Archive for the ‘Guest Speakers’ Category

By Sampad Das, MBA Candidate

Ronald L. Siegenthaler serves as Chairman of the Board for Xeta Technologies, a NASDAQ listed company that he helped found in 1984.  He also provides sales and marketing services for multiple opportunities through his consulting firm, Myriad Technologies. Mr. Siegenthaler started with sharing experience of his first venture. He presented insight into deal structuring which was knowledgeable as well as enjoyable. He also stressed on how important it is to learn from failure, bounce back and being confident. Some of his advices such as learn to hate losing, need to get prepared, develop a good plan, don’t be lazy be aggressive, must be creative; which he explained with interesting stories was inspirational. He concluded the presentation with his thought “THINK BIG”.

By Brent Selmins, MBA Candidate

Running a private equity firm gives a person unique insights into the entrepreneurial mind.  Sitting on the money side of the deal, Ron Siegenthaler has seen a lot of people with a lot of proposals for investment consideration.  His lifetime of success as an oil entrepreneur allowed him to be in the position to offer up millions of dollars in capital to aspiring entrepreneurs.

Mr.  Siegenthaler attributes his success to the entrepreneurial spirit—the indomitable characteristic that drives people to succeed at their goals no matter what obstacles are in their way.  He summarizes the spirit in a brief exchange he once had with a business partner.  “Why do you want to keep doing this,” his partner asked.

Mr. Siegenthaler replied, “Because if we walk out of here one day too soon, I would have been looking over my shoulder wondering what would have happened if we’d stayed one more day.”
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By Brent Selmins, MBA Candidate

Keller-Williams Realty was struggling at the outset.  Without much of a staff, founder Jim Waldrop was facing a situation where he could easily spend himself into bankruptcy.  The founder of the fledgling realty agency wasn’t about to let his new venture go under, so he took a creative leap of faith.

Mr. Waldrop and his miniscule staff brought in items to populate the office to make it look full.  Then, he set up the phone on a makeshift timer system to have it ring at regular intervals.  When prospective clients would come in to the empty office, the would ask, “Where is your staff?”

“They’re out getting new business for us,” he replied.  His phantom staff’s coats and personal items littering the office, and the phone ringing off the hook gave the illusion of success.  The projected image worked.  The clients started to flow, launching his entrepreneurial career into the stratosphere.

Mr. Waldrop took his creative flair and started HomeSphere at the height of the Dot-com bubble.  His experience in tough situations enabled him to navigate the turbulent waters of the bubble.  Today, HomeSphere works as a digital media lead generation service that brings manufacturers and distributors together with the homeowners and builders that need the services.

Creativity is the one characteristic that all of the speakers in Professor Steven Stralser’s Entrepreneurial share.  All of these sharp business minds have had the ability to seize upon an opportunity that most people weren’t able to see.  It certainly inspires me to think creatively about business opportunities.
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Billionaire investor Warren Buffett stood in the New York Public Library in June 2006 and announced plans to give away most of his wealth in a way that would maximize the social benefit. Matthew Bishop, chief business writer for The Economist, watched with interest as the richest man in the world was joined on stage by his closest rival, Bill Gates. | Video: Bishop answers the Thunderbird Question (1:12) | Podcast: Bishop on “Philanthrocapitalism” (13:45) |
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