BGSU College of Business - 2008 Sebo Series in Entrepreneurship

Dallas Hamilton Center

From Inspiring Ideas, To Economic Vitality

Paul Orfalea opened a small copy shop called Kinko's in 1970 and later sold it to FedEx for more than $2 billion. Orfalea molded a compassionate, unconventional, partner-driven culture that allowed Kinko's to thrive. According to Fortune, Forbes and Mother Jones, it is one of the best places to work in America. Orfalea has been featured in numerous national publications. His rise through the business world was sparked by a belief in the power of entrepreneurship and a strong commitment to customer relationships and corporate responsibility. Orfalea has authored two books: "Copy This!" and The "Entrepreneurial Investor."

VIDEO ELEMENTS FROM PAUL ORFALEA'S ADDRESS

Ellie Rubin is a number-one national best selling author, international speaker and media personality as well as an entrepreneur. As the co-founder of The Bulldog Group, Rubin transformed her company from a traditional marketing and design company into one of North America's leading multimedia production houses and then pioneered one of the hottest niches in software-content management. This entrepreneurial journey formed the basis of her first best seller, "Bulldog-Spirit of the New Entrepreneur," which chronicles the roller-coaster business ride that any careerist would recognize.

VIDEO ELEMENTS FROM ELLIE RUBIN'S ADDRESS

FROM INSPIRING IDEAS TO ECONOMIC VITALITY

The Startup, Bill Dallas, Fox Sports Grills

Bill shared the entrepreneurial ups and downs of the development of Fox Sports Grill, the evolution of previous sports/dining concepts, key learnings from those operations, and how to harness a worldwide brand and the Power of FOX.

Small Business, Ron Whitehouse, HQ Chicago Inc. (retired)

Ron briefly summarized three of his small business start-ups and acquisitions
[a manufacturing company, a business services company and a restaurant] with emphasis on the principals that contributed to their growth and profitability.

Financing, David Seidman, Emerging Ventures Limited (retired)

This session provided an introduction to the sources of venture funding for your proposed enterprise. David invited you to "walk a mile in an investor's moccasins" as he helped you see your opportunity through the eyes of the investor.

Sales, Bob Heckman, The Allen Group

Bob examined effective sales and marketing techniques from the buyer's perspective. His findings are based on interviews he conducted with senior-level decision makers for his book, Boardroom Selling.

Note: Concurrent sessions repeated in the day's schedule and all presenters left time for questions and discussion.

Dallas-Hamilton Center for
Entrepreneurial Leadership
Bowling Green State University
College of Business Administration
371 Business Administration building
Bowling Green, Ohio 43403-0260