Spring Break
Minding Your Own Business
A Miami student creates, manages, and owns his own Internet company.
Laura Pollina
Issue date: 3/28/06 Section: Features
"People loved it," he explained. "After we sold our last copy, we said 'OK, that was awesome, so what else can we do?'"
That summer Dopkiss went to work again with Whitman and created Vandelay Custom Cards. Any Seinfield addict would recognize the company as a manufacturer of latex, and as a fan of the show himself, Dopkiss chose the name to represent the custom made playing cards company at www.vandelay.us. At this site a customer can choose 52 pictures to be placed on the face of each card and one for the backs of the deck.
With some solid business experience under their belts, Dopkiss and Whitman then created dynamIt with only $500 in their pocket. Now dynamIt employs numerous people including sales and marketing representatives, programmers, designers and financials.
Each year their business grows. With roughly 75 subscribers throughout the Midwest, at any given time, there are several hundred people using dynamIt to update their Web sites, Dopkiss explained.
"We want to see the company grow," Dopkiss said. "Our one-year goal is to push dynamIt subscriptions up to 1,000."
So what is Dopkiss's favorite part about it all?
"It's a romance with ideas and creation," he said. "It is quite gratifying to see a good idea work and prove itself to you through application, revenue and the satisfied patronage of customers."
Despite all of Dopkiss' hard work and success, the reality of juggling college and the business comes with a price.
"The worst part is the battle with balance," Dopkiss said. "I've given up portions of my GPA to this battle."
Based out of Columbus, Dopkiss often finds himself making the three hour trip back to the office to conduct business, including client relations and design consultations for new customers. Sometimes these demands have called for the trip four times in one week.
As a student at Xavier University, Dopkiss' partner Whitman reflects his colleague's views for the need of constant communication.
That summer Dopkiss went to work again with Whitman and created Vandelay Custom Cards. Any Seinfield addict would recognize the company as a manufacturer of latex, and as a fan of the show himself, Dopkiss chose the name to represent the custom made playing cards company at www.vandelay.us. At this site a customer can choose 52 pictures to be placed on the face of each card and one for the backs of the deck.
With some solid business experience under their belts, Dopkiss and Whitman then created dynamIt with only $500 in their pocket. Now dynamIt employs numerous people including sales and marketing representatives, programmers, designers and financials.
Each year their business grows. With roughly 75 subscribers throughout the Midwest, at any given time, there are several hundred people using dynamIt to update their Web sites, Dopkiss explained.
"We want to see the company grow," Dopkiss said. "Our one-year goal is to push dynamIt subscriptions up to 1,000."
So what is Dopkiss's favorite part about it all?
"It's a romance with ideas and creation," he said. "It is quite gratifying to see a good idea work and prove itself to you through application, revenue and the satisfied patronage of customers."
Despite all of Dopkiss' hard work and success, the reality of juggling college and the business comes with a price.
"The worst part is the battle with balance," Dopkiss said. "I've given up portions of my GPA to this battle."
Based out of Columbus, Dopkiss often finds himself making the three hour trip back to the office to conduct business, including client relations and design consultations for new customers. Sometimes these demands have called for the trip four times in one week.
As a student at Xavier University, Dopkiss' partner Whitman reflects his colleague's views for the need of constant communication.
