Business Without Borders

By Suzanne Beranek

09/27/2007

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When 8-year-old Greg Turkanik went from the small, communist-ruled Polish town in which he lived to a larger city in the Czech Republic for music lessons, he learned more than violin and piano. He discovered the lure of capitalism. He purchased bubble gum wrapped in cartoons in bulk and sold them for a profit to classmates at home. His early ambitions were popped, however, when his business was exposed.

"As soon as my teachers found out I was making money," he recalled, "they forbade me and actually forced me to give some money back."

The same inquisitive nature that designed this venture led Turkanik to a curiosity about international relations. The son of a theologian who spoke at conferences and colleges around the world, Turkanik found the language and cultural differences among the countries he visited fascinating.

These interests were suspended, however, when a grown-up Turkanik wound up working for the largest published newspaper in Warsaw and realized he was not fulfilled. "It's much safer to work for a big company, but I felt trapped," Turkanik shared. "I didn't feel like I was making a difference from my cubicle."

So, with a wish to start his own business, he decided to pursue his MBA. A friend of his brother's suggested Turkanik visit Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla. Turkanik toured many schools, but he felt most inspired by Rollins. So, he moved to Florida and, in the classroom, his dreams took flight.

During his second year in 2005, Turkanik and his team of MBA classmates--including Gwang-Ho Park (South Korea), 27, Xiong Wenni (China), 28, and Jakub Prozner (Poland), 24--entered a Venture Plan competition as part of their entrepreneurship class. When brainstorming, the team discovered that their united passions involved international business and consulting and-since they speak 12 languages between them-that there was an untapped opportunity they alone could capture. They submitted a plan for Eximuse Global Group, came in second in the competition, and then realized their imaginary company might actually stand a chance in the real world.

So, like all good business students, they did their research. They conducted feasibility studies, talked to professors (who wisely insisted that they needed at least one client to even consider getting started), and shopped around for potential interest from large corporations. Amazingly, within one month, they were able to secure two clients: CNL Corporation and Becco Biofuel. Entrepreneurship professor Michael Bowers had warned the sales cycle for consulting companies is long.

"He was right," Turkanik smiled. "We were really lucky."

Once clients were on board, business progressed. The team formed an advisory board consisting primarily of business professors, stationed headquarters with five desks in Turkanik's off-campus apartment and began their first project.

Today, Kurkanik, 31, and his colleagues no longer need an apartment. They accomplish tasks from Poland, China, Chile, and around the world, using cell phones and laptops to help clients answer such quandaries as the best mode of entry into new markets, whether they should start subsidiaries, and if they should consider a joint venture.

Eximuse has found they are sometimes at an advantage over other, larger consulting companies due to their ability to diminish bureaucracy and complete tasks quickly and efficiently. For example, they recently delivered a project in one week that needed six or seven solid days of work.

"I called my partners," Turkanik shared. "I even woke one up." They pulled all-nighters and came through.

Working round-the-clock on deadline is sometimes part of the territory for new entrepreneurs, but the payoff makes it worthwhile. "I'm doing exactly what I'm passionate about," Turkanik said. "I love the entire process of consulting: from working with clients to figure out problems and determine solutions to implementation and evaluation."

© 2007, Beranek Communications. All rights reserved.