Reena Jadhav of NuResume had the great pleasure of interviewing Ben Behrouzi.
 

Ben currently serves as CEO of DotNext Inc., a leading bay area venture firm with head quarters out of Pleasanton California.   DotNext owns and operates a growing series of Internet companies that includes iHype.com, LeapFish.com and continues in its path to deliver new and innovative internet companies.
 

Ben Behrouzi has extensive experience in building and managing startups, building management teams, developing core technology infrastructure and leading product design and architecture.
 

Ben was bitten by the entrepreneur bug at a very early age when he started his first novel service KwikKoupon.com and developed one of the first online coupon destinations for his local community of businesses while still in high school.  Ben successfully signed on and served several hundred local businesses and was featured on the cover of the Modesto Bee business section at the age of 16.  Since then, Ben has been busy building and growing over 25 multi-million dollar products and services, an array of profitable internet companies and producing millions in revenue.  Ben’s latest company, DotNext, is parent to some of his newest and up-and-coming internet companies.
 

So what does it take to be a successful entrepreneur?
 

“Very little sleep and a lot of dedication.  You’ve got to be able to take risks and I think you have to have a very big creative bone in you.  And you’ve got to want to give back.  And, not just in communities but literally in the sense of – Do you want to innovate?  Do you want to create change?  Do you want to move something from the first level to the next phase to the next phase? “
 

What Ben likes about being an entrepreneur is the ability to make that difference.
 

“Aside from the adrenaline rush and the risk taking aspect of it, I like being able to make a difference.  Being able to employ people.  Being able to generate revenue.  Being able to generate profits.   Being able to innovate.  Being able to generate new found value to the prospects that you’re interacting with.  It’s very dynamic, very versatile.  I find it to be perfect for me.”
 

Ben believes in giving back.  He acts as a frequent consultant for young founders and startup organizations in the San Francisco bay area and enjoys providing guidance in startup architecture, agile software engineering and scalable technology infrastructure.
 

Check out Ben’s video.