What Is a DBA? (And Why I'm Doing It While Building My Business)

What Is a DBA? (And Why I'm Doing It While Building My Business)

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Have you ever had a dream so big that you convinced yourself you'd never reach it? Have you ever buried something that once burned vividly in your heart, not because it stopped mattering, but because life happened and “realistic” goals took over? And what if that dream never actually left - it just got quiet, waiting for the right season?




That was me. And this is that season.

The Dream That Wouldn’t Stay Buried

In adulthood, my dreams flickered briefly into the background noise of responsibilities and survival. I am human. I forgot about them. I left them there, buried under the weight of everyday life.

But here is what I have learned: God does not forget our deepest desires, even when we do.

Over the years, those old dreams started resurfacing - but in a completely different form than I expected. When I was young, I wanted to be a teacher. That dream felt like it belonged to a different version of me, one who gets lost somewhere along the way. But now, as I pursue my DBA while building Kingdom Timekeepers, I realize that God has been reshaping that same desire all along.

I am still teaching - just not in the way my childhood self imagined.

So when people ask, “You’re getting your doctorate while building a business? How does that work?” - The answer starts with understanding what a DBA actually is, and why it is different from what most people think when they hear the word “doctorate.”

Let me explain.

What Is a DBA?

DBA stands for Doctor of Business Administration. Most people hear “doctorate” and picture professors in ivory towers, disconnected from the real world. That is not what a DBA is.

The DBA is a professional doctorate designed specifically for people who are actively working in business while studying. The distinction matters.

DBA vs. PhD: What’s The Difference?

PhD students create new theories. They ask why organizations behave a certain way and develop academic frameworks that may never leave the library. DBA students take existing research and test it in real businesses. We ask whether it actually works, and if so, how practitioners can use it.

One lives in academia. The other lives in the real world.

I am not here to become a professor or publish papers that only other academics will read. I am here to bridge the gap between brilliant research and practical application. I am here to become a better practitioner - and ultimately, to help you become one too.

The Problem DBA Students Are Built to Solve

There is a massive gap in the business world that most people do not even realize exists.

On the one hand, researchers at universities are discovering powerful insights into leadership, organizational behavior, systems thinking, and sustainable growth. They publish their findings in academic journals written in a language that most entrepreneurs will never read.

On the other side, business owners are reinventing the wheel and making the same preventable mistakes because they do not have access to that research. Brilliant wisdom sits in libraries collecting dust while entrepreneurs struggle with problems that have already been solved.

The DBA exists to close that gap. We read the research, understand the frameworks, and speak both academic and practical languages. Then we take what we learn into our businesses, test it, and translate what works into tools and strategies that everyday entrepreneurs can actually use.

That is the work.

Why I’m Pursuing a DBA

It Started with Frustration

I did not pursue a DBA because I love school, though I do love learning. I pursued it because I kept running into the same frustration. I would read something powerful about organizational leadership or systems thinking and think, this could transform how entrepreneurs build businesses, but it is locked away in academic language that makes it inaccessible.

I wanted to change that.

I want to understand how organizations really work - not from a textbook, but from a place of deep research combined with real-world practice. I want to test frameworks in my own business and see what actually produces results. And I want to translate complex theory into practical tools that help women entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses.

The DBA lets me do all of that while building Kingdom Timekeepers.

The Practitioner-Scholar Model

Here is how it works in practice. As a DBA student, I read academic research. I study organizational leadership, systems thinking, and strategic problem-solving at the highest level. As a business owner, I take those concepts and apply them directly to Kingdom Timekeepers - testing them, documenting what works and what does not. As a teacher, I share what I am learning in plain language that actually makes sense to the women I am here to serve.

Everything feeds everything else. What I learn improves my business. What I discover in my business informs how I understand the research. What works in both becomes content that helps you.

My business is my research laboratory.

What I’m Not Doing

Let me be honest about what a DBA does not require, because this is exactly where impostor syndrome loves to creep in.

I am not memorizing formulas or becoming a statistician. The DBA focuses on application, not abstract mathematics. I am not abandoning my business to become a full-time student - the DBA is designed for working professionals, and my business experience is an asset, not a distraction. Staying rooted in real-world practice is the whole point.

If you have ever felt like you are not “academic enough” to pursue advanced education while running a business, I understand that feeling. But the DBA was literally designed for people like us.

Why This Matters To You

You might be thinking, that’s great, Marielly, but I’m not getting a doctorate - why should I care?

Here’s why. There is wisdom in organizational research that could change how we run our business, manage our time, make decisions, and build sustainable growth. But you may not have time to read academic journals. And you should not have to.

That is where I come in. I am doing the reading, learning the frameworks, and testing them in a real business, and translating what works into language and tools you can actually use.

The Quietly Building Connection

You might wonder how a DBA fits with my philosophy of slow, steady, and sustainable growth. The answer is - perfectly. The DBA takes three years to complete. It is not a sprint. It is a marathon of consistent, incremental progress, which is exactly what I teach about building businesses.

I am not rushing. I am not hustling. I am building my knowledge foundation slowly and intentionally, while growing Kingdom Timekeepers at a sustainable pace. This is what Quietly Building looks like in practice.

Where I Am Now

I am currently focused on organizational leadership and systems thinking frameworks - concepts like diagrams, systems thinking models for entrepreneurial decision-making, and organizational development principles for solopreneurs. I am testing all of it in Kingdom Timekeepers and documenting the journey here.

If you are a lifelong learner who struggles to capture and organize everything you are absorbing, you might want to take a look at my DBA Knowledge System Notion Template. It is the exact system I use to capture insights from my doctoral program and turn them into usable knowledge - available for $37. It is a small investment that can make a difference in how you retain and apply what you learn.

Final Words

The DBA is a professional doctorate for practitioners who want to bridge academic research and real-world business. I am pursuing it because I believe the best business decisions are rooted in both biblical wisdom and sound research - and I want to help you build a business that honors both.

You do not need a doctorate to benefit from one. That is what I am here for.

If this resonates with you, subscribe to the Kingdom Timekeepers blog so you never miss what is coming next. I am documenting this entire journey - what I am learning, what I am struggling with, what is working, and how you can apply it to your own business and life. One steady, sustainable step at a time.



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