Todd Duff: EntreForum, Tuesday, April 14!

Want to know the secret to his business success? This month's EntreForum program features Todd Duff, owner of IVS Inc.

Businessman, magician and all around great guy, Todd reveals all at 5 p.m., Tuesday, April 14, at the IVS office, 404 Broadway.

The event is free. RSVP to EntrePaducah Concierge Terry Reeves by calling 443.1746, x208 or sending an email.

Here's a sneak peek behind Todd's entrepreneurial magic!

Todd Duff! Look how cute you are! And IVS Inc. — you all are just growing by leaps and bounds. How'd you get started with your own company?
Before I knew what an entrepreneur was, I fell in love with the idea of seeing potential in concepts that were overlooked by others. I always found satisfaction in making money from those concepts whenever I needed it.
For example, when I was in the third grade, I would put pennies on the railroad track next to the bus stop so the next morning I could pick up squished pennies and sell them for a quarter a piece at school the next day.

IVS Inc. falls a bit short of those profit margins, but the truth is that it is thrilling to know that there are no limits to the people's lives that you can change or the money you can make. I started my company because it's what I'm supposed to be doing.

Have you ever worked for anyone else?
I have worked for others before. During college, I worked at Bikeworld for Hutch Smith and Martha Emmons. I enjoyed building, repairing and selling bikes. However, my favorite part of the job was talking with Hutch and
Martha about business concepts. I always liked trying to see the business from their point of view.

How did that lead to your opening IVS Inc.?
I had just graduated from college and married my soulmate, Laura. She received a competitive dietician internship in Murray, Ky. The bad news was
that dietician internships are not paid positions.

So, I started IVS Inc. in the summer of 2000. I remember having one client and deciding that I needed more. So I went to the mall and bought a nice blue shirt and a tie. The next morning I left the apartment and started banging on business doors to sell Web sites.

Weren't you scared?
I have never been scared. I do hear people say that running your own business should be scary due to its instability. That never really made sense to me though.

Let's assume some business owner has 10 clients. In order for them to lose their job, those 10 people, who don't even know each other, would all have to get together and decide that they are ALL going to fire you.

That seems a lot less likely than a normal job, with one boss. That person could just wake up in a bad mood and decide that you are out of there! To me, that's scary.

No doubt! So how do you describe what IVS Inc. does? How many employees do you have?
IVS Inc. has seven full-time employees plus some part time helpers. The team is unbelievable. The office aura feels like a bunch of friends getting together. We are a full-service Web site development firm. This encompasses a wide range of services, which include design, programming, logo design and print. We also have a professional photographer on staff as well as photography studio. Most recently we have added an audio and video lab.

What do you love most about owning and running your own business?
I love the freedom of deciding business direction, the freedom of putting together the exact team of people to get the job done. I love the responsibility and the fact that if a project does go south, I take the heat and have to fix it. And vice versa.

My absolute favorite part of owning and running my own business are the people I work with. The only thing more fulfilling than setting my own goals and accomplishing them is to see someone I work with accomplish their goals. I love it when they surprise themselves with ability that they didn't know they had. It's exhilarating to watch people grow!

What part do you hate?
Miscommunication. It seems that miscommunication should always be preventable. It can eat up a significant amount of time.

Oh yeah, one more thing. I hate tech support from India.

How is what you do with IVS similar to your magic?
There are many similarities. Creating magic in the lives of friends requires an understanding of psychology and the ability to read the body language. Both business and magic have a delicate mix of artistic expression and technical ability. This mix prevents boredom within both venues.

Isn't Laura Duff the cutest thing ever?
YES! Few women get "hotter" with age. Man! I am proud to say that she is also a confident business woman. A Pampered Palate was her dream job.

And she's catering your EntreForum — good choice!
She's the best!

What do you hope entrepreneurs and mentors take away from your presentation?
The importance of setting, writing and achieving goals.

And maybe a little magic?
Maybe a little magic.

---