CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FULLERTON | MIHAYLO COLLEGE OF BUSINESS & ECONOMICS
CSUF ENTREPRENEURSHIP INSIDER
Geoff Pascual ‘16 makes Pop Art for a New Generation with the help of lessons learned as a CSUF Entrepreneurship Major and CSUF Startup Incubator Resident
CREATIVITY
Director’s Message
Our mission at the Center for Entrepreneurship is to educate and inspire our students, CSUF Startup Incubator Residents, competitors in our competitions, and attendees of our seminars on what it means to be an entrepreneur. Thousands have heard our message and have learned the skills necessary to start businesses and that is an awesome accomplishment. But when you add a little creativity to the mix: WOW! We are fortunate to have so many creative people in the CSUF Entrepreneurship community. Geoff Pascual ‘16 is an alumnus and Resident at the CSUF Startup Incubator who has a piece of his art on the cover and you can read more about him on this page and the next. Jonny May ‘17 is a student and Resident of the CSUF Startup Incubator who is sharing his immense amount of music knowledge with his customers. Projects done through CSUF Consulting are another outlet for our students’ creativity as can be seen in the example of a project we completed for Hilton Hotels. The students in that group, with the aid and direction of their professor and mentor, were able to save their client a lot of money by employing a little creativity by thinking outside the box.
Pop Art for a New
For most people, art is a hobby and for those who pursue art as a vocation many find commercial success elusive. Geoff Pascual ’16 has already had some commercial success with his company, Pascual Productions, through which Geoff sells his pop art originals and prints online and at conventions. Last year, Geoff entered the CSUF Startup Incubator where, with the help of Incubator staff and mentors, Geoff explored new avenues to promote and sell his creations; one such avenue will be Titan Shops.
Our professors are creative individuals as well. Dr. David Obstfeld is a great example as can be seen through his most recent research that has resulted in a book that will soon see publication. Make sure to read about where his creativity has led him and how it can enrich your life on page 4.
“Being a business major in and of itself sets me apart as an artist. It’s a decision I made for myself that worked for me, and I’m positive that my time in business school has contributed to the success of Pascual Productions. From inventory management to business communication situations, I see myself using the skills I learned at Fullerton every day,” said Pascual.
Each year we host the Titan Fast Pitch Competition and the CSUF Business Plan Competition. During the spring semester we will host the CSUF Business Plan Competition, see page 4.
Geoff learned a lot of valuable lessons from his CSUF Entrepreneurship classes and with the help of the CSUF Startup Incubator he sees his company only getting stronger.
All of this creativity would not have as powerful an outlet as the Center for Entrepreneurship if not for your support and we need it now more than ever! John Bradley Jackson Director Center for Entrepreneurship
“The Incubator has great mentors from all walks of life that I can go to for any questions I have. I would say the networking and information shared
Table of Contents
Page 1: Director’s Message Pages 2-3: CSUF Sstartup Incubator PAGE 4: CSUF Consulting PAGE 5: CSUF Entrepreneurship Back Page: CSUF Entrepreneurship Alumni & Key Statistics PAGE 1
Piano with Jonny
Jonny May ‘17 is a CSUF Entrepreneurship major, CSUF Startup Incubator Resident, and a piano prodigy. Having been the youngest Disneyland piano master Jonny is well aware of his skills and decided to harness those skills in a business. at the Incubator is very valuable. It’s opened a lot of opportunities for me in improving my business. It helps to get another person’s perspective,” said Pascual. By creating a successful business, Geoff has blazed a path for future entrepreneurs in the pop art industry at CSUF. While Geoff ’s love of art started out as a hobby, Geoff ’s passion and dedication in creating his own business has made him into the success he is today. As Pascual Productions continues to grow, one thing is abundantly clear: Through the help and support of the CSUF Startup Incubator, anything is possible for the entrepreneurs of tomorrow.
Board of Directors
Dr. Michael Ames, Mihaylo College Dan Black ‘67, Entrepreneur & Philanthropist Andrew Carroll ‘06, CFO Andrew Ken Guchereau ’74, Guchereau Company Raj Manek ’94, Vesuki Inc. Michael Sawitz, FastStart.studio Jeffrey S. Van Harte ‘80, Jackson Square Partners Karl Freels ‘16
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Starting out as a piano teacher Jonny quickly realized that teaching people one-on-one or even to small groups was not scalable. Learning from his CSUF Entrepreneurship classes and now with the help of the CSUF Startup Incubator, Jonny is working on growing an online music empire!
CSUF STARTUP INCUBATOR
Generation
How to Support Student Entrepreneurs
Each Residency at the CSUF Startup Incubator has a $5,000 fee. This fee goes to pay for staff, facilities, and other support costs. Geoff ’s and Jonny’s fees were sponsored by a generous donor who sees the potential in CSUF students. If we can raise $50,000 every year for CSUF students we can help ten students pursue their dreams of starting their own businesses and become entrepreneurs. Young entrepreneurs also need to grow their networks. Reaching out to and working with our young entrepreneurs will open up many new opportunities for them that can make a remarkable difference for them. Center for Entrepreneurship Staff
Director John Bradley Jackson ‘77 Entrepreneurs in Residence Travis Lindsay ‘07, ‘09 Phillip Stinis ‘11 Client Project Specialist Charlesetta Medina ‘10
CSUF Entrepreneurship Insider Contributors Editor Travis Lindsay ‘07, ‘09 Writers Professor Jeff Longshaw Kevin Emery ‘16
CSUF CONSULTING
How CSUF Consulting Helped a Hilton Hotel Save Money by Going Green Every year, more than 100 businesses harness the creativity of Cal State Fullerton’s students to develop comprehensive strategic plans that can be used to make dramatic improvements. One such business was a Hilton Hotel who, after implementing their team’s recommendations, saved a lot of money. Travis Lindsay interviewed Director Jackson about this project. Travis Lindsay: The Waterfront Hilton Hotel project was impressive. Can you tell me what they were looking for from our CSUF Consulting team? John Bradley Jackson: The client wanted to become more sustainable but was not sure what to do and wanted one of our teams to develop some solutions. TL: How did the team tackle this challenge? JBL: Each CSUF Consulting team has a mentor from the private sector and our mentor, Tom Faust, directed the team to focus on a green solution that was also economically sound. This triggered the students to look into the cost of energy and lighting. The ultimate solution was the introduction of LED lighting, which was a long term fix. The Waterfront Hilton is a large hotel that used conventional lighting prior to the students’ recommendation. The ROI over a ten year period was projected to be very substantial.
CSUF Consulting Problem Solving Methodology 1. Define the client’s current state 2. Define the client’s desired state 3. Identify the problem or opportunity (often called the “gap”) 4. Analyze the situation and gather information 5. Identify possible recommendations 6. Anlayze and compare possible recommendations 7. Final recommendations
TL: In general, why should a business consider becoming a CSUF Consulting client?
8. Implementation plan for
JBL: A CSUF Consulting team often puts in 300 to 400 hours of work collectively, which can be a very cost effective solution. They do the things that our clients want to do but don’t have the time to do. Our students are millennials and they are tech savvy and bring great creativity to the consulting assignment. Often business owners and executives are too close to the problem or situation to visualize solutions; student teams offer a high octane third party perspective.
9. Describe the costs
the recommendations involved 10. Establish a timeline for implementation with the action steps required 11. Determine ROI metrics
Do you know any businesses that could benefit from a CSUF Consulting project? Let us know! An application is in your packet.
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Helping CSUF students realize their full entrepreneurial potential is one of our main goals and competitions are an ideal way to reach students across campus. The CSUF Business Plan Competition is this spring and it is open to all CSUF students. More than 100 students entered last year and we expect more to enter this year! Support from donors enables us to offer scholarships to the top performers and to inspire more students to think entrepreneurially. Please consider donating funds for the CSUF Business Plan Competition.
Professor Spotlight David Obstfeld
David Obstfeld is a well respected entrepreneurship professor by students and faculty alike. Since 2012, David’s research on how networks function has been cited 4,295 times in academic journals and he is set to publish his newest book, Getting New Things Done, later this year.
CSUF ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Entrepreneurship Competitions for CSUF Students
In Getting New things Done, David explores the key strategies that innovators use to break new ground and develops an innovation framework.
Become a Center for Entrepreneurship Board Member
Becoming a Center for Entrepreneurship Board Member is a commitment to support the next generation of entrepreneurs in developing the critical skills necessary to become the leaders of the global economy. Each Board Member makes a financial contribution to the Center for Entrepreneurship to support all of its activities, including: mentoring students, hosting entrepreneurial seminars for students and the community, producing educational content that reaches well beyond CSUF, and much more. Center for Entrepreneurship Board Members go beyond donating money to the Center. They serve an integral role in strategic initiatives for the Center and help shape its future through frequent communication wiith Center Director Jackson. If you are interested in becoming a Center for Entrepreneurship Board Member please get in touch with Director Jackson to discuss how to get your seat on the Board. PAGE 4
ALUMNI & STATISTICS
CSUF Alumnus, Mentor, and Bootlegger
What happens when your hobby outgrows its hobby status? If you are experimenting with making craft beer in your garage, you end up supplying the entire neighborhood. That is what happened to Aaron Barkenhagen ‘07. His love of good beer and his loyalty to his Fullerton neighbors created a symbiotic relationship that still exists today. The name of his now much larger craft brewery is Bootleggers, a name which reflects back to the time he was passing out free beer to his neighbors. Aaron did his business plan at CSUF and credits his success to learning the entrepreneurial process in the business school. By 2008 he decided to turn his hobby into a business, and opened his first tasting room and brewery in Fullerton.
won various awards for his beers including one in an international competition. Aaron won the Orange County Entrepreneur award in 2010. Bootleggers does over 20 special events per year, including one at Disneyland and another with the Los Angeles Angels baseball team. Bootleggers’ breakout year was 2012 when it started distributing bottled and draft beer to local distributers, and now Aaron has 11 distributors serving Orange County. Bootleggers is a family-owned LLC with Aaron’s wife Patricia as partner and manager of the tasting room. In a rather flat market, Bootleggers is expanding and becoming a more dominant player in the Orange County craft brewery industry.
Aaron has, by trial and error, made Bootleggers a singular success. His success exemplifies all the qualities of a successful entrepreneur: he loves what he does, he obtained Now Aaron brews over 200 the knowledge needed, he has great varieties of craft beer at his employee relations, and he has never modern brewery, and his tasting forgotten his local beer enthusiasts’ room usually has about 25 base. Now he shares his success by different brews for customers mentoring entrepreneur classes at to try at any one time. Creativity CSUF’s Mihaylo School of Business. also helps when it comes to One final word about loyal customers: naming his own brews; one of The Bootlegger tasting room has no his best is a double IPA called flashing sign advertising its location. “Knuckle Sandwich,” although In fact it has no sign at all. When the most popular is “Far Out.” asked why, Aaron replies “Don’t need it.” Bootleggers and Aaron have
Center for Entrepreneurship Key Statistics • 200 Current Entrepreneurship Majors • 50 Current Entrepreneurship Minors • 28 Consulting Awards (total) • $10,500 in Scholarships Awarded in 2016 • $15,000 in CSUF Startup Incubator Sponsorships (total) • 3,100+ CSUF Consulting Projects (total) • 21 CSUF Startup Incubator Residents (total) • 1,302 Attendees at our Events in 2016 • 250+ Student Competitors at Titan Fast Pitch and CSUF Business Plan Competition • 5,000 Mentor Hours in Classroom and at CSUF Startup Incubator