LAUNCH! Magazine Issue Six

SPRING 2012 | ISSUE NO. 5 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE | 1l a u n c h m a g . c o
Noelle Nguyen’s
AmericanLoveAffair
+S. Paul Dietzel II
Dat Do
Varun Khanna
Srinivas Rao
David Rosendahl

2 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE| ISSUE NO. 5 | SPRING 2012 l a u n c h m a g . c o
Saturday, March 31, 2012
BSCHOOL.PEPPERDINE.EDU/BPLAN

LAUNCH!
LAUNCH! Magazine celebrates the creativity,
dedication to responsible business practice
and entrepreneurial spirit of students and
alumni at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio
School of Business and Management,
principles fundamental to its mission and
that the school and its faculty have
embraced and actively advanced for more
than 40 years.
PUBLISHED BY GRAZIADIO SCHOOL OF
BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
© 2012 PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY
DEAN:
LINDA A. LIVINGSTONE, PH.D.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM:
Larry Cox, Ph.D.
PUBLISHING EDITOR:
Dianne King
EDITOR:
F. Douglass Gore III
EDITORIAL ASSISTANCE:
Jaime Quigley
PROFILES:
Amy Biemiller
Lightstream
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHY:
Leroy Hamilton
Shutterstock.com
ARE YOU READY TO GO FROM EMPLOYEE TO FULL-TIME
ENTREPRENEUR?
ENTREPRENEURS
S. PAUL DIETZEL II
Anedot
DAT DO
Derivatas, Inc.
VARUN KHANNA
Vedanic.
NOELLE NGUYEN
American Love Affair
SRINIVAS RAO
BlogCastFM
DAVID ROSENDAHL
MindFire Inc.
CONTENTS
16
4
6
8 10
10 14
18
THE SHORT
LIST

ENTREPRENEUR
S. PAUL DIETZEL II
Anedot
A
s most non-profit organizations know, the
number of people who give is directly
correlated with the ease of giving . Because
today’s consumers are used to managing bills and
making payments electronically, they expect that
same utility when they want to make regular
donations to a church or synagogue, support a
local charitable event, or give to a cause that
interests them.
But it’s not always easy for charitable
organizations to initiate and manage an electronic
system to streamline giving. And when it comes
to using electronic systems at temporary locations
—say, a park for a fun run or multiple city sites for
campaign events – the challenge only increases.
“I worked with many clients who were finding it
more and more difficult to effectively provide
donors with an easy way to give at public events.
I wanted to come up with an antidote for this
problem,” says Paul Dietzel (MBA ’11), who
developed Anedot in 2010.
By harnessing software as a service, Dietzel
devised a way for organizations to collect
donations, organize information and streamline
fundraising without having to install a server or
software.

S. PAUL DIETZEL II, MBA ‘11
Company Name:
Anedot
Company URL:
www.anedot.com
Location:
Baton Rouge, LA
Mission:
Optimize donations everywhere.
Business Idea:
Use Software as a Service to help political
campaigns, nonprofits, and other
organizations efficiently collect
donations.
Problem Set Out to Solve:
The more difficult it is to do something,
the less likely people are to do it: we
make it easy to give.
Target Customer:
Political campaigns, non-profits,
faith-based organizations, causes, and
individuals who want to raise funds on
either Facebook, a website or a mobile
phone.
Year Founded:
2011
Avg. Annual Revenue:
Confidential
Number of Employees:
7 employees
“Anedot is focused on the entire fundraising
process and equips organizations with a powerful,
easy-to- use and intuitive web-based application
that allows them to accept donations through any
modern web browser or mobile smartphone,” he
says.
“Business is going great. We’re signing new clients
each day,” says Dietzel, fresh from a roadshow
demonstrating Anedot’s potential to help
politicians running primary campaigns.
Dietzel, a long-time entrepreneur, is used to acting
on inspiration. “I started my first business while in
high school and have never worked for a company
as an employee,” he says.
“I love the adventure and the challenge of
entrepreneurship, the ever-changing environment,
the journey,” he says. “I enjoy helping people and
showing people how they can become more
efficient by using technology.”
While Dietzel feels he was born for the challenge
of entrepreneurship, he also sees it as something
that continues to shape him as a person.
“I am still very much
evolving as an
individual. I learn so
much every day.
I have made hundreds
of mistakes along the
way and will most likely
continue to make
mistakes, but I try to
learn from each one
and improve,” he says.
Key in that evolution have been a few important
mentors.
“I found early in my experience working on my
MBA at Pepperdine’s Graziadio School of Business
and Management that the professors were a real
source for ideas and inspiration,” he says. In fact,
those lessons-learned still guide him in his business
development strategy today.
“Professor Larry Bumgardner’s Business Law class
has helped shape my business decisions from a
legal and ethical perspective. Professor Augus
Harjoto commanded focus on the meaning of
financial data instead of just making the numbers
line up. Professor Larry Cox revived my inner
imagination and reawakened the part of me that
can stare into the world, see problems and then
come up with business solutions,” he continues.
Another professor who has had distinctive
influence on Dietzel has been Kyle Murphy, whose
Strategy class, with its emphasis on real-world best
practices, was inspirational. “He has since become
an advisory board member of Anedot and gives
great insight into my decisions with the company,”
he says.
Dietzel derives great satisfaction in encouraging
other would-be entrepreneurs by sharing his own
experiences.
“Never give up and never take no for an answer,”
he says. “If someone tells you that something isn’t
possible, it’s only because they haven’t found the
possibility yet. As an entrepreneur, it’s our duty to
create that possibility.” 

ENTREPRENEUR
DAT DODerivatas, Inc.
D
at Do (MBA ‘05) was successfully
applying his skill as a valuation specialist/financial
engineer at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in Los
Angeles, when two “a-ha” moments presented
themselves. First, he and some colleagues discussed the
possibility of turning certain types of valuation
methodologies into an efficient, affordable standardized
valuation process.
“I suggested that the firm invest in developing software that
would perform these complex valuation calculations,” says
Do. “While many people thought it was a great idea, it never
materialized because software development wasn’t
considered a core business of a Big Four.”
DAT DO, MBA ‘05
Company Name:
Derivatas, Inc.
Company URL:
www.derivatas.com
Location:
Los Angeles, CA
Mission:
Provide our customers with
sophisticated, standardized valuation
tools and market insights that help
improve decision making for company
management and investors.
Business Idea:
Provide valuation software to solve
complex valuation issues for
privately-held companies that are
backed by venture capital and private
equity.
Startups need an effective and
cost-efficient way to perform
valuations.
Target Customer:
Venture capitalists, private equity firms,
valuation firms, audit firms, and
privately-held companies.
Year Founded:
2011
Confidential
Three, plus a dozen software engineers
when engaged in product develop-
ment.

Second, an important client had a misvaluation,
whereby management unknowingly underpriced
the company’s new financing round.
“When the misvaluation happened, I thought this
was probably a more common problem than most
people realize . Appropriate valuation models help
to effectively determine the price of a future fi-
nancing round,” he says. “What was needed was a
robust software platform at a reasonable cost that
would meet the needs of an underserved market.”
As would be expected of a financial analyst
schooled in careful decision making, Do consulted
with several PwC colleagues whom he trusted and
respected before making the ultimate decision to
leave the corporate world to pursue entrepreneur-
ship.
“I loved working at PwC because of the caliber
of people I was surrounded with as well as the
opportunity to work on interesting projects,” says
Do. “But this is a special situation in which I felt
that the innovative business idea could be better
executed as a startup.”
Armed with guidance and support from his
colleagues, and a round of angel funding, Do
launched Derivatas and stepped up to his first
challenge: software development.
“I quickly came to the realization that I’ve taken
software for granted for so many years,” he says.
“Building software has to be one of the most
difficult things you can do. You literally have to
consider every possible scenario or permutation
of users’ requirements as you design a software
platform. So before you start coding, you have to
exhaustively map out all possible outcomes. Not a
task to be taken lightly!”
Supported by a cadre of trusted software develop-
ers, Do marshaled the idea through the Beta
testing stage and then to release in December.
“I’ve been delighted by the market traction we’ve
gained,” says Do. “We have a good virtual pipeline
of clients and there’s enthusiasm in the market
place for our software platform.”
While the software offering is meeting market
needs today, Do is already looking to the next
challenge.
“We plan to raise another round of financing from
private investors in 2012. Part of the proceeds will
be used toward expanding our sales/marketing
team. We also want to invest further in product
development by adding features and functions
that will help our clients achieve even greater
efficiency,” he says.
Entrepreneurship agrees with Do, stimulating
creativity and relationships building.
“So far, it’s been a great experience,” he says. “My
flexible schedule allows me to pick up my 5-year
old son from kindergarten every day. Then I get to
help him with his homework for about an hour or
so. It’s special to me because it’s a good bonding
time for us.”
Also special to Do is the newfound freedom to
dream, which entrepreneurship has provided.
“I get to dream freely and to dream big,” he says.
“My software engineers keep reminding us that
there’s no limitation to what software can do. So
as long as we can imagine it and conceptualize it,
it can be coded into software. How great would it
be if everyone could have a period of uninhibited
dreaming at some point during their career? Just
imagine how much innovation would result from
that!” 
Dat Do

ENTREPRENEUR
VARUN KHANNA
Vedanic.
W
hen you measure popular opinion
against personal experience, you
may just come up with a new
business.
That was exactly what happened when Varun
Khanna (MBA ’12) compared what he knew
about herbal skincare with what he was
witnessing in the marketplace.
“As a reseller of high-end herbal bath, body, and
beauty products from India for several years,
I compared my products to those from other
companies purporting to be ‘herbal’ and found
they were using parabens, sulphates, and more
8 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE| ISSUE NO. 5 | SPRING 2012

VARUN KHANNA, MBA ‘12
Company Name:
Vedanic
Company URL:
www.vedanic.com
Location:
Culver City, CA
Mission:
Establish an organic skincare line in the ma-
ture bath, body and beauty market.
Business Idea:
Develop a high-end skincare line using India’s
ancient ayurvedic formulations of organic,
natural and herbal ingredients.
Many common skincare formulations contain
chemical that are damaging to the skin.
Target Customer:
Adults who are serious about all-natural skin-
care and value the environment.
Year Founded:
2012
Conﬁdential
Two co-founders
than 200 other chemicals that essentially are
banned in many parts of the world,” he says. “It
was time to launch a responsible line of herbal
skincare that used India’s ancient ayurvedic
formulations of organic, natural, and herbal
ingredients.”
Khanna’s business instinct has been as sharp as
his product knowledge. Topical skin care is a
multi-billion dollar industry, with skin care the
most important category in the global beauty
market. Yet even with plenty of like-minded
entrepreneurs moving quickly into the category,
Khanna researched for 18 months before he
launched Vedanic.
“Typical manufacturers will spend all their
money rushing their product into the market-
place, yet will not consider that the ingredients
are actually harmful to the skin,” he says.
Taking the time to develop the line correctly is
one of the distinctions of the brand. The other
is operating with the courage of Khanna’s larger
convictions of responsibility and staying true
to the origin of the company name. ‘Veda’ is
Sanskrit for ‘science’ and ‘nic’ is part of the word
‘organic. (Sanskrit for organic science)
“It was important to me, not only to
manufacture products that were produced with
premium, handpicked herbal ingredients, but
also to ensure the entire supply chain was held
to higher standards,” he says. At Vedanic,
manufacturing and packaging is achieved using
fair trade practice which prohibits child labor,
and done in an ECOCERT (one of the highest
standard of organic and natural certifications
in the world) laboratories under strict FDA-ap-
proved quality control.
The formula for Vedandic resonates with the
company’s target audience – those who pay
careful attention to what they eat, wear, drink
and drive and who put a value on themselves
and the environment.
“We are proud of our products. They stand up
to the test. In the end the customer decides
whether the product deserves their hard earned
money,” says Khanna.
Vedanic products are available online, and
Khanna has his eye on expanding the brand
footprint. “The next challenge is marketing,” he
says. “We need to establish our brand in the ma-
ture bath, body and beauty market,” he says. To
that end, he has launched a niche target market
online ad campaign. Very shortly, Vedanic will
be advertised on Sony TV nationally, and a high-
end spa campaign will follow.
As a consummate entrepreneur (he started his
first business at age 11), Khanna’s experience
has both informed his personality and delivered
a feeling of success.
“Entrepreneurship gives me deep satisfaction,”
he says. “Being an entrepreneur gives me a
sense of ownership, responsibility and account-
ability, all of which help me be a better father,
son, brother and husband.” 

ENTREPRENEUR
NOELLE NGUYEN
American Love Affair®
W
here is the crossroads of fashion,
business, and a sense of patriotism?
One intersection is American Love
Affair®, a company recently
founded by Noelle Nguyen (Presidents and Key
Executives MBA ’12). While the company itself is
new, the genesis of the idea spans Nguyen’s
formative years outside the United States.
Born in Vietnam, Nguyen and her mother fled
the country after the fall of Saigon and spent a
harrowing two weeks at sea before landing in
Thailand. They lived in a refugee camp for two
years where Nguyen first came into contact with
Americans. “I looked forward to the days when
members of the American Red Cross and the
Salvation Army came to our camp and brought us
food and clothing,” she says.
That early experience was soon followed by other
American influences in her life, including church
members who sponsored her and her family when
they immigrated to Maryland. “I’ve developed
an unwavering appreciation for Americans, and
an allegiance to the country I’ve called home for
more than two decades,” she says.
Today, Nguyen focuses that appreciation into a
passion for designing, developing, manufactur-
ing, and marketing American-made apparel and
related products. The American Love Affair site
sells only American-made brands.

NOELLE NGUYEN, PKE MBA ‘12
Company Name:
American Love Affair, LLC
Company URL:
www.AmericanLoveAffairOnline.com
Location:
Los Angeles, CA
Mission:
One e-commerce destination
from which to purchase expertly crafted
American-made fashion and consumer
products.
Business Idea:
Design and market American-made apparel;
provide a commerce platform for other
American brands.
A nationwide loss of pride in
American-made products.
Target Customer:
Those who support American
manufacturing and would like to
promote the prominence of
the “Made in the U.S.A.” label.
Year Founded:
2012 (e-commerce division)
Confidential
12 (e-commerce division)
“We scoured the market and found a few
hundred companies that manufacture in the
United States. We are highlighting about 50 of
them in our launch,” she explains.
Entrepreneurship has given Nguyen an even
greater appreciation of the American business
system. “You are free to take a risk and you have
an opportunity to earn a return on your
investment,” she continues. “This is clearly not a
freedom that many others around the world
experience. In America, with hard work and
average intelligence you have a reasonable
chance at success.”
While Nguyen has embraced the freedom of
working for herself, she says that structure is
critically important for aspiring entrepreneurs.
She advises current Pepperdine students who are
interested in entrepreneurship “not to fly by the
seat of your pants.” Instead, they should make a
plan. “
You must force yourself to adopt some level of
structure and planning while still
maintaining the flexibility and instincts to respond
to a changing environment,” Nguyen advises.
She also counsels students to take advantage of
the experience and advice of Graziadio
professors and advisors. “They inspired me every
day with their knowledge and intellect.
Understanding how they think allowed me to
stretch my own thinking,” she says.
The driving motivation behind Nguyen’s business
is seeing four simple words—MADE IN THE USA—
show up on more clothing labels. While she says
the mission of the company is to create stylish
and superbly constructed clothing, the company’s
vision is to remind people to “fall in love again
with all things that are uniquely American, be it
country, community, or, perhaps, fashion.”
Nguyen’s experiences, particularly during her
escape from Vietnam, her time in the refugee
camp, and her early years in the United State,
have shaped this vision for her company. “From
these experiences I have developed an
appreciation that may be difficult for someone
who has never lived beyond the boundaries,
safety, and charity of this country to fathom,” she
says. “The greatest compliment I could be paid is
to be called a patriot—one who is pro-American
and defends its greatness.” 
l a u n c h m a g . c o

ENTREPRENEUR
SRINIVAS RAOBlogCastFM
W
hile the blogosphere may sometimes be called the next great
frontier, it is one that is already well populated. According
to internet search engine Technorati, in 2011 there were 164
million blogs. This is the audience that Srinivas Rao (MBA
‘09) successfully caters to.
“Bloggers come from all walks of life. The one thing they all have in
common is a desire to build something they can call their own,” he says.
To help them do that, Rao conducts one-on-one interviews with the best
minds in the blogosphere, best-selling authors, and successful
entrepreneurs, and podcasts them via his BlogCastFM brand. He has
interviewed A-list bloggers like Marcus Sheridan about creating
interesting content; Danny Brown about standing out in the blogosphere;
and Gini Dietrich about getting on the radar of mainstream media.
“I get to connect with amazing people who have interesting stories,” he
says.
But Rao is quite the interesting blogger himself. He started his blog, The
Skool of Life, in 2009 and has over 3,000 subscribers. Followers describe
his posts as unconventional, adventurous, intelligent and inspiring. Rao
will tell you that he is simply sharing his experiences, struggles, and
lessons learned in an effort to help others.
In his search to make his blog better and more informative, he asked
questions—lots of them—of those who were already making a success in
the blogosphere. It was this experience that led him to start BlogCastFM.
“I started a weekly series on my blog called Interviews With
Up-and-Coming Bloggers. After about 13 interviews, one of the guys I
interviewed suggested that I start a separate site focused solely on
interviews,” he explains.

Now with hundreds of interviews logged and an
average of 30,000 downloads each month,
BlogCastFM is fast approaching Rao’s goal of
media empire status.
While the business has yet to provided Rao with
a consistent income, it has provided him much
satisfaction in the things that make him happy.
“Even though it hasn’t necessarily been super
lucrative financially, it’s opened up a wide array
of interesting opportunities. I’ve been able to
speak at conferences, meet and interview
best-selling authors, and even live abroad six
months rent-free,” he says.
That excursion aboard was to Costa Rico, where
he was able to pursue his other passion —surf-
ing—which served to fuel his creative fire. That
adventure also provided the freedom he craved,
and the focus he needed to build BlogCastFM
into a brand.
“I think there’s something incredibly fulfill-
ing about building something with your own
SRINIVAS RAO, MBA ‘09
Company Name:
BlogCastFM
Company URL:
blogcastfm.com
Location:
Los Angeles, CA
Mission:
Turn BlogCastFM into a full-blown media
empire
Business Idea:
Leverage experience blogging to help
other bloggers grow their business
Share blogging success tips from A-list blog-
gers with millions of bloggers world-wide.
Target Customer:
Internet marketers, entrepreneurs, small
business owners, and bloggers
Year Founded:
2010
Conﬁdential
two hands because you actually see the impact
of your work,” he says. “I didn’t always know
where my next check was coming from or if it
was coming at all, but I learned exactly how
valuable my time is.”
Rao advises current MBA students to consider
the extra opportunities graduate school provides
to hone entrepreneurial skills.
“If all you do is go to class and do what’s re-
quired of you, then you’re missing out on the
MBA experience,” he says. “The great thing
about being a student is that you have tons of
time available and less of a need to make money
right away. Use that time wisely.”
One of the best ways Rao made use of his time
was in network building.
“When you’re in school anybody will talk to you
because you’re a student. Do as many
informational interviews as you can and in this
way you’ll build your network before you need
it,” he advises. 
l a u n c h m a g . c o

ENTREPRENEUR
DAVID ROSENDAHL
MindFire Inc.
F
or David Rosendahl (BSM ’05), entrepre-
neurship has been a calling to work with
creative people in order to help others
solve business problems.
“I was involved in founding a startup around age
18, and from that time, I was bitten by the bug,”
he says. “I’m not sure I chose entrepreneurship —
sometimes I feel like it has chosen me.”
In the late 90s, he surrounded himself with
designers, engineers and marketing experts and
founded an Internet service provider that offered
Internet access, email service and web market-
ing. When that company was acquired, he leaped
into web-based software, developing products
for small businesses. Then in 1999, he took up
the challenge to help marketers synchronize their
direct mail campaigns with the Internet.

Rosendahl’s entrepreneurial success has not been
without challenges. “Learning to cope with my
own weaknesses and delegate to those who have
complementary strength has been a learning
process,” he says. “Also, learning to take time
away from the business (like vacation) has been
hard. Only in the past few years have I been able
to do this successfully. I think I’m a recovering
work-a-holic.”
Another challenge has been learning to manage
conflict properly – an issue most business people
can relate to. Rather than shy away from conflict,
Rosendahl approaches those situations expecting
to benefit from them.
“I’ve learned that success in life is directly
correlated with the number of uncomfortable
conversations you’re willing to have. Whenever
I’m in a situation that requires an uncomfortable
conversation, I think of this maxim, and how true
it has been to date,” he says.
A key skill Rosendahl learned during his studies at
Pepperdine’s Graziadio School of Business
Management has also paid off in making his
business a success. “As an entrepreneur, it
sometimes feels like you’re the only one with
challenges. I learned the value of speaking to
as many people as possible about my goals and
aspirations in order to gain perspective,” he says.
“I have found that more often than not, someone
else has been in a similar situation, and a good
conversation can make a big difference.” 
“When my partner Moe Farsheed and I decided to
start MindFire, we didn’t have a specific
technology idea. We just wanted to help
marketers bring buyers and sellers together in
more meaningful ways,” he says.
Key to getting their idea off the ground was
carefully listening to what really was a problem
for marketers: managing and tracking the results
of cross-media campaigns.
“While meeting with a marketing agency and a
large bank’s marketing team, I realized that
marketers needed help, but were severely
hamstrung by technology, obstacles, and a
dizzying array of options. They needed a simple
solution to help them make sense of their off-line
and on-line marketing,” he explains.
Rosendahl and Farsheed started work on that
solution, which has become LookWho’sClicking,
the company’s flagship product. It automates the
creation and management of highly-effective
direct marketing campaigns using landing pages,
personalized URLs, QR codes, SMS text messaging,
email, microsites, response tracking and more.
“Today we have over 500 clients in 24 countries,
and we are the leading provider of personalized
URL and landing page technology to the world’s
graphic arts and marketing communities,” he says.
Developing and retaining strong relationships
with his business partners, vendors and clients is
key to his success, Rosendahl explains. “As I have
gotten older I have realized how much business
is about relationships,” he says. “The relation-
ships we have developed with team members and
clients have been hugely rewarding.”
DAVID ROSENDAHL, BSM ‘05
Company Name:
MindFire Inc.
Company URL:
www.mindfireinc.com
Location:
Irvine, CA
Mission:
Enable our clients to successfully leverage
multi-channel marketing, improve their ROI
and take the guess-work out of what works
through analytics.
Business Idea:
Personalized cross-media marketing
solutions.
It is very difficult for marketers to use the
variety of media available to them in a way
that is orchestrated and intelligent.
Target Customer:
Print and marketing service providers.
Year Founded:
1999
Confidential
40
SPRING 2012 | ISSUE NO. 5 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE | 15

Are You Ready To Go From
Employee To Full-Time
Entrepreneur?
BY NATHALIE LUSSIER
T
he very idea of leaving the cube
behind to become full-time
entrepreneur can be exciting. But
the grass is always greener on the
other side, and while entrepreneurship has
its benefits, there many things fledgling
entrepreneurs should consider before
deciding to go it alone. If the lure of “firing
your boss” is calling you, here are 10 things
to ponder before you make the leap to
full-time entrepreneurship.
YOU’RE THE MAN, OR NOT.
If you want to become an
entrepreneur because you don’t
want to work for “the man”
anymore, consider that working for
yourself might mean working for a meaner
boss. Also, when you take on clients and
customers you end up working for more
than one person instead of just for yourself.
UNDERSTAND YOUR OPTIONS.
If you’re going to become a
solo-preneur and go it alone,
there are essentially three
different types of businesses you need to be
aware of, and any business can be a
combination of these. You can either
provide a done-for-you service, a consulting
service, or a product.
3 START WITH A SERVICE
BUSINESS.
Until you build up enough of a
customer base, you will likely be providing
high end services. This is a good place to be
because you are fine tuning your knowledge
1
2
16 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE| ISSUE NO. 5 | SPRING 2012

you can’t take on more work than you can
manage. Other times you’ll know you need to
quit your job when your business becomes more
profitable and motivating. 
Nathalie Lussier got her Bachelors in Software
Engineering then promptly turned down a “stable”
job on Wall Street to start her own online business.
She’s an online business triple threat who teaches
people how to get techy with their business as a
digital consultant. Find Nathalie at nathalielussier.
com.
Courtesy of The Young Entrepreneur Council
About the YEC. The Young Entrepreneur Council
(YEC) is an invite-only nonprofit organization
comprised of the world’s most promising young
entrepreneurs. The YEC promotes entrepreneurship
as a solution to unemployment and underemploy-
ment and provides entrepreneurs with access to
tools, mentorship, and resources that support each
stage of their business’s development and growth.
theyec.org
THE STATE OF THE ECONOMY IS
NOT A JUSTIFICATION FOR OR
AGAINST ENTREPRENEURSHIP.
If you want to start a business, there
will never be a more perfect time than when
you’re ready. Starting a business is the most
powerful force for personal development I’ve
ever experienced, so get ready for the ride of a
lifetime and don’t make excuses if you put it off.
BE A SPONGE.
Learn as much as you can before,
during, and after you start your
business. It’s not necessary to go
back to school or to spend years researching
your idea and market. However, it is necessary to
read books about business, you business
industry, and marketing. It’s your job as the
business owner to stay informed and to keep an
open mind to new ideas and tools, because the
business landscape is constantly changing.
START ON THE SIDE.
The best way to know if you can make
it as a business owner and if your
ideas are viable is to start your
business on the side. Check with your boss and
company policies before going ahead with the
side business, and then hang your shingle up.
Watch what happens, how you feel, and who
responds to your offers.
GET READY FOR GROWTH.
Once things start to take off for
you, you’ll need to make a choice
as to whether you want to keep
your business on the side or make
the leap to full time. Sometimes you need to
leap before the income is there, simply because
and skills to be able to package them up
into more scalable product offerings down
the line. You’ll want to jump into fulltime
entrepreneurship before you get to the
product phase.
4PLAN TO SAVE MONEY.
As you look at the best time to
leave your job, put together an
estimate of how much money you
need to bring in on a monthly basis to
sustain your lifestyle. If it doesn’t seem
feasible, look for ways to scale back on your
spending. Start saving now so that you have
a nest egg when you do leave your job. It
always takes longer to become profitable
than you might think.
5SURROUND YOURSELF WITH
OTHER LIKE-MINDED BUSINESS
OWNERS.
It’s easy to stay in a job that isn’t
serving you if all of your friends are doing
the same thing. Instead, find yourself a group of
accountability buddies who are in a similar
situation to you, or a few steps ahead so they
can give you guidance as you navigate this new
path in your career.
BE WILLING TO PIVOT.
As human beings we think we’ve got
all the answers figured out. When it
comes to business though, you need
to be flexible and listen to the market and
response. If you’re working your tail off trying
to sell a product or service and it’s not giving
you the returns you’re looking for, consider
what your audience and market is spending
money on. It’s possible that what you’re offering
just isn’t a good fit.
6
7
8
9
10

THE SHORT LIST
American Love Affair
AmericanLoveAffairOnline.com
Denim and fashion apparel
Noelle Nguyen, PKE MBA ’12
Anedot
anedot.com
Optimizing the way we give
Paul Dietzel, MBA/MPP ’11
Artful Gentleman
www.artfulgentleman.com
Men’s fashion done better
Jake Wall, MBA ‘08
Behind the Brand
behindthebrand.tv
Expert insight to grow your
business
Bryan Elliott, MBA ‘99
Beyond the Olive
www.beyondtheolive.com
Premium retail olive oil
products
Crystal and Chip Reibel, MBA
‘09
Bizible
bizible.com/Small-Business-
Marketing-SEO
SaaS marketing for local
businesses
Aaron Bird, MBA
Blindbid
www.blindbid.com
Bid for leads instead of share
them
Michael O’Hare, MBA ‘09
BlogcastFM.com
Proven social media advice
Srinivas Rao, MBA 09
Business Simply Put
www.businesssimplyput.
com
Strategy and financial
management
Lori Williams, MBA ‘05
Capchure LLC
www.capchuresystems.com
Advertising Network for Tech
Bloggers
Aaron Moskowitz, MBA ‘07
EndPlay
endplay.com
Web content management
solutions
Christos M. Cotsakos, MBA ‘83
DeJant Group Corp.
www.dejant.com
Natural aphrodisiac drink
Omid Semino, MBA
Derivatas
www.derivatas.com
Business valuation software
Dat Do, MBA ’11 and Geoffroy
Dubuisson, MBA ’11
DermaShoppe
www.dermashoppe.com
High-end, physician-dispensed
skin care products
Jimmy Nguyen, MBA ‘09 and
Patrick Leroy, MBA ‘09
DevDugal.com
Business strategy advisor; The
Redwood Bar & Thirsty Pockets
founder
Dev Dugal, MBA ‘04
Docstoc.com
Online document warehouse
Jason Nazar, M.B.A ’05, J.D. ‘06
FCearth
www.fcearth.com
Eco-friendly, culturally
informative soccer gear and
apparel
Jeff Rozic, MBA ‘06
Global4PL
www.global-4pl.com
Supply chain solutions
Sergio Retamal, MS ‘04
Global Wave
globalwavegroup.com
Financial technology
company
Zubin P. Mehta, MBA ‘06
identifiDesign
identifidesign.com
Taking brand communica-
tions to the next level
Nick Norris, MBA ‘09
Jobonomics.com
Empowering job seekers
Sameer Gupta, MBA ‘09
Jungo LLC
jungotoys.com
Flickerz - Flickable flying toy
discs
Michael Cheshire, MBA ‘11
Krav Maga Worldwide,
Inc.
kravmag-kids.com
Youth self defense
Matt Romond, MBA ‘12
Kensel & Co
www.kenselandco.com
Middle market investment
services
Brendon Kensel, MBA ‘00
Layla
Singer/Songwriter/Fashionista;
a music phenomenon
Darlene Kiloglu, MBA ‘11
LearnItByEar.com
MP3 audio course-oriented
flashcards
Brett Fisher, MBA ‘11 and
Stephen Yeoh, MBA ‘11
Linked Orange County
Networking and business con-
nections
Bryan Elliott, MBA ‘99
Locaxion
www.airvuegolf.com
GPS-enabled smart phone apps
for golfers
Pratish Shah, EMBA ‘10
Lolay, Inc.
www.lolay.com
Location-based mobile apps
Bardia Dejban, MBA ‘10
LSR Lifestyle
www.lsrlifestyle.com
Wholesale cigar company
Jordan Rockwell, MBA ‘10
Markex Global
www.markexglobal.com
Strategetic international trade
Kasra Ferasat, MBA ‘10
MindFire Inc.
www.mindfireinc.com
Personalized cross-media
marketing solutions
David Rosendahl, BSM, ’05
Personal Care Physicians
www.mypersonalcarephysi-
can.com
Troy Medley, MBA ‘03
Quantumsphere
www.qsinano.com
Nano catalysts and integrated
catalytic solutions
Kevin Maloney, MBA ‘02
SG Biofuels, Inc.
www.sgbiofuel.com
Jatropha as a low cost,
sustainably produced oil
Kirk Haney, MBA ‘95
Shadys
www.shadys.com
Custom branded canvas golf
cart coverings
Jaime E. Parker, MBA ’99
Shark Bite Scuba
www.sharkbitescuba.com
Maker of award-winning The
Tank Dolly®
Kimberly Isaac, MBA ‘10
SkoolofLife.com
Personal Development
Srinivas Rao, MBA 09
Smile Brands Inc.
www.smilebrands.com
Support services to general and
multi-specialty dental groups
Steve Bilt, PKE MBA ’01
Sohve
www.solve.com
Strategic consulting
Nick Mitchell, EMBA ‘07
Superhero Enterprises
www.superheroenterprises.com
Character-based publishing and
merchandising
Davien L. Watkins, BSM ‘08
SwitchStream, LLC
www.switchstream.com
Management advisory services
and venture investing
Kyle C. Murphy, MBA ‘05
TrustyMax
www.go2socket.com
Maker of go2socket – grips
bolts other sockets cannot
Tim Kim, MBA ‘10
Vedanic
www.vedanic.com
Premium organic & natural
skincare
Varun Khanna, MBA ’12
Webventurous.com
End-to-end web solutions
Dhaval Doshi, MBA ‘09

launchmag.co

ENTREPRENEUR’S JOURNEY
FAST PITCH COMPETITION
2012 FIRST PLACE WINNER
Diane Jenkins, MBA ‘12
I
was preoccupied shopping one
day. I had put my purse down for
what I thought was a second. But
when I reached for it, it was gone. I had no
warning that someone had just stolen my
purse.
I have come up with a solution that I call
the Charm Alarm. It is a fashionable
bracelet with a charm that activates a
smart card that looks just like a credit card.
Put the card in your wallet and you can
go shopping and travelling with ease. The
moment these two are ten feet apart, the
bracelet will let out a beeping warning
sound. And when they are 15 feet apart it
will let out a high pitched shriek, which is
the perfect deterrent for any pickpocket or
thief. This security device works with and
complements jewelry lines such as Pandora
and Brighton. A variety of marketing will
include a website, infomercials,
magazine ads and retailers.
So take it from me, Diane Jenkins,
with a Charm Alarm you are better
safe than sorry.
6100 Center Drvie | Suite 400 | Los Angeles, CA 90045 | bschool.pepperdine.edu
© PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY. All Rights Reserved. GSBM.DG.030312
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