"Only the Paranoid Survive?"

  At the recent Harvard Business School Alumni Entrepreneur's Conference here in Anaheim, we were asked to present a panel on "Financial Engineering."  Tom Dean of Capistrano Ventures (http://www.capistranoventures.com) was the moderator, and Francis Shinsato of FGS & Associates joined us on the panel.  A smiling Tom Taulli of Forbes.com asked me that morning, "Hey Gene, doesn't the term Financial Engineering have negative connotations?" Like ala Long-Term Capital Partners?  Hey Tom, entrepreneurs generally have little time to consider complex derivative swaps, nested collars, and whatever else "financial engineering" may mean in the back pages of the Wall Street Journal. 

  Our mission at the conference was to discuss simple but sometimes overlooked things like straightening up the books (e.g., use a balance sheet guys!), dealing with major risks confronting the fragile new business (like nasty litigation), and building a solid foundation to grow the company to the next level.  Maybe not as sexy as high-finance, New York City style, but these are things our local entrepreneurs want to hear about.

  And yes, we had some fun in the process, giving away nearly 200 Mueller Carey Frisbees at our sponsor table!  Please contact us if you would like a complimentary Mueller Carey Frisbee (while supplies last).  Contact Us