On Friday, November 3rd, a group of entrepreneurs and those that aspire to such gathered at the Argyros School of Business & Economics at Chapman University for the 3rd annual OCMA Entrepreneurs conference.
During a luncheon, attendees listened to Peter McNabb, President of Peterson Brothers Construction, a concrete construction company headquartered in La Habra and operating in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernadino and San Diego counties. Peter discussed the challenges and fun of growing from a local start-up in 1983 to a $100 million business and 800 employees. He discussed successes like working various jobs at Disneyland for more than a decade and the construction of Legoland as well as the challenges of an acquisition that did not work as planned.
Attendees also heard from three speakers that conducted interactive workshops on aspects of entrepreneurship.
Tait Eyre, a BYU chemistry graduate and Duke MBA discussed his experience buying Flexi-Liner Corporation, a small tank liner company. The discussion included how to find companies to buy, the transaction process and how to access a Small Business Administration loan.
Joel Deceuster, business coach based in San Jose provided enthusiastic instruction and inspiration on defining a business and communicating it through a one page business plan. Joel received a communications/advertising degree from BYU and is a former sales and marketing executive for 25 years. Through interaction with attendees, Joel walked through the five steps of the one page business plan.
- Vision – what are you building?
- Mission – Why does this business exist?
- Objectives – What will you measure?
- Strategies – How will you build this business to succeed?
- Plans – What actions will you take to achieve your objectives?
Tim Stay, co-founder and CIO of Know More Media made a presentation on how to use search engines to market your company. Tim received an MBA from the Marriott School of Management and a Masters of International Studies in Third World Economic Development from the BYU Kennedy Center in addition to a degree in Civil Engineering from BYU. Tim provided insight into how search engines organize the web and tools and techniques that small businesses can use to be found using search engines. He offered six steps to rank well in search engines and provided several live examples including techniques used by Unitus, a non-for-profit micro-credit organization where Tim serves on the board.
The day ended with three excellent presentations in the fast-pitch competition. Fast-pitch candidates were required to submit a one-page executive summary for consideration. Three hopeful entrepreneurs were selected to make a 4-minute business plan pitch to attendees followed by 4-minutes of Q&A and feedback. The fast-pitch finalists were:
- Celena Barton, Your Sub - a casual dining, quick serve restaurant where customers are allowed to create their own subs and sandwiches (like a salad bar).
- Jade Simmons, Until the WorldFalls into Tune (UWFT) -a line of casual, fashionable clothing that bears the message of social change and seeks to raise awareness and funds for humanitarian aid
- Chad White, Lure Construction – a kit and membership for making fishing lures
ideas concisely before a group, receive immediate feedback, suggestions and to field questions. Joel Deceuster awarded each presenter with the book “The One Page Business Plan®” and the One Page® Entrepreneur's Toolkit on CD-ROM.Jade Simmons and her business plan for Until the World Falls into Tune was the winner. Jade will receive mentoring, support and promotion from the OCMA. After the competition she was found talking with conference attendee Rich Christensen, an attorney that represents a clothing manufacturer and Tim Stay, who discussed Unitus and its humanitarian purposes, mission and contacts.
We wish to thank Jon Kaplan, assistant dean at Argyros and look forward to next year and another great event.
comments
An outstanding event! I liked holding the event at Chapman University because it connects us to the community and adds credibility. Two of the three finalists in the speed pitch competition and the winner were all women Chapman University students. This provided a feeling of diversity that I enjoyed.
I felt that Joel Deceuster gave the audience a valuable information on how to develop a one-page business plan. He was a very entertaining and dynamic speaker.
Tim Stay was more low-key in style but his subject matter was very dynamic. I believe everybody was fascinated to learn how to move up in the coveted Google rankings without paying a consultant.
For me, the highlight was the speed pitch competition. This year's three finalists had polished presentations that were well thought out and well presented. The audience feedback made this an interactive dialogue that was electric. The presentation by the winner nailed our vision of "growing moral and ethical leadership around the world" and combining humanitarian efforts with a business twist in a powerful way.
The food was outstanding, the venue was first class.
Perhaps we could get some corporate sponsors. I believe Chapman University said they were willing to do more in the way of publicity for us next time and in the future and would like to continue the relationship. This is a very positive sign.
Ironically, on that very same day, Michael Brown, a Chapman University graduate and a co-founder of ModBargains.com in Fullerton, won the Global Student Entrepreneur of 2006 in Chicago, Illinois. Maybe we should invite Michael Brown to come speak to our group next year. We could also contact the BYU Center for Entrepreneurship and seek ideas from them about how to improve the conference.
Posted by: Bill Chapman | November 8, 2006 10:08 PM | Permalink to Comment