Bryson Ishii '09
Position: Principal, Growth Factor Ventures Inc.
Industry: Venture Capital & Private Equity
Lesson Learned: Business is blunt, brutal and unforgiving. Deal with it and keep going because success in business is as simple as setting a goal, finding a way to get there and executing.
I currently work as a member of a strategic planning team to evaluate business direction and develop long-term sustainability for Rigo International. My role is to increase operational efficiency within the company and leverage current resources to meet demands. While importing apparel and manufacturing are our core business, I also play a significant role in alternative ventures such as real estate development by utilizing my evaluation, management, operations and strategic planning skills.
While at LMU, I was fortunate to obtain a technical and strategic education by majoring in both accounting and entrepreneurship. Both skillsets are extremely important and valuable in my career. The entrepreneurial side allows me to look at a business opportunistically while the accounting side lets me justify and support the decisions I make with concrete data.
LMU’s entrepreneurship program prepared me to think more like a leader and less like a student. The curriculum opened my eyes to the real world through classes, competitions and projects. The lessons learned and advice received from Professors Fred Kiesner and David Choi gave me the confidence and capability to converse and operate at a level of business comparable to graduates from the best schools in the nation.