Thursday, May 22, 2008
Friday, May 9, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
UCLA'S PRICE CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP
The Financial Times ranked UCLA’s Entrepreneurship Program as the #1 program in the world four times in the past six years.
Professor Robert Foster is the Director of the Global Access Program (GAP) at the school's Price Center for Entrepreneurship. It’s the international field study and MBA thesis requirement for Anderson's Fully-Employed MBA students. He also teaches High Technology Management, Business Plan Development and management consulting Field Study.
Robert Foster actually got his MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management in 1965.
He is also a member of the Tech Coast Angels and the Pasadena Angeles. (They are angel investing organizations.)
When I interviewed him, there was one comment in particular that really hit home for me. He said that when approaching investors, you have to show that there is a need for your product. Don’t just do market research, but actually talk to people, take a poll and prove that you have customers ready to buy or use your product or service right out of the gate. You don’t have a business until you have your first customer (Steven Mednick, Professor at USC’s Entrepreneur Program told me those wise words). So when you present your business to investors; family, friends, Angels or VCs, be brief, be specific, and prove that there is a need you can fill and a demand you can meet.
Watch the Video
Monday, May 5, 2008
POTENTIAL MERGERS!
Here are some potential mergers someone told me about for 2008 ;)
- Hale Business Systems, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Fuller Brush, and W. R. Grace Co. Will merge and become: Hale, Mary, Fuller, Grace.
- PolyGram Records, Warner Bros., and Zesta Crackers join forces and become: Poly, Warner Cracker.
- 3M will merge with Goodyear and become: MMMGood.
- Zippo Manufacturing, Audi Motors, Dofasco, and Dakota Mining will merge and become: ZipAudiDoDa .
- FedEx is expected to join its competitor, UPS, and become: FedUP.
- Fairchild Electronics and Honeywell Computers will become: Fairwell Honeychild.
- Grey Poupon and Docker Pants are expected to become: PouponPants.
- Knotts Berry Farm and the National Organization of Women will become: Knott NOW!
Happy Monday everyone.
Friday, May 2, 2008
"HOW I MADE IT" - MARK VERGE IN THE LA TIMES!
The co-founder of PerfectBusiness & Westside Rentals was featured in the LA Times today! Check it out - 
By Andrea Chang, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer May 2, 2008
The gig: Founder and owner of Westside Rentals, a listings service for Southern California renters and landlords. Based in Santa Monica, Westside Rentals employs 80 people and lists about 20,000 apartments, houses and rooms for rent.Education: Associate's degree from Santa Monica College; bachelor's in history from UCLA.Personal: Married his high school sweetheart, Lani. They live in Pacific Palisades and have a daughter, 7, and a son, 4. First job: A beach lifeguard when he was 18. "I was definitely not the definition of a lifeguard," he says. "I was a pale, skinny guy. They'd call me the Ghost."Got the idea: Verge, 40, says he was put off by listings services that would post rental ads without the landlords' permission. "All they would do was copy the newspaper," he says. "The business had a really bad name to it." Figuring he could do better, he sold the coin store he owned and started Westside Rentals in 1996.Along the path: Verge rented office space in Santa Monica and attended trade conventions and apartment association meetings, where he would talk to owners and distribute Westside Rentals magnets and key chains. "It was honestly begging owners," he says. "We'd do whatever it took to get that listing."How it works: Owners and landlords get to list their properties free. Renters pay a membership fee of $60 for 60 days of access to the listings, which they can check out online, over the phone or in one of Westside Rentals' seven local offices.First big purchase: Bought a racehorse, named Hide From the Bride, for $50,000.Newest venture: In March, Verge launched a networking website for entrepreneurs called PerfectBusiness.com. He also wrote a book on how to maintain a happy marriage and hopes to get it published. Oddest marketing tool: Rental Man, the firm's mascot and human billboard. He can be found dancing outside Westside Rentals' offices or at sporting events, dressed in a red cape and jester hat and waving a Westside Rentals sign.Daydream jobs: Creating a reality TV show featuring Rental Man, or working as a horse trainer -- "except I'm scared of horses and I don't like waking up early."Advice: "Meet everyone and treat them all the same. Learn from everybody."
