MBA Students Lend Firms Expertise

Tony Vo openly admits that he could use some help running his Moorpark business.

His degree in graphic arts from Cal State Northridge, he acknowledges, did little to prepare him for working with distributors, filling production orders and scheduling work shifts.

“Obviously I’m not a business person,” said Vo, owner of the Inkwork Industries graphic design firm and the affiliated Jet Tribe clothing line targeted at jet skiers. “We sell through local distributors who resell to 20 or 30 Jet Ski shops, and there’s a lot of situations I get into that I don’t understand at all.”

As a result of steady growth in sales, Vo moved Inkwork’s headquarters three years ago from his small garage to a 1,000-square-foot facility. Earlier this year, he again expanded, this time to a 7,000-square-foot site.

Vo said the speed at which his 4-year-old company has grown has been overwhelming.

To help him through this welcome but awkward developmental stage, Vo has turned to advanced MBA students enrolled in Cal Lutheran University’s “Consulting to Small Business” course. Through the program, students serve as consultants to local business owners in need of guidance.

In early December, the seven-student class, under the direction of instructor Ron Hagler, began consulting with three area businesses to develop customized business strategies. Projects are scheduled for completion in mid-February.

Along with Inkwork, student teams are working with Hoyle Industries, a 40-year-old Fillmore-based manufacturer of rubber pen and pencil grips, and Signco, an 11-year-old electrical advertising firm in Canoga Park.

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“The real gift of getting someone from the outside to come into your business is their objectivity, which someone on the inside can’t have,” Hagler said. “This [course] comes near the end of the students’ MBA programs--one of our students is a CPA. These students are not lightweights.”

Hagler said the three business clients selected for the program are diverse in their development and require varied assistance. In the case of Inkwork, he said, the goal will be to help the business keep pace with demand for its graphics work, while at the same time taking full advantage of the Jet Ski-apparel niche.

“Inkwork is [Vo’s] bread and butter--he does graphics on T-shirts and those types of things--he’s taking all the profits from Inkwork and throwing it into Jet Tribe,” Hagler said.

“We’re going out there and sit down with him to try to focus on what he wants us to do,” Hagler said. “He’s got a hot product and he’s got a bunch of distributors banging on his door and he needs to be ready. He’s a very creative person, but he lacks the business skills.”

David Hatten, owner of Hoyle Industries for 10 years, said he is open to any suggestions the Cal Lutheran University students have to offer regarding his operation.

In addition to three types of rubber triangular pen and pencil grips, Hoyle Industries distributes several foam grips and manufactures metal bookstands and drafting tools. With the advent of computer drafting programs, Hatten said a different marketing approach may be needed to maintain interest in traditional drafting implements.

“There’s a possibility we’ll be adding new products to our line or different ideas in marketing,” he said. “With CAD, people aren’t using the drafting tools as much, but we sell a number overseas, and we still sell some in the United States. We feel there are other markets to reach. We are just kind of looking for some input.”