school and legal practice. My innovative curriculum has helped hundreds of students in my classes at Indiana University and Portland State University, as well as the private tutoring students I have been working with over the past 13+ years. In this session of the series, we will cover the following topics: - Why logical reasoning? - What is the "task"? - What is the "stimulus"? - How to approach logical reasoning questions - The types of logical reasoning questions, and - Beneficial study resources and strategies

NYU Stern Interview Question Bank

List of questions applicable to Stern Interview to help a candidate prepare for an interview.