Could an MBA help you launch a business and build the right network? Full-time MBA student Tom Minnock found both, and is using his experience to launch a fast-growing snack venture.
Just a week into the Full-time MBA at Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS), Tom Minnock had already met his business partner.
Months later, he and fellow student Aaron (Suebsakul) Tonjang launched ChewChew – a healthy snack brand inspired by Thai agricultural exports and a shared ambition to make nutritious food more accessible and affordable.
The idea may be taking shape now, but Tom’s journey to this point was far from linear.
When a football injury forced Tom to rethink his future
An MBA wasn’t always in Tom’s plans. Originally from Stockport, he dedicated his teenage years to football training, with the goal of becoming a professional footballer. He played for FC United and trialled for multiple professional football clubs, including West Ham United, Sheffield United, and Leicester City.
An injury at age 19 changed everything, causing Tom to reconsider his career path. A practical solution came in the form of his family’s connection to real estate, inspiring him to study Construction at Stockport College. He went on to study Real Estate Surveying at the University of Salford, before working in the commercial property sector.
But despite his professional success, something still felt missing.
Why Tom chose entrepreneurship over a traditional career
According to Tom, the traditional 9-to-5 felt too limiting. He says: "I’ve always thought outside the box. I felt like I could give a lot more."
He began his first entrepreneurial venture, a clothing startup, during his bachelor’s degree. But Tom knew his true passions lay in health and fitness. His goal: to make these two things more accessible for the general population.
After becoming a Chartered Surveyor and a qualified personal trainer, he applied to the Full-time MBA at AMBS – specifically to find the right co-founder for his next venture.
It was the only MBA programme he chose to apply to. When asked why, he cites the thriving start-up scene in Manchester, the city where the Industrial Revolution began.
"I’m proud of where I’m from. I feel like there's an entrepreneurial spirit here that you might not see in other cities. There's a lot of investment coming in from the VC space, and there's a lot of firms now opening in the North that want to invest capital in the region."
He received two scholarships, one from the business school and one from the Masood Family, which gave him the flexibility to pursue his ambitions as an entrepreneur.
Little did he know, he would meet the co-founder of his new company soon after.
How Tom met Aaron, his business partner
In their first week together at AMBS, Tom met his fellow MBA classmate, Aaron. According to him, they "clicked straight away".
Aaron, originally from Thailand, specialises in innovation management. He has a PhD in Industrial Engineering and is now a Postdoctoral Fellow in Operations & Supply Chain Management at the University of Liverpool.
Tom recalls that during their first week, the pair sat down for coffee, and Aaron showed him three presentations relating to his family’s agricultural exports. He asked Tom which one he wanted to be involved in.
"I’d only just met him," Tom recalls. "I think he knew straight away what my passion was."
Together, they form a dynamic team. Tom primarily focuses on business development, marketing and sales while creating meaningful business relationships, and Aaron maps out operations and the full supply chain, from sourcing the raw materials to importing and finally getting the finished product on retail shelves.
Tom describes Aaron as "passionate" and "a visionary".
Building ChewChew while studying full-time
Because of Aaron’s connection to agricultural exports, Tom was drawn to food as the basis of their product.
When Tom looked at snacks marketed as "healthy" in supermarkets, he found long ingredient lists, higher prices and little clarity about where the products came from.
That’s when he saw a gap in the market for a nutritious, filling snack that didn’t break the bank. "We wanted to get rid of that problem straight away," he says.
Inspired by a popular banana-based Thai snack, Tom and Aaron developed ChewChew.
Within months, the pair had developed branding, packaging concepts, a draft website and early market research. They analysed supermarket competitors, tested customer reactions, and refined the product based on feedback from consumers across multiple nationalities.
In April 2026, they were accepted into the Manchester Venture Builder Programme at the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre, The University of Manchester’s hub for entrepreneurship and innovation support.
Through the Centre, they received practical advice on refining their pitch deck and product, as well as introductions to Greater Manchester Business Growth Hub and specialists in manufacturing and branding. They also benefited from guidance on their go-to-market strategy, helping them turn ChewChew from an idea into a more commercially viable venture.
What has Tom gained from the Manchester MBA?
By applying the Manchester Method of "learning by doing", Tom uses practical skills learned on the MBA to fuel his business venture.
Without the Manchester MBA or the scholarships he received, he says he would have struggled to find the right business partner or make progress with the start-up.
Modules such as Exploring Management Decision-Making and Strategy and Competition gave Tom practical insights he could apply immediately. He also says extracurricular opportunities, including the Venture Capital Investment Competition (where his team reached the European finals), were instrumental in ChewChew’s development.
Above all, Tom has built the network and people skills he believes are essential in business through working closely with his MBA cohort.
"Working with different nationalities and different mentalities has strengthened my ability to understand what people want and how to deal with them."
What’s next for ChewChew?
Tom and Aaron have been invited to join a panel discussion in Granada, Spain this month, and a research article related to ChewChew will soon be published in the ISPIM (The International Society for Professional Innovation Management) Journal.
By submitting a research paper to one of the largest innovation conferences in Europe, Tom hopes he and Aaron can create more innovative products, as well as enhance the relationship between Thailand and the UK.
The brand is also currently in the process of applying for the 2026 Great Taste Awards UK, with results pending in July.
Commercially, ChewChew has launched MVP products to consumers from over 20 nationalities, generating strong customer feedback, and has secured growing retail traction across independent and regional retailers throughout the North West.
For entrepreneurs, ROI means skills, confidence, and connections
Tom says AMBS created the right environment for him to turn an idea into a real venture – connecting him with his co-founder, exposing him to new perspectives, and giving him the confidence to take risks.
His advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is simple: "You might want to get everything absolutely perfect. It's just not like that."
Inspired by working with Aaron, he says, "Let the customers mark it. They decide if your product is good, not you. So, I would say, don't overthink it."
"Don’t be scared. People are just scared of being judged. But if you don't try, you’ll never know."
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