Daniel Gutzmore (‘01 BS) & Juan Perez (‘02 BS)
Daniel Gutzmore and Juan Perez grew up a mere 20 minutes apart, but never knew each other. It wasn’t until they met at WVU that they would soon start a friendship that would lead to success as young entrepreneurs and humanitarians.
Daniel, a native of the Big Apple, and Juan, a Brooklyn native, met through a mutual friend while studying advertising in the Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism. During that time they started Highbrid Entertainment, a promotional company for music.
After Juan graduated in ’01, and Daniel in ’02, they decided to take different career paths, but continued their involvement with Highbrid Entertainment. Without a main source of profit to feed the entertainment business, Daniel, Juan, and a group of friends needed another way to keep the business running.
Because of this, Highbrid Outdoor was born.
“It was kind of a perfect storm,” Daniel explains. “It wasn’t intentional. Highbrid Outdoor was born out of a brainstorming session—how can we branch out and create revenue to make our music?”
Daniel is President and Juan serves as CEO of the premiere commuter van marketing vendor. The company has exclusive contracts with privately owned van companies which Highbrid makes over into advertisements on wheels.
Highbrid Outdoor mainly services small businesses that want to reach a broader area and demographic, covering all five Burroughs of New York City. They specialize in providing their clients with unmatched visibility in high traffic areas of the city.
Daniel and Juan aren’t only concerned about making money. They have become humanitarians and want to work with businesses that will make their communities better. A few of the businesses they work with are Western Union, NYC Department of Corrections, Air Jamaica, and the National Institute for Missing and Exploited Children. As business continues to boom, the pair says they want to help the community and their clientele just as much as they want the company to expand.
“Highbrid Outdoor offers a very detailed opportunity for our clients,” Juan explains. “Business is business, but we try to work with clients who we feel will have a greater impact on our communities as a whole.
“Right now we are working on campaigns to educate the community on being healthy when it comes to diabetes. We serve the African American community, which is disproportionately affected by diabetes. We are working with a specific product that will help people monitor their diabetic conditions. We aren’t looking to exploit the community, but rather offer a service.”
These two entrepreneurs credit their ventures at WVU with the success of their business. “Looking back on it now, I can say that experiences like putting on shows at 123 Pleasant Street and working during Derby Days, prepared us for what we are doing now with Highbrid Outdoor,” says Daniel.
As their achievements with Highbrid Outdoor have become more popular throughout New York, many business owners come to them seeking guidance.
“We’ve become mentors within the communities we represent,” Daniel says. “People feel comfortable enough with our experience to contact us for advice on their business.”
Both men note the importance of establishing a bond with customers, saying it is one of the most rewarding aspects of their jobs.
“Oftentimes, Daniel and I will take a personal check out to our vendors just to see the smile on their faces,” Juan says. “These are men and women who spend a lot of time growing their business $1 or $2 at a time. If I can put a check in their hand for $1,000 or so, it’s a ‘wow’ factor. They can look at it and say, ‘I was a part of something big.’”
These two successful, yet humble, entrepreneurs can be found on every level in their business, working anywhere from a dirty garage where they oversee a van advertisement installation to Midtown Manhattan wearing suits for business meetings.
“All of our revenue is directly generated from our own hard work,” Juan adds. “We are almost six years deep in the business looking to grow. Within the next year we project revenue of over $1 million.”
Daniel and Juan understand that entrepreneurship can be frightening to some, but both hold firm to the idea that if you are confident, driven and passionate your goals are achievable.
“There’s no room for self doubt,” Daniel says. “So many people are going to doubt you, and if you doubt yourself it becomes insurmountable.”
Juan adds, “Surround yourself with people who are like minded and just as ambitious as you. But if you have a great idea to start a company, do it yourself.”
This article was written by Cordia Lucas (‘10 BA) and Krista Froess, a senior public relations major.