You have the perfect product or service in mind. You have an idea of what your website will look like, who your ideal customers are, and where you’d like to see your business go. Congratulations, you’ve officially begun your startup! Unfortunately, what many startup founders miss is that it takes more than just great ideas […]

I just returned from a memorial service for a dear friend of our community, JPMorgan Vice Chairman Jimmy Lee. The first time I met Jimmy I remember thinking that on the surface he was the epitome of an investment banker, with slicked back hair, suspenders, and a pinstripe suit; but in fact he was the polar opposite. We met […]

One of the biggest hurdles for small business owners and startup founders is getting name recognition in the media. We know the Googles and Facebooks of this world have no problem getting publicity because their brands are ubiquitous, pervading in meeting conversations with senior executives and brunch dates with friends. Not only that, but money […]

When it comes to my own future, I tend to approach everything with an extremely calculated, highly logical step-by-step procedure. I usually plan, revise, predict, and always act deliberately based on the information that I have (I’m rather left-brain dominant). Because I’m uncomfortable making decisions or taking action before evaluating every possible scenario, I’ll make […]

Still fresh off my last final exam of the semester, I began my new internship. Beer on tap in the kitchen? Pinball in the conference room? Super Smash Bros. in the break room? Check to all three—yep, I’m working at a startup. While many of my peers are trading in tennis shoes for tailored suits […]

When I arrive at Galco’s Old World Grocery, the last thing I expect owner John Nese to talk about is the future. After all, in its current format, Galco’s has been around Los Angeles’ Highland Park neighborhood since 1955, and in one form or another, the grocery store dates back to when the city was […]

If you’ve found yourself on tech websites, then you’re familiar with those cute videos demonstrating the latest products: young, modern people happily using whatever the company is selling while cheery music plays in background. Nootrobox, a nine-month old startup, has a video on its website that’s intent on showing why its line of “smart drugs” […]

When Armando Martinez graduated from the University of Miami in 2006, he knew he wanted to work for a small tech company. So when he landed his first job at AT&T, he was ecstatic to delve into the ad tech industry. Around this time, a lot of new advertising avenues were just emerging on the […]