Tim Marquez Offers Encouragement to Local Entrepreneurs

Tim Marquez, Founder/CEO of Venoco, Inc., was the keynote speaker at Mi Casa's November 3rd Business Networking and Resource Fair. He spoke about his humble upbringing in southwest Denver and how he managed to build a billion-dollar company out of an initial equity stake of $3,000. "I could list 100 things I didn't have going for me," Marquez said of his early years at the helm of Venoco. "But I'm hard headed, tenacious and persistent - that's what I had going for me."

Marquez went on to say that he thinks starting a business to get rich is a terrible idea. "You have to start with something you are passionate about and build an organization around other people who are fired up and care about what they do," Marquez told the crowd of about 130. "It was two years between the time I started Venoco and when I closed the first deal," Marquez said. "There was a lot of pain and rejection along the way."

"I made a lot of mistakes in business - I continue to make mistakes," said Marquez. "But that's OK, because as long as you don't make the same mistakes, you're good." Marquez encouraged the entrepreneurs in attendance to continue to take advantage of the small business resources offered by Mi Casa and take every opportunity to network with each other and seek advice.

Here are a few photos from the event: