California Miramar University

DISCOVER EVERYDAY GLAM WITH AN EDGE

California Miramar University, School of Business and Management, enjoys celebrating successful women who start their own businesses. Whitney Stern was inspired to become a jewelry designer while living in South America, skillfully learning to weave metals and mold organic materials through the craftsmanship of indigenous women. Whitney Stern Jewelry Design works with design teams and artisans all across Asia and Latin America and promotes authentic and transparent business practices while giving back to world communities.

Whitney Stern’s contemporary and symbolic jewelry collections offer a soft, airy feel worn by beautiful women for everyday use. Her pieces are versatile, glamorous and edgy, celebrating all women and their potential. WS jewelry is made from ethically sourced metals and the finest quality materials.

Whitney’s vision is to create meaningful, globally minded, and unique products that help empower women to dream big and spread their light. CMU invites you to meet the designer in person December 8 at Nordstrom Fashion Valley and celebrate women in business!

Fine Jewelry Trunk Show
Saturday December 8, 2012
Fashion Valley, California
6997 Friars Road
San Diego, CA 92108
(619) 295-4441
Fine Jewelry Floor, 11-6 PM

Shop Whitney Stern @ Nordstrom

In this week’s CalMU Business Spotlight, we have decided to feature none other than the San Diego Business Journal. We’re not playing favorites because they ranked us in the Top 10 MBA Schools in San Diego for our on-campus, Hybrid MBA and online MBA programs. Rather, the SDBJ is the premier source of business news and insight, connecting the San Diego business community together through its myriad events, engaging content and business awards. Here’s some more about them and why we have given them this week’s CalMU Business Spotlight.

The San Diego Business Journal highlights the community of business. From the corporate CEO to an MBA student, the Journal connects individuals and companies to current business events that make San Diego an exciting city for entrepreneurs and business professionals.

Readers learn of the latest high-tech companies and new innovations that are peeking over the horizon. People can read about the best CEOs and their business philosophy. Venture companies will learn about innovative new companies that need an angel investor to bring an exciting new product into the market.

Creative middle-managers are highlighted for their innovative style. That manager might be the right individual that a company seeking help needs to complete a critical management team.

Companies considering a move to San Diego can learn about this business community’s culture and discover the right person to close a great real estate deal or provide capital goods.

Meet the bankers at the SDBJ who can help a company grow. Meet the head of a licensed security company who can manage a portfolio. Meet the experienced business traveler who can brief a new business about Hong Kong and suggest how many big bulls to carry. Meet the chief chef of one of many fine San Diego restaurants where you and your family can enjoy a fabulous Sunday dinner.

MBA students appreciate the Journal’s varied content and featured businesses. By reading these pages carefully, a student can find a treasure trove of hints about the qualities a San Diego business owner seeks when hiring a new employee.

Learning about the San Diego business community will help an MBA student answer this critical question: If I hire you, what value will you bring to my company?

The SDBJ is opens up a world of unlimited possibilities, ideas and directions. Each issue offers a new revelation of what makes San Diego California’s best city for business. From glossy color layouts to no-nonsense analysis, the San Diego Business Journal gives the reader news, features, tips and opinions found in no other publication.

The San Diego Business Journal offers insight, vision and perspective to individuals and companies who need to understand San Diego business today.

As you may have heard, recent studies have come out revealing that when kids have questions they need answered, a majority turn to Google over their parents. While this is definitely intriguing, it is at the end of the day quite expected from our younger generations. But what happens when you take our current dependence on search engines and narrow its scope, say, to one geographic location? Well my friends, you’ve got SanDiego.com, of course!

SanDiego.com is a one-stop destination and search engine for everything you need to know about San Diego, including how to get in, places to go, people to see, concerts to hear, restaurants to try – you name it! Started in 1994, it is a high ranked website visited by hundred of thousands of people each month and its operations encapsulate what we try to instill in our students as one of the top online MBA programs in San Diego.

One of its cardinal strengths? President John Ferry’s pride and passion for America’s Finest City, and his determination to spread that to people all over the world. You see, not only is SanDiego.com a perfect for residents to go to find new things to do around town; it is also ideal for both domestic and international tourists wanting to come in and enjoy the full San Diego experience – whatever that might be for them – because travel information and search options are available rightat their fingertips to make the entire process easier and more efficient. And with news and information that encompasses all domains of the area, anyone can find anything that suits them the best.

One of my favorite things about SanDiego.com? The coupons! With an eye-popping abundance of discounts, promotions, promo codes, deals, codes, coupon offers and even buying/shopping advice, they really turn San Diego into a shopping haven. Not only does this help us consumers, but it also helps local businesses reach out to us, find their target audience and ultimately increase their sales and expand their business.

A prime example of very smart affiliate marketing for students in our business management programs, SanDiego.com’s business model is noteworthy. This is also one of reasons they were awarded the 2011 Small Business Award for the Most Innovative Marketing Campaign. Their social media marketing and networking is excellent (I frequent their Facebook page for San Diego events and post many links from their website to ours) and all in all, they are one of the many reasons why San Diego is one of the happiest places on Earth!

The city of San Diego has always been known as a veritable safe haven for small businesses, tucked securely away from the economic oppression that befalls other parts of California and, obviously, the entire nation. The inviting local laws play no small part in this and consequentially help extend the reach of these businesses even while sheltering them from the economy.

Continuing the trend from the past few years – when San Diego County tech startups climbed from 284 in 2008 to 319 just a year later – the outlook for 2012-2013 looks very positive. Because of the record of successes regarding startup launches in basically all industries, San Diego has been earmarked as a top-ten city for job growth for the next two decades! A few prominent reasons why San Diego continues to be so dominant in the tech area are:

• Over 33% of businesses are owned by women.

• San Diego’s lack of a city income or utility tax, and a very low business tax, contributes greatly to its attractiveness as a start-up site for new businesses.

• Over 8% of all private Biotech firms, and 10% of publicly traded Biotech companies are located right in San Diego. These also happen to be the fastest growing industries because of all the economic benefits to entrepreneurs and small businesses, which are the backbone of the entire US economy.

• San Diego has more college graduates as a ratio to non-graduates than any other city in all of California, making for a healthy pool of applicants for the plethora of burgeoning businesses.

• Hundreds of San Diego start-ups are multinational.




Upcoming events in the startup community in San Diego include: an MIT Enterprise Forum, sponsored by Deal Current CEO Jimmy Hendricks, who will be available to answer any and all questions; and the AT&T Mobile Hackathon, which is being held in support of the San Diego City’s apps challenge. It’s a small wonder that San Diego is the place to be for successful start-ups, and is a prime business location for small, medium and large businesses in all industries.

The Small Business Administration’s local San Diego office announced a couple of days ago the winners of its Small Business Week Awards. Winning the 2012 Woman-Owned Small Business of the Year award are Christine Givant and Debra Hubers, co-founders of San Diego’s own La Vita Compounding Pharmacy. Their business has been skyrocketing lately, with this prestigious accolade and the Seal of Accreditation they received just last month from the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board – the highest regarded accreditation in the industry marking their commitment to safety, patient protection and only providing high quality compounds. For these reasons and more I will describe below, this week’s CalMU Small Business Spotlight goes to La Vita Compounding Pharmacy.

In October of last year, the San Diego Business Journal named them as the 8th fastest growing private company in all of San Diego. They were founded in 2007 – amid the economic downturn – but have managed to successfully grow because of their commitment to only providing high quality compounds and the fact that the compounds they do make are personalized for every individual patient.

So unlike many over-the-counter pharmaceutical compounds and skincare items you buy, these are prescribed by a doctor or dermatologist who then talks with the La Vita team and works to provide the patient with the most ideal compounds for them. Because of this individual attention and superior customer service (everyone loves them!), they had a growth rate of 393% from 2008 to 2010, very impressive especially during the recession.

La Vita also holds a workshop called ‘Wine, Women & Hormones’, where they assemble a team of experts to discuss women’s biological, physical and emotional changes as they go through life. We are very proud to have Christine and Debra leading such a wonderful business right here in San Diego and wish them nothing but continued success. And for our on-campus, hybrid and online MBA students, they are a great example of why caring about every customer will not only help you grow as a person, but will help your business grow as well.

Okay so I know the title might be misleading because, well, Spring is always in the air in beautiful San Diego. But there are some activities that either only pop up this time of year or are just more fun to do when the “Winter” goes into hibernation. Here are some ideas to get your creative juices flowing and ensure you can never say, “But there’s nothing to do!” on the weekend. And for those in one of our online MBA programs, you can beat weekend traffic by doing some of these on a weekday.

Free Botanical Tours at Balboa Park

There are free 1-hour tours at Balboa Park starting bright and early at 10 AM (San Diego time). Visit the Park’s vibrant botanical gardens, including its award-winning Alcazar Garden, a floral garden that is a replica of the famed gardens in the Spanish Alcazar Castle, and rose garden with nearly 2500 roses in hundreds of different varieties.

The Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival

Located right by Balboa Park, hop on down to the lively St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival and celebrate Irish culture how it should be celebrated: with good people, live music, overwhelming beer gardens and delicious fare. How can anyone turn down a St. Patty’s Day FEASTival?

The 29th Annual Old Town Fiesta Cinco de Mayo

One of the best Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the country (trust me, it’s amazing), enjoy traditional Mexican dancers swaying to the grooves laid down by very talented musical artists. And when you need to take a break from showing off your dance skills, check out some very well-done historical reenactments and stuff down some of the best Mexican food San Diego has to offer. Fiesta Cinco de Mayo is held in the Old Town State Historic Park from May 4th through May 6th (Fiesta Seis y Siete de Mayo actually…).

Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay

For all of the music lovers out there, you all know how special Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay can be. (One of the first concerts I ever went to was a Beach Boys show here; I still remember jammin’ out to ‘Surfin’ USA’ to this day.) There are myriad different artists that are set to take the stage this year on Shelter Island, so you know that there will be at least a few shows you will want to check out. And even if you don’t know the artists, who cares? What can top an evening of great music and good company under the calming, setting San Diego sun?

These are just a few San Diego springtime activities, but they are definitely highlights that will not disappoint. They are ideal for all ages, and especially as a study break for our wonderful students in our Associate Bachelors, Doctorate and on-campus, hybrid and online MBA courses. Happy Spring everyone, let’s make some memories!

We are very excited to introduce the newest section of our blog: the CalMU Business Spotlight. Each week we will be going to different cities and choosing a business that encompasses true business success, which will inevitably be diverse and different for every Spotlight.

For businesspeople, students enrolled in traditional, hybrid or online MBA programs, or anyone who is simply interested in business/economics/entrepreneurship/anything really, the weekly California Miramar University Business Spotlight Series provides a refreshing look at the myriad definitions of business success. So visit us every Wednesday and let us know at any time if you have any recommendations for the next Business Spotlight; we are always welcome to suggestions!

As the first Business Spotlight of our blog and after much research and deliberation, we are pleased to put the Spotlight on San Diego’s own FortuneBuilders Inc. They are one of the most venerated and successful real estate education entities in the United States and were ranked #1 in Education by Inc. Magazine, underscoring how they have really changed the entire real estate investment game.

Led by four very talented real estate investors – Than Merrill, Paul Esajian, JD Esajian and Konrad Sopielnikow – FortuneBuilders teaches its students how to intelligently invest, market, wholesale and drastically increase their ROI in the real estate market. They hold a Mastery Implementation Coaching Program, which is reserved for a small group of their “most motivated students” and is truly the pinnacle of real estate coaching.

For the other 99% of their customers, from beginning to advanced students, FortuneBuilders University is a brilliant program that provides a comprehensive step-by-step walkthrough of how to make a living investing in real estate. (And by living I mean a really, really good one.) Some of the world’s top real estate investors show you the ropes and work closely with you to ensure that you leave FortuneBuildersU ready to hit the real estate world, network and start seeing profits right away. What’s more, which is very important in the real estate world, this program provides you with many new contacts that are vital for networking and your future growth as a real estate investor.

According to the latest Inc. Magazine statistics from September 2011, the last 3 years have seen a staggering growth of 2629%, with their 2010 revenue ($14.2 million) nearly triple that of their 2007 revenue ($520,300). They were founded in 2005 and have grown to a staff of about 25 employees. I am very interested to see how they evolve as the real estate market improves and how that will affect their business model, strategy and overall bottom line.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that Than Merrill, Paul Esajian and JD Esajian also appeared on Seasons 3, 4 and 5 of A&E’s hit show Flip This House, which is about – you guessed it – purchasing a house, renovating it, and then flipping it for a profit.

FortuneBuilders Inc. is a real estate dream team and I am very honored to be featuring them as the first ever CalMU Business Spotlight. If you are looking to go into real estate, do not forget about their programs. You will definitely come out with a better understanding about every process of investing and a more complete toolkit to start making the big bucks.

Last year saw San Diego pull out of its economic torpor. Tourism was up, as were payrolls; especially at the end of the year. What will 2012 bring? Here are some projections for San Diego in 2012:

The Chargers will find and solidify plans for their new home.

Year after year for the past several years, the Chargers have sought an upgrade to their playing field in order to please fans more. Unfortunately, although they have explored several options in Oceanside and Chula Vista, a final decision has yet to be made. For Chargers fans, there has been some disquietude as outside investors continue to pursue purchasing the Chargers in order to take them away from San Diego. Fortunately, 2012 will bring a final decision on the stadium; and whatever work is necessary will begin shortly thereafter.

The Navy will continue to try and repackage its downtown San Diego building project to meet everyone’s regulatory needs.

Sure it seems strange that the California Coastal commission would be the group that finally tells the Navy no, but consider this: A decade ago on the heels of watching the Pentagon be bombed by terrorists, the Navy floated the idea of putting its permanent headquarters in downtown San Diego, the largest tourist zone on the West Coast. It would seem that for security purposes alone, it was ill-advised. Turning the complex into a sort of Navy Disneyland to blend in with the tourists hasn’t met with success. Far better to take 9 holes out of one of the three full-length golf courses on neighboring Coronado, which are on-base, and build away.

Torrid Snapdragon sales will cause Qualcomm to expand as much as online MBA programs have in the past few years.

In a competitive market, Qualcomm has built another winner.

There will be calls in the US congress to revisit the BRAC or base closure process.

San Diego will need to begin the process to polish everything it has to keep everything open.