Issue 3 Fall Issue

2

B eing a entrepreneur takes

risk, it take dedication and

hard work. Being afraid of

these things will never get

us to the success that we

seek. We have to drive our-

selves and not be scared to

work out of our comfort

zone.

Comfort Zone: Procrastinations, Doubt, Fear, scared

to take risk, second guessing yourself and on and

on and on. It’s time to awakening your true entre-

preneur self and go after what it is that you enjoy

the most and make it happen.

Lets no longer allow doubt to cloud our minds and

allow success to seek forward. We have no limits to

the amount of success that we can put forward but

the only limits we set for ourselves.

NO more limits. NO more doubt. Tell yourself that

you are fearless and are in control of your dreams.

Tell yourself that you can do ANYTHING you put

your mind to, because when you believe in yourself,

your ability and your strength. You become unstop-

pable.

Chaymeriyia Moncrief

Founder

Contributing Writers

Christian Murilo

Luke Landes

Davidson Leslie

Boulos Shunnarah

Terrence Belser

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t.a.b.s | Design Group

Advertising

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4

Should change be mandatory when run-

ning and operating a business? Is change

the only way for your business to survive?

Find out how Owner of The Overtime Bar and

Gauntlet Fitness, Boulos Shunnarah got his start in

business and what it’s like being a entrepreneur.

Do you carry the traits of a true successful

entrepreneur? Find out with this trait chart.

Are you familiar with the 4 pitches. Do

you know when and where to use them

appropriately ?

6

It’s time to re-

think things. Lets

shift your direc-

tion

8

E volution is inevitable. If your company is operating

the same way today as it did when it was first

launched, then you are stagnant, which means you

are losing business. Change is very important.

Whether it is a complete overhaul or a few adjust-

ments, every company can stand a bit of improve-

ment, says Michael Silverstein, a consumer and

retail expert with The Boston Consulting Group

(BCG), a global management consulting firm. "Even awkward first steps

toward improvement are highly regarded by consumers."

Seattle's Best Coffee, part of the Starbucks family, revitalized its busi-

ness and its 40-year-old brand earlier this year as part of its new strategic

direction. The company is rapidly expanding its diverse distribution with

a goal of establishing 100,000 places—from Burger King to Alaska Air-

lines—where people can enjoy a freshly-brewed cup of its premium cof-

fee. Within six months, the company increased ten-fold from 3,000 to

30,000 distribution points that include company operated stores, fran-

chised businesses, retailers, grocers, restaurant chains, and food service

locations, such as college campuses.

What lessons can entrepreneurs gain from Seattle's Best Coffee when it

comes to revamping their brand or business model? Here are a few sug-

gestions to consider before diving in.

1 . Be Ready for Change

Revamping your business requires shifting your think-

ing and being ready, willing and able to let go of

things you felt were perfect, which may no longer be

the case. A first step is to be open to changing or ad-

justing the way you do business and you have to be

prepared to act immediately. For Seattle's Best Coffee,

it all began one afternoon last summer with a conversation between

Michelle Gass, president of Seattle's Best Coffee, and Howard Schultz,

CEO, president, and founder of Starbucks Corporation. Starbucks and all

its brands of coffee in total have less than a 10 percent share of the

brewed coffee market in the United States. "We saw an opportunity to

grow the Seattle's Best Coffee brand and to approach the coffee category

very differently…in every phase of our business—partnerships, retail,

and packaged goods," says Gass.

2 . Determine Your Mission

Revamping your business involves taking stock of your compa-

ny's strengths and weaknesses—what's the total picture not just

a snapshot view. Before you embark on any type of product, brand or

company change, Gass says to bear in mind two things: 1) be clear about

what problem are you trying to solve, and 2) make it a mission project.

3 . Talk to People

Ask your customers, employees, business partners and

industry experts their opinion about your company—it's

products, services, and brand. Find out what they like

and don't like. How hard is it to do business with your

company? What would they suggest; do you need a

little revamping or a major overhaul? Have you clearly

communicated your positioning? Do you have good price value? Where

do you rate in terms of customer satisfaction and brand differentiation?

Your market research, both qualitative and quantitative will be able to

help you answer some of these questions, says Silverstein, who also is the

author of Women Want More: How to Capture Your Share of the World's

Largest, Fastest-Growing Market.

4 . Measure Your Total Market

That is the most important thing you can do as a business owner,

Silverstein says. "Many companies measure a narrow representa-

tion of what their market is." He cites for example, in targeting its soft

drink, Coca-Cola measured its share of colas; meanwhile, Pepsi was

watching Aquafina and buying SoBe, Gatorade and Tropicana. The real

measurement for both companies is their market share of beverages, Sil-

verstein adds. A good approach is to devote ongoing study in two arenas,

within your industry and outside it. How has the market changed in your

industry? Is your product or service still relevant? That's the moneymak-

ing question.

5 . Research the Competition and Seek

Allies

In the case of Seattle's Best Coffee, market research

unearthed a very important discovery. "The coffee

category had gotten very complex and cluttered—lots

of names and lots of geographies consumers can't even

pronounce," says Gass. How could Seattle's Best Cof-

fee evolve to be more relevant? The company's new purpose or mission

became to make its premium coffee simple and easily accessible.

The company expanded its distribution points by fostering new relation-

ships with retailers and solidifying exciting agreements with companies,

including Subway Restaurants, AMC Theaters, Border's Bookstores, and

Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.

The company created a new brand identity that evokes optimism and fun.

A new logo maintains the name and the color red while adding such sym-

bols as a drop of coffee, a cup, and a red semi-circle representing a smile

enclosed by a silver circle conveying a silver lining.

6 . Rethink Your Customer Base

Part of revamping your business may involve targeting your product or brand to appeal to customers outside your niche demographic, versus intro-

ducing new products or lines to boost business. Appealing to a wider customer base can make up for less business by existing customers. Readily

available for decades at specialty coffee cafes, kiosks, and food service locations, Seattle's Best Coffee added to its roster fast-food restaurants and movie

theaters.

7 . Improve Your Product Availability

There are rapid shifts in channels, Silverstein says. A mono channel player may not see in their data that they are losing share to a chang-

ing market. Don't limit your business to just one distribution channel. This also means making your service or product more compatible to

online availability. Gass says exploring new channels for doing business is just as effective as coming up with an entirely new business

idea. If your product or service can be utilized in a novel manner, this could lead to increased revenue as well as added value for your

customers.

8 . Determine Suitable Solutions

Here is where many people get stuck. Do not hesitate. Move forward. Once you have received a set of suggestions and you have figured out where

the key issues are in your business, realistically study them to determine what adjustments will best suit your business. Do you need to repackage

and reposition your brand? Do you need to identify new distribution channels? Or do you need to streamline processes? The overall goal is to respond with

change, advises Silverstein. Analyze what expenses are to be incurred in implementing such change. Zero in on what will save customers money and/or offer

the best product value. Identify what improvements

are more likely to bring in new customers.

9 . Create an Action Plan

Put down on paper what's wrong,

how do you want to fix it, and what

is your timeline for implementing

that change? Specify the role of

every individual team member in

accomplishing that change. Engage

in dialog back and forth. Do you

have the diagnostic right? Do you have all of the facts

on the table that you need to make informed deci-

sions? Are management and workers on board with the

changes? Once you have created an action plan, peri-

odically discuss where you are, what did you get right,

and where do you need to make adjustments, says

Silverstein. Track what works and what doesn't work.

Last Common Tip:

Communicate Clearly and Effectively

Whether its evolution or revolution, if you are going to

change, you have to tell the story why, says Gass.

Communicate in a way that reflects your brand.

"Rather than send out a press release saying that we

have a new business strategy, we did a fun video (that

can found on YouTube) for internal employees and

external stakeholders, where we took over Starbucks

headquarters and turned it into Seattle's Best Coffee

building for a day," Gass explains.

Issue 4 will feature a number of Al-

abama’s Very own Non-Profit or-

ganizations. We will get awesome

interviews behind these great or-

ganization and bring to light what

they are doing to serve Alabama.

Our cover will feature Craig J.

Boykins, Writer and Author of “My

Life, Your Inspiration”

Along with other awesome organi-

zation founders.

Stay Tuned and get your issue to

find out what other organization

will be featured and learn more

about your favorite non-

profits right here in

Montgomery, AL

Issue 4 releases Oct. 30, 2014. Want to advertise in this specific issue. Visit us online

at www.albusinesssource.com to get started

Or call 334-424-6537

12

STARTING UP & STARTING OUT

My father, Ray Shunnarah, came to America in the 1970s and was forced

into starting his own business with his brothers as a young teenager; So

growing up as a child, I lived under a roof of a man who worked 24/7 and

never let any failure stop him from his future goals. I obtained all the

knowledge from him and several other family members that allowed me,

in my first year of college to start Appearance Car Audio. I started this

business with my cousins, George Shunnarah and Issa Deades, at the age

of 18. My father and cousins put in a majority of the financials and I was

told from my father to give him all of my savings from working as an

assistant for a large law firm in downtown Birmingham. My savings at

the time was $7500, that I made from vending machines and working

while in high school. By year 3, of our business partners I became a larg-

er partner in the company as we continuously grew in our area, as one of

the main leaders in our industry. Over 10 years we worked on cars for

customers such as local celebrities, NFL and NBA Athletes, and your

average car enthusiast. I won several small awards from mobile electron-

ic magazines, was sent on trips as top salesman, Entrepreneur of the year

in 2010. In 2009, my brother-in-law Issa Odeh, my father and my friend

Blake Parker set out to start Overtime Bar and Grill. Overtime has now

been open for 5 years and has been named by Urbanspoon as the TOP

200 Bars/Restaurants in America. In 2013, I was approached to start

another business in a totally different field called Gauntlet Fitness Kick-

boxing. It is a great new gym with high intensity, safe non-contact

workout that helps you start a new lifestyle.

YOUR ENCOURAGMENT

W hen you grow up in an environment

with great leaders, who started from the

bottom, barely speaking English, with

no high school education, it becomes

instilled in your mind as a way of life. I

remember being in middle school and

getting in trouble because my note-

books would have hotels drawn, with

the operating cost and how I would

make money!

DIFFICULT VS EASIEST

Difficult, I would say trying to battle a lifestyle of working all the time

and going to school. I remember always telling my mom how my friends

were out living life in college, partying and traveling and I was working

60-70 hours a week while attending college. My mom always told me it

would pay off, but it was hard at 19 to see the light at the end of the tun-

nel. Thank goodness there was no such thing as Facebook then, because

mine would have been plain. I was either asleep in bed on Friday and

Saturdays by 10pm or working at the shop or hiding somewhere so no-

body would know I was not at the bars and clubs.

Easiest, I would have to say I have a great support team of family and

friends. Without good people around you it is almost impossible to really

prove yourself.. Also, I have always had great opportunity, people have

come to me, left and right at an early age with great ideas, which has

allowed me to seek many different options.

“ One thing I always do is look

at our competition from a

S.W.O.T perspective”

-Boulos Shunnarah

MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS AS A ENTREPRENEUR.

Drive, Determination, and Passion! Without these compo-

nents, I don’t think anyone can make it on there own. No one

wakes you up in the morning, no one makes you work week-

ends, and no one can make you enjoy what you do but your-

self!

WHERE IS THE ENJOYMENT

I never wake up and say I hate what I am doing!

Each night before I go to bed and every morning,

I am truly happy with my place! I am still trying

to grow my business and become a better person

but all while knowing that I am doing what I love

each day!

STARTING OVER DIFFERENTLY

I would of stayed in school and finished my Masters! Other

than that I have been blessed to do so much at such an early

age!

INNOVATION

Finding a new way to do something! Entrepreneurs have to

innovate different ways to bring in revenue everyday, it does

not necessarily mean create a new product, but ways to get

your product in other peoples hands!

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE & HOW YOU’RE HANDLING THEM

One thing I always do is, look at our competition from a

SWOT perspective. What are their strengths, weaknesses,

opportunities and threats? Label each of these, then develop a

strategic approach to better your product and services. For

example, in the restaurant bar business everyone sales a beer!

What can you do to make your beer more entertaining than

someone else!

I have too much faith in God to worry about the competition!

I know what it is like to struggle in business, and being at the

bottom is not a good feeling for anyone! I support all the res-

taurants that I like in our area and in return they eat and spend

their money with us, it’s all in good faith. Our gym business,

we have such a niche market that if a client comes in and does

not seem to enjoy our workouts we recommend what is best

for them! And in the stereo business one of the best things we

ever did was become friends with other competitors because

in return they sent us so much business when they could not

do something or even when they shut down.

ADVICE

Y ES, take all the advice you have been

giving! Never stop listening to the

older, wiser people around you! By

15, around all my uncles and family

members, I talked business with men

in there 40s, because you never know

what you can learn from them! There

are no substitutions for hard work!

And Finally, Passion! Passion is a

powerful force that cannot be stopped! Stick with what you

enjoy the most and you will be very successful!

Visit Boulos Shunnarah the Overtime Bar, which was voted by

the Urbanspoon in the 200 Most Popular Bars in 2013.

www.theovertimebar.com

Don’t forget to learn even more about Shunnarah businesses by

visiting www.gauntletfit.com and see inside of his Gym & Fit-

ness Center.

14

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E nter "entrepreneurial traits" into Google, and the menu

of frequent searches will complete the query with "...

of Steve Jobs" and "... of Bill Gates," among others.

These are the forces of nature that spring to mind for

most of us when we think of entrepreneurs--iconic

figures who seemed to burst from the womb with en-

terprise in their DNA.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, you don't have to be

Type A--that is, an overachieving, hyper organized workaholic--or an extro-

vert to launch a successful business. "Type A's don't take the risks to be en-

trepreneurs," says Elana Fine, managing director of the University of Mary-

land's Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship, adding that the same goes for

straight-A students. "Very often it's C students who become entrepreneurs."

Tenacity | Star ting a business is an ultramarathon. You have to be able

to live with uncertainty and push through a crucible of obstacles for years on

end. Entrepreneurs who can avoid saying uncle have a better chance of find-

ing their market and outlasting their inevitable mistakes. This trait is known

by many names--perseverance, persistence, determination, commitment, re-

silience--but it's really just old-fashioned stick-to-it-iveness.

Passion | It' s commonly assumed that successful entrepreneurs are dr iv-

en by money. But most will tell you they are fueled by a passion for their

product or service, by the opportunity to solve a problem and make life easi-

er, better, cheaper.

T olerance of ambiguity | “This classic trait is the definition of

risk-taking--the ability to withstand the fear of uncertainty and

potential failure. "It all boils down to being able to successfully manage fear," notes Michael Sherrod, entrepreneur-in-residence at

the Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University.

He sees the ability to control fear as the most important trait of all. "Fear of humiliation, fear of missing payroll, running out of cash, bank-

ruptcy, the list goes on."

Vision | One of the defining traits of entrepreneurship is the ability to spot an oppor tunity and imagine something where others have-

n't. Entrepreneurs have a curiosity that identifies overlooked niches and puts them at the forefront of innovation and emerging fields. They

imagine another world and have the ability to communicate that vision effectively to investors, customers and staff.

Self-belief | Self-confidence is a key entrepreneurial trait. You have to be crazy-sure your product is something the world needs and that you

can deliver it to overcome the naysayers, who will always deride what the majority has yet to validate.

Researchers define this trait as task-specific confidence. It's a belief that turns the risk proposition around--you've conducted enough research

and have enough confidence that you can get the job done that you ameliorate the risk.

Flexibility | Business survival, like that of the species, depends on adaptation. Your final product or service likely won' t look anything

like what you started with. Flexibility that allows you to respond to changing tastes and market conditions is essential. "You have to have a

willingness to be honest with yourself and say, 'This isn't working.' You have to be able to pivot," says Colwell of Plains Angels.

Rule-breaking | Entrepreneurs exist to defy conventional wisdom. A survey last year by Ross Levine of the University of California,

Berkeley, and Yona Rubinstein of the London School of Economics found that among incorporated entrepreneurs, a combination of "smarts"

and "aggressive, illicit, risk-taking activities" is a characteristic mix. This often shows up in youth as rebellious behavior, such as pot-

smoking. That description would certainly hold true for some of the most famous entrepreneurs of recent years.

16

K nowing how to pitch as an entrepreneur or busi-

ness owner is extremely important to taking

your business needs to the next level. Here are 4

key pitches that your should master and be

ready to use either one at an time.

THE ELEVATOR PITCH

An “elevator pitch” is a short summary statement

you make to deliver a compelling message about

your product or service. It's delivered in the time

it would take to complete an elevator ride (30

seconds - 2 minutes).

My recommendation is to have various formats of

your pitch handy (from 30 seconds to 10 minutes)

because you'll never know where you will be or

how much time you will have when you meet that perfect person to

pitch to.

THE VIDEO PITCH

I recommend you create a short video (under 2 minutes) explaining the

value of your business opportunity. Video allows you to include mu-

sic, images of your product, testimonials from your customers, and

examples of how you can utilize this medium for communication. If

you are posting your business plan and business pitch to an angel in-

vestor networking site, like Gust.com for example, adding a video

pitch to your account will help you stand out from the crowd, as well

as increase your likelihood of having your pitch viewed. It’s difficult

to share your personality and passion in writing, so take advantage of

video.

THE ONE-PAGE PITCH

As mentioned previously, it’s important to be prepared for any kind of

business pitch. This means you need your pitch in various formats.

There are several ways to format your pitch, but I’d like to feature a

one-page layout I’ve successfully used. This is a great example of how

to share all of the compelling points about your business opportunity

on a single page, and deliver it in a professional (and hip-looking)

fashion.

THE ON-STAGE PITCH

If you are lucky enough to have the op-

portunity to pitch your business oppor-

tunity on stage, or in front of a group of

investors (Shark Tank style for example),

you’ll want to first and foremost know

that you are now an “entertainer” on stage delivering a performance.

By this, I mean that you are now not only delivering your business

pitch, but you’re also entertaining your audience. Note: this is not

community theater; you are going for a Tony Award.

Just as an entertainer on stage needs to be concerned about his or her

personal presentation (clothing, hairstyle, use of hand gestures, smil-

ing, use of humor, etc.) and needs to stay on time and hold the audi-

ence’s attention, you too need to consider these elements to ensure a

successful “on-stage” pitch.

Learn to tell a Story. I highly recommend

you start-off any pitch by telling a story.

Your story should speak to how your prod-

uct solved someone’s problem. Don’t jump

right into why you’re great and why your

product is great. Rather, the most success-

ful pitches I’ve delivered and heard started

with a compelling story. At the end of the

day, your audience will remember the story,

and not your numbers or market facts.

The best way to ensure that your onstage

performance is exciting and memorable is

to consult with someone who can help you

put your best performance foot forward.

Rehearse! Rehearse! Rehearse! As the old

adage goes, "you only get one chance to

make a great first impression." Believe me,

I’ve bombed at delivering a pitch on stage

and I’ve excelled. The latter is much more

exciting.

J ust as with people, businesses experience a con-

crete life cycle. Some might call it morbid, but

it’s crucial to analyze your own company to

determine where in this cycle you fall. If you’re

dying, it’s time for a reincarnation – in the

startup world, this happens with a pivot. The

writing is on the wall: if your company is expe-

riencing any of these seven factors, it might be

time to shake things up.

The same results require double the effort. If everything

in your daily planning seems to be muddled with bureaucra-

cy, it’s safe to assume you’re not maximizing your time – or

that of your team. Efficiency is the mark of a well-oiled ma-

chine, poised for success. Lethargy points to an entity that’s

languishing. Where do you want to be positioned?

The team has lost its swagger. When people are passionate about the work they’re doing, the energy is obvious and infectious.

If there’s less mojo going around, it’s not just an issue of motivation (or lack thereof). Dig deeper and find out why.

The media ignores you. Journalists are in the business of covering what’s newsworthy. This implies that you have to be doing

something that’s actually interesting, innovative, and fresh to be featured – if you’re not, no wonder you’re not top of mind for

reporters. To put it bluntly, if you’re not making headlines, the front page will be taken up by your competitor.

You deliver more excuses than results. As numbers drop, you blame external factors and if numbers aren’t on the rise, it’s due

to a blip in the economy or that Susie was out on her honeymoon or Joe didn’t rally his own division enough. That’s not good

enough – if you’re the captain of your ship, it’s your responsibility to steer it accordingly, no matter the circumstances. Own up

to failure, accept the burden to fall on your shoulders, and move your team beyond that.

Your customers require “selling.” Your customers should act as a loudspeaker on your behalf, shouting your praises. Of

course, they’ll only do so if they’re satisfied. If instead you’re letting them down and losing business to a competitor, this is a

bullet to your brand. Once you’ve “sold” someone on the idea to buy from you – make certain that she stays with you.

You believe the market and tech trends “don’t apply to your business.” At their core, the market trends are your business.

No matter how talented the leadership or how incredible the product, a market without opportunity is a nail in the coffin. You

shouldn’t be operating your business in a vacuum – your product or service must be responsive to market needs, desires, and

fluctuations.

There’s turnover in team, vendors, and investors. If one person leaves, it could be based on any number of factors. If there’s

a group of people who are leaving in droves, that factor is you – and your company. If there’s any sort of exodus of people who

work for or with you, something needs to change. Losing a key team member, supplier or investor could be a death sentence.

Stop any future brain drain by enacting change now.

Creating change from within an organization is difficult, but imperative in today’s world of dizzying speed and ruthless compe-

tition. When stakes are high, double down on innovation. Pivoting requires tremendous thought and careful implementation but

when done effectively, this could be the phoenix for your organization, regenerating itself and rising from the ashes.

S teve Jobs' vision of a "computer for the rest of us" sparked the PC revolution and made Apple an icon of American business. But

somewhere along the way, Jobs' vision got clouded -- some say by his ego -- and he was ousted from the company he helped found.

Few will disagree that Jobs did indeed impede Apple's growth, yet without him, the company lost its sense of direction and pio-

neering spirit. After nearly 10 years of plummeting sales, Apple turned to its visionary founder for help, and a little older, little wis-

er Jobs engineered one of the most amazing turnarounds of the 20th century.

The adopted son of a Mountain View, Calif., machinist, Steve Jobs showed an early interest in electronics and gadgetry. While in high

school, he boldly called Hewlett-Packard co-founder and president William Hewlett to ask for parts for a school project. Impressed by Jobs,

Hewlett not only gave him the parts, but also offered him a summer internship at Hewlett-Packard. It was there that Jobs met and befriended

Steve Wozniak, a young engineer five years his senior with a penchant for tinkering.

After graduating from high school, Jobs enrolled in Reed College but dropped out after one semester. He had become fascinated by Eastern

spiritualism, and he took a part-time job designing video games for Atari in order to finance a trip to India to study Eastern culture and reli-

gion.

When Jobs returned to the U.S., he renewed his friendship with Wozniak, who had been trying to build a small computer. To Wozniak, it

was just a hobby, but the visionary Jobs grasped the marketing potential of such a device and convinced Wozniak to go into business with

him. In 1975, the 20-year-old Jobs and Wozniak set up shop in Jobs' parents' garage, dubbed the venture Apple, and began working on the

prototype of the Apple I. To generate the $1,350 in capital they used to start Apple, Steve Jobs sold his Volkswagen microbus, and Steve

Wozniak sold his Hewlett-Packard calculator.

Although the Apple I sold mainly to hobbyists, it generated enough cash to enable Jobs and Wozniak to improve and refine their design. In

1977, they introduced the Apple II -- the first personal computer with color graphics and a keyboard. Designed for beginners the user-

friendly Apple II was a tremendous success, ushering in the era of the personal computer. First-year sales topped $3 million. Two years later,

sales ballooned to $200 million.

B ut by 1980, Apple's shine was starting to wear off. Increased competition combined with less than stellar sales of the Apple III and

its follow-up, the LISA, caused the company to lose nearly half its market to IBM. Faced with declining sales, Jobs introduced the

Apple Macintosh in 1984. The first personal computer to feature a graphical-user interface controlled by a mouse, the Macintosh

was a true breakthrough in terms of ease-of-use. But the marketing behind it was flawed. Jobs had envisioned the Mac as a home

computer, but at $2,495, it was too expensive for the consumer market. When consumer sales failed to reach projections, Jobs tried pitching

the Mac as a business computer. But with little memory, no hard drive and no networking capabilities, the Mac had almost none of the fea-

tures corporate America wanted.

For Jobs, this turn of events spelled serious trouble. He clashed with Apple's board of directors and, in 1983, was ousted from the board by

CEO John Sculley, whom Jobs had handpicked to help him run Apple. Stripped of all power and control, Jobs eventually sold his shares of

Apple stock and resigned in 1985.

Later that year, using a portion of the money from the stock sale, Jobs launched NeXT Computer Co., with the goal of building a break-

through computer that would revolutionize research and higher education. Introduced in 1988, the NeXT computer boasted a host of innova-

tions, including notably fast processing speeds, exceptional graphics and an optical disk drive. But priced at $9,950, the NeXT was too expen-

sive to attract enough sales to keep the company afloat. Undeterred, Jobs switched the company's focus from hardware to software. He also

began paying more attention to his other business, Pixar Animation Studios, which he had purchased from George Lucas in 1986.

After cutting a three-picture deal with Disney, Jobs set out to create the first ever computer-animated feature film. Four years in the making,

"Toy Story" was a certified smash hit when it was released in November 1995. Fueled by this success, Jobs took Pixar public in 1996, and by

the end of the first day of trading, his 80 percent share of the company was worth $1 billion. After nearly 10 years of struggling, Jobs had fi-

nally hit it big. But the best was yet to come.

W ithin days of Pixar's arrival on the stock mar-

ket, Apple bought NeXT for $400 million

and re-appointed Jobs to Apple's board of

directors as an advisor to Apple chairman

and CEO Gilbert F. Amelio. It was an act of desperation on

Apple's part. Because they had failed to develop a next-

generation Macintosh operating system, the firm's share of

the PC market had dropped to just 5.3 percent, and they

hoped that Jobs could help turn the company around.

At the end of March 1997, Apple announced a quarterly loss

of $708 million. Three months later, Amelio resigned and

Jobs took over as interim CEO. Once again in charge of Ap-

ple, Jobs struck a deal with Microsoft to help ensure Apple's

survival. Under the arrangement, Microsoft invested $150

million for a nonvoting minority stake in Apple, and the companies agreed to "cooperate on several sales and technology fronts." Next, Jobs

installed the G3 PowerPC microprocessor in all Apple computers, making them faster than competing Pentium PCs. He also spearheaded the

development of the iMac, a new line of affordable home desktops, which debuted in August 1998 to rave reviews. Under Jobs' guidance, Ap-

ple quickly returned to profitability, and by the end of 1998, boasted sales of $5.9 billion.

Against all odds, Steve Jobs pulled the company he founded and loved back from the brink. Apple once again was healthy and churning out

the kind of breakthrough products that made the Apple name synonymous with innovation.

But Apple's innovations were just getting started. Over the next decade, the company rolled out a series of revolutionary products, including

the iPod portable digital audio player in 2001, an online marketplace called the Apple iTunes Store in 2003, the iPhone handset in 2007 and

the iPad tablet computer in 2010. The design and functionality of these devices resonated with users worldwide. Apple says it has sold more

than 300 million iPods, over 100 million iPhones and more than 15 million iPad devices. The company has sold billions of songs from its

iTunes Store.

Despite his professional successes, Jobs struggled with health issues. In mid-2004, he announced in an email to Apple employees that he had

undergone an operation to remove a cancerous tumor from his pancreas. In January 2011, following a liver transplant, Jobs said he was taking

a medical leave of absence from Apple but said he'd continue as CEO and "be involved in major strategic decisions for the company."

Eight months later, on August 24, Apple’s board of directors announced that Jobs had resigned as CEO and that he would be replaced by

COO Tim Cook. Jobs said he would remain with the company as chairman.

“Sometimes college is where it all starts,

sometimes it goes beyond the dorm walls,

sometimes it doesn’t, for me it did, with an

awesome story behind it” says Christian

Murilo, franchiser of Post-Net.

GETTING STARTED

I enjoy working with machinery and learning the different as-

pects of it all. Just 3 years ago, I was doing print jobs for my

college campus for parties, campus events and other invites. I

did really well, of course there was a party every weekend and

continuous events going on, so I was working non-stop, all

from my dorm room. I moved fridge into my closet chest, and

had a industrial printer in the corner, a table with 2 computers

and a smaller printer on side. Talking about mini printing

press.

WHY YOU AND NOT LIBRARY

At , my college (FIU) they charged 20 cents per black and

white copy and 30 cents per color copies and they limited your

printing to 25 sheets. In college, students aren’t thinking about

buying printers for cheaper printing, they just go to what's available, so why not make ME available and charge lesser. At first

the extra cash was just pizza and beer money.

YOUR FIRST BIG JOB

After about 2 months of the campus starting to become familiar with my mini print shop, one of the frat house president ap-

proached me and asked if I did printing over 500 copies , I wanted to say no because my industrial printer was loud and extreme-

ly annoying and it would probably take hours to print that many flyers. But, I decided to take on the job and got it done. I printed

850 Flyer and delivered on time. I found that a great sense of accomplishment and since allowed big jobs without hesitations.

ANY RISK

After about 4 months of doing printing for almost my entire campus, word around campus, the library printers were HISTORY.

They then began to figure out why many of the students weren’t printing.. One day after class I had a letter on my dorm door,

saying I must report to deans office immediately. Now there are only 2 reason to report to dean; You are either being rewarded

to kicked to curb. I was at risk of being kicked out, for violating campus policy.

Of course, when dean asked if it was true I was running a small little business for myself out of my dorm, I confessed. Taking

business away from your college in any form was strictly prohibited; so they say. I had a choice to stop or be suspended. Of

course, I stopped. But didn’t fall back.

YOUR COMEBACK

After having to move my printers out of the dorm, still I had no intention of stopping my little business. I had about $500 saved up and

was thinking renting out a small space, but $500 was barely enough. I started to bounce the ideas off my friends and parents, and first

thing they all ask, “Where are you going to get the money?” That’s why I’m bringing it up to you guys to help me, they were some-

what hesitant about loaning me money despite my success on campus. Make a long story short, I ended up renting out a storage room,

buying an intension cord and plugged up my printers, yes a storage room. Not the best, but the money would still be able to keep roll-

ing.

CAMPUS REACTION

Students, no problem. I was still delivering on time, just a little longer wait.

The campus library had not improved because of course I was still the go to man for printing. Even 2 or three page printing. Crazy, but

hey everyone wants to save a penny or two.

Anyway, the dean had dorm security check my dorm frequently to be sure I didn’t have any printing supplies in my dorm. They even

check other dorms to be sure I wasn’t hiding my equipment, they didn’t say it but of course I knew. He eventually called me back into

his office just 2 months after our first encounter and asked if I as still doing printing around campus, I said yes and explained that I’d

moved my things. He seemed upset about the situation but there was nothing he could do about it. 2 weeks later library takes down the

printing prices but keeps the printing limit They later raised it back to it’s original prices. Bummers right.

AND ALONG CAME POSTNET

Ah, yes, found out about PostNet while doing some research on starting a printing business. I was a bit hesitant about franchising but

then learned more and more about it. But the question was, why spend out so much money on a franchise when I keep things the way

they are. Answer is, Pivoting and also the learning experience I could get was hard to refuse.

My parents, friends and siblings began to see my success working out of the storage room to my parents basement and feed into it.

They then came to ME and offered to help me open a place, So I brought up PostNet and they thought it would be a good idea

GAME CHANGER OR PIECE OF CAKE

Game changer definitely. A year later although, I had my customers from college, it wasn’t enough to keep running alone, so of course

I had to do something I didn’t do when running out of my dorm and storage room. Market & advertise. But also many other things had

to take place to run successfully, that I didn’t do running out of my small spaces.

WHY THE HEADACHES AND NOT THE “SIMPLE ROUTE”

Although thinking it would be a piece of cake, I knew it would be a challenge because I was heading to the big league with the big

boys, and I had to play like a big boy. I honestly was using this as a learning experience and didn’t plan to be in the franchise no longer

than 2 years. I actually planned to make enough profit and save up and open my own print shop, something larger than my PostNet

store.

NEXT IN BUSINESS

The way the profits are looking, I plan to keep PostNet. I really don’t see any purpose of closing it, JUST to start over. So instead, I’m just

looking into my next investment. The plan is for my next business to cater solely to college students. I thinking maybe , selling college course

textbooks; printing them myself even or something, something that they can and will benefit from

ADVICE TO COLLEGE ENTREPRENEURS

Oh yeah, I’d say find something you will enjoy, don’t always go after what will be a quick buck or easy money, don’t be afraid to challenge

yourself and play with the big boys. If your just be patient, take your time keep it simple, you’ll be on your way.

Oh and don’t get kicked to curb by your dean. By all means run when they come after you, but never stop, there are always ways to keep

something going. (for those of you running campus businesses). But to all Keep pushing forward, and take every opportunity you get and go

with it.

Being a 501 c3 non-profit organization, we depend on fundraising, grants and donations. We call to our community, local business owners

and other non-profit to visit us online to find out what you can do to help.

www.womenofrefinedgold.com