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Mike O’Brien, an online serial entrepreneur whose latest company, WineBattles.com, is the first time his passion has overlapped into business joins Enterprise Radio. Wine Battles is the tournament style social wine game where you drink amazing wines to become a more knowledgeable wine enthusiast!
Listen to interview with host Eric Dye & guest Mike O’Brien discuss the following:
- What is Wine Battles?
- Do I have to be a wine expert to participate?
- How do I get a wine education in a Battle?
- How did you come up with the concept?
- Can I do it at home or with friends? Who do I do it with?
- What types of wines and wineries do you work with?
Duration: 15:21
As Chief Executive Officer and cofounder of Mingle LLC, the parent company of Climber.com, Affinity Circles, Inc, and Wine Battles, LLC, Michael (Mike) O’Brien is responsible for running the day-to-day business as well as setting innovative Internet marketing strategy and service direction. He oversees all operational aspects of the companies, including product management, marketing and sales, research and development.
Prior to Climber.com, Mike was most recently cofounder and CEO of financialaid.com, a pioneer in providing college finance solutions online that became one of the most successful student loan companies in the U.S. While at financialaid.com, he also conceptualized and created CampusDirt.com (at the time, the number one online college search engine), RateYourCampus.com (online feedback community) and CampusClix.com (a college social networking website). In 2004, Mike sold financialaid.com and its properties to Education Lending Group (now Student Loan Xpress) which in turn was purchased by CIT (NYSE: CIT) for $400MM 2005. He remained CEO/president of financialaid.com until December 2005.
As a higher education, finance and Internet marketing media expert, Mike has been interviewed by numerous national television and print news media, including The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, NBC Nightly News, Fox News Network, the Chicago Tribune and Kiplinger’s. He has also spoken about Internet marketing trends and techniques at the CEO West Conference (Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization) and the National CEO Conference.
Mike is also currently an investor and board member of Understand.com, LLC. With his brother Matt, he also owns OBI, LLC, a real estate investment company. Mike received a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from California State University, Fresno, and is on the board of the Fresno State Alumni Association. He was the “Entrepreneur In Residence” at the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in 2003. Mike lives in sunny San Diego, and can often be found on the soccer field coaching his four boys.
Related Web Sites: www.WineBattles.com
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