Diversity MBA Magazine - Summer 2008 - (Page 65)

OUTLOOK FOR ENTREPRENEURS biggest household name in business can help you understand what Donald Trump is really like. “One thing I noticed is that he’s very opinionated and a very big thinker. He doesn’t think there is anything he can’t do,” says Sun. Sun always looked for opportunities. He noted that rich men read the Wall Street Journal, and at age 13, he began intensely tracking daily stock quotes. His motivation and preparation paid off. When he turned 18, Sun opened up a brokerage account with $5,000 of his childhood savings. In 1996, after the growth of his own personal investment, he created a technology investment fund to manage others people’s investments. This quickly grew to $4.5 million. With his clients happy with a 12-15% return, his fund far exceeded that. Sun ended up cashing out with $2.2 million before he even graduated cum laude at the University of Washington. But it wasn’t without sacrifice; he worked 60-hour weeks while balancing his business and CIS degree. The husband and father of two, now 30, credits his success from his ability and enjoyment of multitasking while being meticulous about every detail. After graduating, Sun worked as a management consultant for Deloitte Consulting. Not long after, he got tired of the corporate life and left his comfortable six-figure job to start his own technology company. He developed a wireless software company called 3T Network and sold it several years later. Future Plans Currently, Sun is dreaming big himself with the start-up of a new Internet social network called Zoodango.com. “It’s Facebook meets CitySearch and a bridge online to the offline world,” he says, adding that with innovative features like the Smart Invite engine that does a lot of the legwork in planning faceto-face get-togethers for groups of people, he seems confident that Zoodango will catch on in the wave of other successful social networks. Anyone that knows Sun would agree that he lives each day with deep passion, and not only in the business world. He is a board member of the Boy Scouts Scoutreach program and the Washington Technology Industry Association. He also is on the steering committee for United Way. In his latest undertaking, he was asked to be an international spokesperson for Hyundai. He recently filmed his first commercommer cial, which has aired to over 30 million viewers. The Apprentice Challenge Sun took on a new challenge that would test his business acumen when he was selected from 800,000 applicants for The Apprentice. He made it through all 14 weeks as the favored pick, but ended with a bit of controversy. Sun stepped up and won more as a project manager than his final competitor, Stefani Schaeffer, who never stepped up as project manager. And although the odds in Vegas had Sun as the favorite, Donald Trump ultimately picked Schaeffer and excused his decision by saying, “I didn’t like some of the dialogue…you know what I mean.” In his personal blog, Sun notes, “All in all, this was a great experience. I still wish I had won because I’m just a competitive guy, but I believe Stefani has the right industry background. I won’t concede that she outperformed me from a game perspective because I did have the numbers in my favor and I did show more leadership and creativity, but I believe Stefani has a great legal and real estate background…perfect for Trump’s world and she’s a great person.” The experience and exposure, nonetheless, provided a platform for Sun as an inspirational speaker on diversity, adversity and technology. Fourteen weeks of competing for a position to work for the June 2008 Top 1 0 0 Unde r 5 0 D i ve rse Le ade rs “My philosophy is to live a life of short street corners,” he says. “Every turn could yield a new surprise." He says he has more goals and projects that he hopes to achieve in his lifetime. Asked about his biggest lesson learned in business, he admits that he lost a portion of his investments trying to invest in the biotech industry. He advises to only invest in what you know best. “My philosophy is to live a life of short street corners,” he says. “Every turn could yield a new surprise. It could be good, bad, or great, but at least it keeps us excited and on our toes. Life is no fun on a long, straight highway knowing exactly where we’re going to end up. You need to have the willingness to come out of your shell and get uncomfortable. Get out of your world and challenge yourself.” |dMBA| 65 http://Zoodango.com http://Zoodango.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Diversity MBA Magazine - Summer 2008

Diversity MBA Magazine - Summer 2008 Contents Letters to the Editor In Your Own Hands Editor's View Find Your Power Voice Business Briefs Off the Shelf The Fourth Annual Top 100 Under 50 Diverse Corporate Executives Negotiation: The Art of Persuasion or Zero Sum Game? Career Planning for Tomorrow's Hispanic Workforce Who's Who In Diversity Entrepreneur Profile: Anita Santiago: Doing It Her Way Businesses that Keep On Giving Rising Sun Going Global: Will An International Assignment Benefit Your Career Work-Life Balance and the C-Suite: An Oxymoron? A Call to Save Travel: Off the Beaten Path - Chile Drawing the Line – Latin Art Exhibit The New Taste of Latin Cuisine American Sabor: Exhibit Highlights Latino Influence in Pop Music Crafting Specialized Business Degrees Latest MBA Salary Suggests MBA Is A Safe Haven Gadgets & Gizmos Gone Phishing – How Scammers Mine Private Data From Web Surfers Advertiser's Index The Meaning of Sanctuary

Diversity MBA Magazine - Summer 2008

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