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LAUNCH! Magazine Winter 2012
1. WINTER 2012 | ISSUE NO. 4 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE | 1w w w. l a u n c h m a g . c o
How to Develop A
BUSINESS
PLAN
Aaron
MOSKOWITZ
Pratish
SHAH
Jimmy
NGUYEN
Robert
BUHLER
2. 2 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE| ISSUE NO. 4 | WINTER 2012 w w w. l a u n c h m a g . c o
LAUNCH! Magazine celebrates the creativity,
dedication to responsible business practice and
entrepreneurial spirit of students and alumni at
Pepperdine Universityâs 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
Š 2011 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
CONTENTS
FEATURES
 2
How to Develop A Business Plan
15
The Short List
ENTREPRENEURS
 7
Aaron Moskowitz, MBA â07
 9
Pratish Shah, MBA â10
11
Jimmy Nguyen, MBA â09 and
Patrick Leroy, MBA â09
13
Robert Buhler, MBA â10
LAUNCH!
ON THE COVER
Professor Doug Howe, founder and principal of
Emerson Management Solutions, teaches global
marketing, entrepreneurial start-up strategies
and business-plan writing as a member of the
practitioner faculty at Pepperdine. In this issue
of LAUNCH! he provides his recipe for a winning
business planâone guided by the wisdom of
venture capitalist and Apple Fellow Guy Kawasaki.
Howe helped launch the Graziadio Schoolâs
redesigned entrepreneurship curriculum, playing a
key role in overseeing the Pepperdine Business
Plan Competition in recent years and
establishing the annual signature symposium
Entrepreneurâs Journey. After the Spring 2012
trimester, Howe retires
Photo by Leroy Hamilton
3. WINTER 2012 | ISSUE NO. 4 | LAUNCH! 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How To
Develop A
Business Plan
Professor Doug Howe is passionate about
saving his students time and making them
more confident in the early stages of
business development. To accomplish that, he
shares his experiences as an entrepreneur and
draws on the business development model
developed by Guy Kawasaki.
âI have had several opportunities to observe
investors in presentation settings stop entrepre-
neurs during the pitch and ask âHave you read
The Art of the Start?â says Howe.âSavvy
investors can tell if presenters understand the key
steps to an efficient and productive use of
everyoneâs time as presented in Guy Kawasakiâs
model.â
4. 4 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE| ISSUE NO. 4 | WINTER 2012 w w w. l a u n c h m a g . c o
âKawasakiâs book covers many aspects of starting a business â
bootstrapping, recruiting, positioning and branding, among several other
key subjects,â explains Howe. He finds Kawasakiâs example vital in
helping students understand how to craft a business plan and orchestrate
an effective presentation.
âInvestors are the key audience for entrepreneurship students, so my
focus is the rationale behind the business plan and how to most
effectively draft and present it,â he says.
Howe is no stranger to entrepreneurship, securing venture capital, and
Kawasakiâs influence. He has experience as both a senior manager in
start-up operations and, as an entrepreneur, Howe has seen firsthand
investors enthusiastically endorse Kawasakiâs approach.
âKawasaki is someone who has been there, done that, suffered through
it and learned the lessons. He is now, as a venture capitalist, providing an
invaluable service by describing not only a philosophy of how to start a
business, but also a step-by-step process for achieving
success,â he says.
SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS PLANS ARE BORN FROM THE PITCH
Entrepreneurs unfamiliar with Kawasakiâs book often get the process
of building a business plan backwards. According to Kawasaki, a good
business plan is the elaboration of a good pitch. A good pitch is not the
distillation of a business plan.
Professor Doug Howe
5. WINTER 2012 | ISSUE NO. 4 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE | 5w w w. l a u n c h m a g . c o
sectionâwhich should be a maximum of two
pagesâcritical to gaining capital.
âThese first two pages of the plan must succinct-
ly communicate the essence of the who, what,
when, how and why of the enterprise, spark
the investorâs imagination and generate a high
level of interest and enthusiasm to read on,â
says Howe. Howe adds that while the Executive
Summary appears at the very beginning of the
business plan document, it is the last item to be
completed in the process, succinctly summarizing
all of the planâs details.
THE REST OF THE STORY
Howe cautions that the plan should not be
crafted by committee.
âWhile everyone on the team can contribute
to the draft, one person should write the plan
for the sake of continuity, and brevity,â he says.
He considers anything that is too thick to be
stapled, too long.
âPotential investors expect you to have a
business plan, but, it is not necessary to go into
the tiniest of details,â says Howe.
Follow the order of the executive summary,
Howe advises, and deliver the key details.
âThere should be a good, succinct outline of the
key financial drivers, as well as the right number
of details,â he explains.
âThere is only one chance to make a good first
impression,â says Howe. âThat first impres-
sion should be a captivating one that gets you
invited to a second meeting. Such an invitation
indicates investor interest in pursuing additional
details and beginning a due diligence process
that may lead to successful funding of the
business.â
EFFECTIVE BUSINESS PLANS BEGIN WITH
THE SUMMARY
Entrepreneurs often think that drafting a
business plan is an exercise in futility. âIt is a lot
of work. Because economies change, markets
change and customerâs attitudes change, the
business plan needs to be a dynamic document
subject to change and revision from the start,â
counsels Howe. âHowever, investors expect to
see the plan and, if they read it, to come away
with a good understanding of where the
entrepreneur is going, how he or she will get
there and what the potential return on
investment will be for the investorâs capital.â
Howe is careful to underscore the word if in that
statement. âWe must remember that
investors receive dozens of business plans per
month from entrepreneurs hoping to get an
opportunity to present their idea of how they
will change the world,â he says.
Typically, an investor will quickly read through
a business plan executive summary and make
the decision to read further or go on to the
next plan. This makes the executive summary
So, what makes a good pitch? A good pitch
clearly and quickly explains what the vision
is. Entrepreneurs must navigate the challenge
of avoiding too many details while delivering
enough specifics to demonstrate that their idea
is a solution to a problem. âThe pitch needs to
intrigue and captivate the audience and get
them to ask for more,â says Howe. Getting to
that point â and then using the pitch to craft an
effective business planâtakes practice, practice,
practice, he advises.
âThe idea is if we get the pitch right, we will get
the plan right,â he explains. To get the pitch
right, entrepreneurs should practice it with as
many people as possible, in order to garner
feedback and refine the message.
âI tell my students to conduct perhaps a dozen
presentations, gather all the feedback possible,
conduct a âpost mortemâ after each pitch session,
and then refine the pitch each time. That
refining process, based on the feedback
gathered after each previous pitch, is critical to
being able to clearly explain the business idea
and capture the listener.
âOnce the final version of the pitch is polished,
the next step is to write the business plan,â says
Howe.
One of the primary goals for an initial-stage
entrepreneur is to receive an invitation to
present the business idea and plan to an investor
audience. Therefore, the pitch preparation stage
is crucial to successfully attaining start-up
capital.
6. 6 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE| ISSUE NO. 4 | WINTER 2012 w w w. l a u n c h m a g . c o
Those numbers should include monthly
projections for the first year, quarterly for the
second and annually to profitability. In addition,
details should include the amount of cash
necessary to achieve positive cash flow by
quarter for the first two years and annually
through the fifth year.
âI also recommend that entrepreneurs apply the
2X â 3X Rule when projecting the amount of
time and investment needed,â suggests Howe.
âExpect that it will take two-to-three times as
long and cost two-to-three times as much as we
project to achieve a milestone.â
THE INVESTOR PRESENTATION
Howe underscores the importance of Kawasakiâs
direction once the business plan is crafted, and
the investor presentation is ready.
âGuy Kawasakiâs key recommendation in making
the presentation is to follow the 10/20/30 Rule:
10 slides, 20 minutes and a 30-point font,â says
Howe.
Each of 10 slides should cover the subject areas
that are most important to the investor
audience: title slide, the problem, your solution,
the business model, the underlying magic or
competitive advantage, marketing and sales,
competition, management team, financials and
current status. âThis might be 12 slides (perhaps
adding in operations or a slide of a key
technology), but it is not 20 or 30 slides,â he
says.
The presentation should be crafted to take only
20 minutes, but practiced enough to shorten it
if necessary. âIf the company presenting prior to
your arrival runs late, you may have only 10
minutes. The key here is to be prepared to
make a great presentation and communicate
your key messages under any circumstance or
time constraint,â says Howe.
Finally, the PowerPoint slides should be created
using 30-point font, which is large enough to be
read from the back of a room and which
provides only enough room for a quick read.
âWe want the audience to quickly read the
point on the slide, then transition to look at you
while you explain the details. Then they can see
your body language, your passion, your
enthusiasm for the subject matter,â says Howe.
Once the presentation has been completed, it
is time to answer questions from the audience.
Take notes, suggests Howe. It is likely you will be
given some suggestions for improving or
tweaking the business or idea. Summarize what
you hear and, within a few days of the
presentation, follow-up with those who gave
you the feedback.
Like Kawasaki, Howeâs purpose is to help
entrepreneurs avoid mistakes that can lead to
discouragement and failure. âThere are six
common early-stage mistakes I review with my
students, specifically to help them avoid these
pitfalls,â he says. Those include:
Insufficient start-up capital: âThis is where
my 2X â 3X rule comes in. Add some financial
buffer into the projections to cover these
eventualities,â he recommends.
Accepting investment from anyone: âAll
money is not the same,â explains Howe. âEvery
investment has obligations.â
Having a product that is never ready for
market: âStrive for excellence, not perfection.
Get the product or solution out in the market-
place, get feedback and start working on the
next version,â he says.
Failure to segment: âPlan to penetrate, grow
and dominate a segment, then identify the next
segment and repeat the process,â Howe advises.
âDonât extend yourself beyond the resources
you have.â
Relying too heavily in IP: âDonât rely solely
on publically-disclosed intellectual property,â he
cautions âand be sure to create a strategy that
anticipates infringement.â
The CEO who tries to do it all: âIdentify and
delegate critical tasks. Itâs the only way you will
grow,â he says.
Professor Doug Howe, founder and principal of
Emerson Management Solutions, specializes in
marketing, business development and general
management, notably turnarounds and restruc-
turings of established companies and launches
of high growth pre-revenue start-up operations.
His successes include projects across a variety of
industries and applications, involving companies
such as Crown Zellerbach Corporation, General
Electric Company, Nikon Inc., Van Camp Sea
Food Company, Olympus America Inc., Rockwell
Scientific Company and Vivitar Corporation. ďŽ
7. WINTER 2012 | ISSUE NO. 4 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE | 7w w w. l a u n c h m a g . c o
Aaron MoskowitzCapchure LLC
If Aaron Moskowitzâs company,
Capchure, had a middle name, it
might be Epiphany.
While working with Web-based startups and
connecting big brands with blogs, he uncovered
an online lead generation opportunity. âI real-
ized that everything â stories, news, posts â is in
the blogosphere now, and it happened almost
overnight. Why not go there for lead generation
and credit bloggers with both leads and sales re-
lated to the online conversations stemming from
their publications?â he asks.
Such âa-haâ moments are the threads that make
up the fabric of entrepreneurship. Moskowitz
acted on his epiphany and built Capchure, which
places hover-over information capture forms
above advertiser chosen keywords showing up in
online stories and articles. Information captured
goes straight to the advertiserâs email inbox.
âAdvertisers love Capchure because they only
pay for the end-lead generated,â he says. âPub-
lishers love Capchure because they are able to
monetize from unused advertising inventory,
while making more money per action than most
online advertising formats offer.â
8. 8 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE| ISSUE NO. 4 | WINTER 2012 w w w. l a u n c h m a g . c o
Coming up with the idea was one thing. Making
it work took careful planning.
The concept-to-company genesis was a carefully
orchestrated process in which Moskowitz took
time to examine and re-examine the typical
online lead generation process.
âI analyzed the online lead generation space
and came to the conclusion that online business
is all about relevance and qualification. Online
advertisers establish both when a user fills out a
form,â he says. âBut I also noticed that typically
online advertisers first pay for somebody to click
through a display ad, and then pay a designer to
create and manage an online form-based
process. The process seemed too clunky to me.â
Once the idea germinated, Moskowitz needed
to create momentum to bring the idea to the
marketplace. It turned out that his passion to
bring more credibility to online lead generation
was the all the fuel necessary to make that
happen.
âThereâs not a lot of credibility in online
advertising and thereâs a clear difference be-
tween the cultures of lead generation and the
cultures of ad networks that conduct Pay-Per-
Click or Cost-Per-Impression type advertising
offerings,â he says.
âThis difference arises because, before
Capchure, lead generation focused on domain
squatting, forms, and generic topics, and
as-seen-on-TV type campaigns. Iâd like to
legitimize it a little bit.â
Moskowitz is a self-confirmed visionary, who
used the science of strategy to plot and launch
his business. During his MBA studies at
Pepperdineâs Graziadio School of Business
Management, he learned how to leverage strat-
egy to capitalize on a vision. He believes thatâs
the most important skill an entrepreneur can
have.
âDonât let anyone tell you that you need money
to start a company,â he says. âYour vision is
everything. I have been completely surprised
to learn that I needed much less support and
infrastructure than I thought possible in order to
launch this
business.â
Seeing that vision turn into reality is how
Moskowitz defines his success. âWhat has
delighted me most about the entrepreneurial
process is that I have been able to create this
system and iterate it to a great extent,â he says.
With the company launched, Moskowitz has no
intention of casting about for another focus.
Taking Capchure to the next level has already
captivated him to the point of having another
epiphany.
âI recently added a pay-per-Facebook Like
component that seems to be a real game
changer,â he says. ďŽ
Aaron Moskowitz, MBA â07
Company: Capchure LLC
URL: www.capchuresystem.com
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Mission: Legitimize lead generation in the
blogosphere
Business Idea:
Meld publisher and advertiser
networks for lead/sales generation
Problem Set Out to Solve:
Traditional online user information
capture is clunky and can create
sales fallout
Target Customer:
Advertisers, blog publishers
Year Founded:
2010
Avg. Annual Revenue:
ConďŹdential
Number of Employees:
Partners and interns
w w w. l a u n c h m a g . c o
9. WINTER 2012 | ISSUE NO. 4 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE | 9w w w. l a u n c h m a g . c o
Pratish ShahLocaxion
Some are born to entrepreneurship. Others,
like Pratish Shah (MBA â10), come to it when
every excuse not to take on entrepreneurship
has run dry.
âLike many in this environment, I was in an unfortunate
situation of having no job. For many years I had talked about
doing something on my own, but had plenty of reasons to
procrastinate. When I was jobless, all those excuses
disappeared,â says Shah.
Propelled by exigency and support from his professors at the
Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business
Management, Shah partnered with his friend Froi Lomotan
(pictured left). Together they brainstormed for an idea
involving a GPS-enabled smart phone application for golfers.
The result was AirVue Golf, satellite rangefinder software
to accurately measure distances to any point on a green.
The app can be downloaded and run on an existing mobile
phone, which makes it more convenient and cost effective for
every golfer.
10. 10 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE| ISSUE NO. 4 | WINTER 2012 w w w. l a u n c h m a g . c o
The idea was a hole-in-one with the golf
industry, and served to encourage the partners
to develop their second product âShotViewâ˘
âin partnership with the Nicklaus Companies, a
global leader in the golf business.
Now with three years of entrepreneurship under
his belt, Shah still gets a charge out of
reflecting back to the early âidea stageâ days of
the venture.
âIt still gives me an adrenaline rush to think
about how this company was created from
nothing. I think about each first â the first sale,
the first website, the first customer support call,
the first interview, the first press releaseâand I
get a real sense of accomplishment,â he says.
Another facet of the business that gives Shah
great satisfaction is his partnership with
Lomotan.
âI recommend starting a business with a partner,
but itâs extremely critical that you and your
partner know each otherâs goals, strengths,
weaknesses, work styles, quirks and more,â he
says. âItâs important that your partner isnât a
duplicate of you. You want someone who can
see problems through a different perspective,
has skills that offset your own personal weak-
nesses and is someone with whom you can get
along.â
Partnership has been key to riding out the
typical ups and downs of business. âStarting and
growing any business is challenging. I can say
that our personal passion and drive has really
helped to take us through those challenging
times,â he says. Shah also counsels would-be en-
trepreneurs that a solid partnership helps when
the simple things about the business become
points of frustration.
âDuring the initial entrepreneurship phase, our
challenge was with the basic stuff,â he says. âFor
instance, we knew how to build a business plan,
how to develop a strategy, how to read financial
spreadsheets and more. But the little things, like
determining if the company should be an LLC
or a Corporation, meant we searched multiple
resources and came up with multiple recommen-
dations.â
While the partners are confident in each other,
they also know they have a valuable outside
resource available when they get stuck or need
guidance: Shahâs relationships with his
professors at the Graziadio School.
âEven a year and a half after graduation, I still
email and talk to professors to get their insight
and help,â he says. âThe faculty is an amazing
resource and simply one of the best assets
Pepperdine has for entrepreneurs.â ďŽ
Pratish Shah, MBA â10
Company: Locaxion
URL: www.locaxion.com
Location: San Jose, CA
Mission: Make golf a more rewarding
experience.
Business Idea:
Create GPS-enabled rangeďŹnder
smart phone applications for
golfers.
Problem Set Out to Solve:
Golfers of every level need a
one-stop reference to ďŹnding
distance to points on a course,
keeping score and accessing club
recommendation.
Target Customer:
Golfers
Year Founded:
2008
Avg. Annual Revenue:
ConďŹdential
Number of Employees:
ConďŹdential
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11. WINTER 2012 | ISSUE NO. 4 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE | 11w w w. l a u n c h m a g . c o
Jimmy Nguyen
and
Patrick Leroy
DermaShoppe
Starting your own business, does not require
being consumed with the goal of devising
the most original never-been-thought-of product
or service. Instead, says Jimmy Nguyen, chief mar-
keting officer of DermaShoppe, pursue what you
know.
âDonât wait to come up with the next big idea - not everyone
can be Google,â he says. âDo find what you are passionate
about, draw up a feasible and viable business plan, and just do
it better than your competitors.â
Following his own advice, Nguyen partnered with good friend
Patrick Leroy and the two put a business plan together to meet
the needs of a growing consumer base of people who wanted,
but did not have, easy access to the best skin care products.
They created DermaShoppe, a one-stop skin care education and
online product shopping experience.
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âThe idea for DermaShoppe is not revolution-
ary by any standards,â he says. âWe just thought
to bring skin care education of the sort you get
when you visit a doctor, together with an online
opportunity to purchase high-end, physician-
grade products.â
The entrepreneurial pair had to contend with
some nay-saying from the outside when they
first made public their determination to form
their partnership to launch DermaShoppe.
Nguyen believes that criticism is common,
particularly from non-entrepreneurs.
âWe can serve as an example of why going
into business with a friend is a great idea,â he
says. The two met when they were pursuing
their MBAs at Pepperdine Universityâs Graziadio
School of Business and Management. By teaming
up on various assignments, Nguyen and Leroy
found that they could effectively challenge
each other and still be friends. âThe key to any
successful business partnership is trust, and we
developed that level of trust through our
friendship.â
That trust helped the duo honestly approach
and amend knowledge gaps, something Nguyen
sees as a pitfall for many startups.
âTo fill knowledge gaps, we either brush up on
our skills or learn whatâs needed very quickly, or
we bring in outside consultants to help us with
what we cannot accomplish by ourselves,â he
explains. âBy having a clear channel of
communication and having a âzero egoâ
approach to running the business, we are able
to overcome many challenges that other
startups face in terms of human resources and
intellectual capabilities.â
As so often happens for entrepreneurs, one
idea leads to another. The next step for Nguyen
is to manufacture, market, and distribute the
companyâs own branded luxury skin care line.
âWe want to build an international distribution
network to successfully leverage the line and
compete with established players in the
industry,â he says.
While it is imperative for entrepreneurs to
constantly think ahead, Nguyen does enjoy
reflecting on all the steps that brought him to
this point. Now that the company has celebrated
its first year anniversary, Nguyen confirms that
making the decision to become an entrepreneur
was worth it.
âThe entire process has been very rewarding,
challenging, and intellectually stimulating,â he
says. âTo be able to create a company from the
ground up and watch it flourish is an experience
unlike any other. The journey has been full of
challenges, but I would rather be doing this and
working to fulfill my own dreams than be
working to fulfill somebody elseâs dreams.â ďŽ
Jimmy Nguyen, MBA â09
Patrick Leroy, MBA â09
Company: DermaShoppe
URL: www.DermaShoppe.com
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Mission: Make it easy for consumers to
purchase luxurious, high-end,
physician-dispensed skin care
products at a great value.
Business Idea:
Deliver online availability of a
large selection of the very best
skin care products.
Problem Set Out to Solve:
Exclusive spa-quality skin care
products are difďŹcult to obtain
other than through select
distributors.
Target Customer:
Mostly women, ages 25 - 70
Year Founded:
2010
Avg. Annual Revenue:
ConďŹdential
Number of Employees: 5
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13. WINTER 2012 | ISSUE NO. 4 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE | 13w w w. l a u n c h m a g . c o
Robert BuhlerAndy Bernbaum Auto Parts
Some peopleâs entrepreneurship adventure spans
years. For Robert Buhler, that journey was mea-
sured in months.
Not quite a year ago, Buhler was a freshly minted MBA graduate of
Pepperdineâs Graziadio School of Business and Management, certain
that entrepreneurship was his destiny. âI had taken Dr. Larry Coxâs
class on entrepreneurship thinking it would be a good background
course. At that time, I was planning to get my MBA in finance. But
his class was absolutely inspirational. From that point on, there was
no turning back. I was going to start my own business,â he says.
He was also confident in his skill of spotting financially strong busi-
nesses. Thatâs why, when a business investment opportunity crossed
his path in October 2010 before his idea for a start-up venture was
well formed, he borrowed money from his dad and purchased the
nationâs largest distributor of vintage Chrysler auto parts.
âThe company was financially strong and there was plenty of room
for growth,â says Buhler. âI was excited about the opportunity and
immediately got to work expanding the sales channels, moving to
a new warehouse, and initiating enterprise resource planning to
integrate all facets of the business, including planning, inventory
management, sales, and marketing.â That was no easy task âespe-
cially since the business had only sold the parts by phone over the
last 33 years.
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Apparently, Buhler was doing all the right things
in the right commercial space. In the early part
of the summer, he received a call from a busi-
nessman who was interested in buying the busi-
ness.
âThis was out of the blue and I wasnât even sure
it was a legitimate conversation,â he admits. âI
was in the midst of developing the business and
I had planned not to think of selling for five to
seven years.â
Over the course of three months, Buhler contin-
ued the conversations, as well as the hard work
involved in refining and growing the enterprise.
In mid-September, he sold the business, just 11
months after purchasing it.
âThis was incredibly intense and exciting at
the same time,â he says. âI was torn because I
thought of the business as part of me, and had
plans for it. But at the same time I was thinking
of it as an investment.â
What made the negotiations easier was that
the buyer had the same affinity for the business
as Buhler. âThe new owner and I really meshed
well with skill sets and vision. Heâs asked me to
stay on over the next few months to continue
the technology transition, and I will be available
to consult on an as-needed basis after that.â
âBuying and selling a business are two of the
most stressful events in an entrepreneurâs life,
and I can certainly attest to that,â he says. âBut
this was also one of the most exhilarating expe-
riences I have ever had.â
Now that the business is sold, Buhler has
achieved another goal: paying his dad back. âMy
dad is very happy that he leant me the money,â
he says.
Not one to sit on the sidelines, Buhler is looking
forward to the next chapter as an entrepreneur.
The proceeds from the sale will enable him to
purchase another business.
âIâve got my eye on another opportunity. I know
that buying and selling a business for profit
within a year is extremely rare, so I am not
thinking along those lines for this next opportu-
nity,â he says. âBut in the end, the ultimate goal
is to nurture, grow and then sell. ďŽ
Robert Buhler, MBA â10
Company: Andy Bernbaum Auto Parts
URL: www.oldmoparts.com
Location: Newton, MA
Mission: Give vintage Chrysler auto
aďŹcionados an easier way to
source auto parts.
Business Idea:
Transform a 33-year-old sales and
inventory systems to capitalize on
a wider sales channel
Target Customer:
Males aged 50 or older who are
vintage Chrysler car owners
Year Founded:
1978
Avg. Annual Revenue:
ConďŹdential
Number of Employees: 5
15. WINTER 2012 | ISSUE NO. 4 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE | 15w w w. l a u n c h m a g . c o
THE SHORT LIST
American Love Affair
myamericanloveaffair.com
Denim and fashion apparel
Noelle Nguyen, PKE Candidate â12
Anedot
anedot.com
Optimizing the way we give
Paul Dietzel, MBA/MPP â11
Behind the Brand
behindthebrand.tv
Expert insight to grow your business
Bryan Elliott, MBA â99
Beyond the Olive
www.beyondtheolive.com
Premium retail olive oil products
Crystal and Chip Reibel, MBA â09
BlogcastFM.com
Proven social media advice
Srinivas Rao, MBA 09
Business Simply Put
www.businesssimplyput.com
Strategy and financial management
Lori Williams, MBA â05
Capchure LLC
www.capchuresystems.com
Advertising Network for Tech Bloggers
Aaron Moskowitz, MBA â07
Derivatas
www.derivatas.com
Business valuation software
Geoffroy Dubuisson, MBA â11 and
Dat Do, MBA â11
DermaShoppe
www.dermashoppe.com
High-end, physician-dispensed skin care products
Jimmy Nguyen, MBA â09 and
Patrick Leroy, MBA â09
DevDugal.com
Business strategy advisor; The Redwood Bar &
Thirsty Pockets founder
Dev Dugal, MBA â04
Docstoc.com
Online document warehouse
Jason Nazar, M.B.A â05, J.D. â06
FCearth
www.fcearth.com
Eco-friendly, culturally informative soccer gear
and apparel
Jeff Rozic, MBA â06
Global Wave
globalwavegroup.com
Financial technology company
Zubin P. Mehta, MBA â06
Jobonomics.com
Empowering job seekers
Sameer Gupta, MBA â09
Jungo LLC
jungotoys.com
Flickerz - Flickable flying toy discs
Michael Cheshire, MBA â11
Krav Maga Worldwide, Inc.
kravmag-kids.com
Youth self defense
Matt Romond, MBA Candidate â12
Kensel & Co
www.kenselandco.com
Middle market investment services
Brendon Kensel, MBA â00
Layla
Singer/Songwriter/Fashionista; a music
phenomenon
Darlene Kiloglu, MBA â11
LearnItByEar.com
MP3 audio course-oriented flashcards
Brett Fisher, MBA â11 and
Stephen Yeoh, MBA â11
Linked Orange County
Networking and business connections
Bryan Elliott, MBA â99
16. 16 | LAUNCH! MAGAZINE| ISSUE NO. 4 | WINTER 2012 w w w. l a u n c h m a g . c o
THE SHORT LIST, CONTINUED
Locaxion
www.airvuegolf.com
GPS-enabled smart phone apps for golfers
Pratish Shah, EMBA â10 and
Froi Lomotan, EMBA â10
Lolay, Inc.
www.lolay.com
Location-based mobile apps
Bardia Dejban, MBA â10
LSR Lifestyle
www.lsrlifestyle.com
Wholesale cigar company
Jordan Rockwell, MBA â10
Personal Care Physicians
www.mypersonalcarephysican.com
Troy Medley, MBA â03
Quantumsphere
www.qsinano.com
Nano catalysts and integrated catalytic solutions
Kevin Maloney, MBA â02
SG Biofuels, Inc.
www.sgbiofuel.com
Jatropha as a low cost, sustainably produced oil
Kirk Haney, MBA â95
Shadys
www.shadys.com
Custom branded canvas golf cart coverings
Jaime E. Parker, MBA â99
Shark Bite Scuba
www.sharkbitescuba.com
Maker of award-winning The Tank DollyÂŽ
Kimberly Isaac, MBA â10
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 â01
Sohve
www.solve.com
Strategic consulting
Nick Mitchell, EMBA â07
Superhero Enterprises
www.superheroenterprises.com
Character-based publishing and merchandising
Davien L. Watkins, BSM â08
SwitchStream, LLC
www.switchstream.com
Management advisory services and venture
investing
Kyle C. Murphy, MBA â05
TrustyMax
www.go2socket.com
Maker of go2socket â grips bolts other sockets
cannot
Tim Kim, MBA â10
Vedanic
Premium organic & natural skincare
Varun Khanna, MBA â12
Webventurous.com
End-to-end web solutions
Dhaval Doshi, MBA â09
6100 Center Drvie | Suite 400 | Los Angeles, CA 90045 | bschool.pepperdine.edu
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