Category: Success Stories

  • Gustavo Guzman-Lezama '15 – CSUF Entrepreneurship Success Story

    Gustavo Guzman-Lezama ’15 spent years working in his family’s Mexican restaurant before he went to college. Last fall, his father, handed over the Mission Viejo business to his son, and Guzman-Lezama has taken full ownership while studying at Mihaylo. Being both the boss and a full-time Mihaylo entrepreneurship student is a lot of work, but…

  • Reuben Fine '06 and Rey Marques '06 – CSUF Entrepreneurship Success Story

    Reuben and I were lucky enough to meet through the Entrepreneur department. I was looking at both management and marketing as an emphasis for my major when I first heard about the entrepreneur program. I knew that I wanted more hands on training with real world applications since I ran my own part-time web design…

  • CSUF Entrepreneurship Success Story: Brian Evans '10

    I graduated from Cal State University, Fullerton in 2010. Since graduating I have been pursuing a career in photography specializing in portraiture and lifestyle; my company is called Brian Evans Photography. Though I currently reside in Orange County, I have traveled throughout the United States capturing images for editorial and commercial clients. In addition to…

  • CSUF Entrepreneurship Success Story: Kristina Elmido '08

    Food and business are two of my passions. Add 2 cups of drive, 1 cup inspiration, a dash of knowledge, a sprinkle of connections and you create an Entrepreneur. I graduated from CSUF in 2008 with an Entrepreneurship concentration. The skill I gained on executing and managing vision, passion, perseverance, and drive has been invaluable…

  • CSUF Entrepreneurship Success Story: Brian De La Rosa '06

    I graduated from CSUF in June 2006 and, before I could enjoy some downtime, I quickly began working in the marketing department at Disney Consumer Products. After four years at Disney and then a couple more years jumping around at other entertainment companies, I finally took the plunge to start my own business and left…

  • CSUF Entrepreneurship Success Story: Lee Daigle '11

    Lee Daigle graduated from Cal State Fullerton in May of 2011 with a major in Entrepreneurship. Bitten by the new venture bug, Lee immediately joined a Newport Beach startup publication called “My MapBook.” Despite Lee’s best efforts, the publication was not able to successfully launch in Newport Beach though it was successful in the Bay…

  • CSUF Entrepreneurship Success Story: Kevin Burke '10

    Kevin Burke has a client list 100 names long. Names like Leroy, Bruno, Piper, Charlie, Doc, Lily, Truman, Betsy, Sophie, Bella, Reggie and Scooter. Ranging from 10 to 175 pounds, they are canine clients of Burke’s Newport Beach-based dog-care company, Newport Tails. In the beginning there was one client: Precious. Burke found her in 2010…

  • James Bobbett '07 – Real Estate Brokerage

    James Bobbett got his real estate license and sold his first property when he was 18 years old. Growing up, “I ate, slept and breathed real-estate,” recalls Bobbett, who earned a B.A. in marketing in 2007. “My mom was a real-estate agent, and I helped her quite a bit. Since there were no GPS devices…

  • Alumnus, Entrepreneur, Bootlegger

    What happens when your hobby outgrows its hobby status? If you are experimenting with making craft beer in your garage, you end up supplying the entire neighborhood. That is what happened to Aaron Barkenhagen ’07. His love of good beer and his loyalty to his Fullerton neighbors created a symbiotic relationship that still exists today.…

  • How a CSUF Startup Incubator Resident will Revolutionize Philanthropy

    Think about all of the purchases you make with coupons. You have probably used a coupon to buy a meal, to do an activity while on vacation, or maybe even when getting a procedure like Lasik surgery done. Now, what if I told you that there is a company that is a CSUF Startup Incubator…