What’s your story?

I’ll explain both of the major companies I work for.

Mark Sithi * DJ & Entertainment:
Mark Sithi * DJ & Entertainment is all about providing affordable and exceptional DJ services.

While in high school and college, I had worked as a part-time DJ in Southern California doing weddings, school dances, and parties. Even though I went to Cal, I flew down almost monthly to do gigs. After I graduated, I started my full-time work at Triage Consulting Group. Because Triage was based in San Francisco and I traveled a lot for them, I found it difficult to continue my DJ business in Southern California.

About a year into work (May 2006), I found out that Triage was throwing a huge Casino Night benefit for the Koret Family House in San Francisco. This was the first time that Triage was having this event, and there was little budget to work with. They needed a DJ, and they couldn’t find anyone within their budget.

This was the perfect opportunity for me to go out on a limb, and start my business. I decided to donate my DJ services for the event because 1. it was a good cause and 2. it could really generate some business. In short, I ended up purchasing all of the necessary DJ equipment, rush-ordering some business cards, and booked my first gig.

The event was hugely successful, and Triage loved my DJ work. I now have pre-booked all of Triage’s events that require a DJ. Furthermore, I have done events that include California Assemblywoman Wilma Chan’s retirement party, and weddings in Sausalito and the greater Bay Area.

Triage Consulting Group:
Triage Consulting Group is a financial health care consulting firm based out of San Francisco. In a nutshell, we help hospitals recover cash that is owed to them from insurance companies, and then consult on why the cash wasn’t paid the first time around. Because we’re recovering money for hospitals, I believe we are helping hospitals provide better care for their patients, especially the uninsured. Hospitals typically operate just above the red, so it’s very rewarding for me to know that I’m part of recovering funds for them.

The firm has been voted one of the best small and medium sized companies to work for by the Great Places to Work Institute for the last three years. I’m particularly proud to be working for Triage because of the work I do, and the work-life balance the job provides, and the amazing people I get to work with.

In addition to consulting work, Triage let’s their employees participate in other things – like recruiting members to join the firm, working in the community, and promoting the company culture. I’ve been very much involved on our Corporate Social Responsibility Squad. Triage has community partnerships with several non-profits in the Bay Area: the Koret Family House, SF Parks and Rec, and Redding Elementary School. Because of my background with children (I volunteered my entire four years in college to the Oakland Asian Students Educational Services as a volunteer tutor and coordinator), I was very much attracted to working with the kids at Redding. Triage is very good about allowing their employees to work in the community – we get 16 hours of paid volunteer time off (VTO) every year.

Triage has a pen pal program with the kids at Redding. I’ve participated in it for the last two years and it’s been such a great experience working with kids again. When folks at firm recognized how involved I wanted to be with the children, I was selected to join the Social Responsibility Leadership team, and was tasked with organizing company events at Redding. I’ve organized events that include everything from single classroom Thanksgiving day activities to taking an entire group of second and third graders to an field trip to Julius Kahn Park in the Presidio where they learned about yoga, recycling, and the need to trust others.

Most recently, we went to the school to promote health and fitness by putting the kids through obstacle courses and teaching about foods they can eat to stay healthy. Can you tell I love my job(s)?

What are your day-to-day responsibilities?

Mark Sithi * DJ & Entertainment:
On a daily basis, I’m postings ads on Craigslist, responding to leads, and working with clients who have upcoming events. Most of my work happens the day before and during the day of my events. Weddings are the most time-consuming, and also the most rewarding. When a couple approaches me about a wedding, I make sure I sit down and meet them. I want to get to know them so I can gauge their personalities and to envision the type of wedding they would want. Once the gig is booked, I provide the couple with music selections for the wedding, and we review the various events they’d like to have (i.e. first dance, bouquet and garter toss, etc.). I love doing weddings I can truly see how important my job is. Without the right music, the couple and their guests will not have a good time. I love it when I see the bridge mouthing the words to a song I play – that means I’m doing my job right.

Triage Consulting Group:
In May 2007, I was promoted to Senior Associate at Triage. This means I’m running my own project and I’m managing the Associates assigned to me. My day to day tasks include:

• Ensuring that my team is meeting our project goals
• Communicating with my clients
• Following up with insurance companies
• Auditing hospital claims, and identifying those that were underpaid

Most notable milestones

Mark Sithi * DJ & Entertainment:
In 2006, I had donated my DJ services to the Triage Casino Night for Koret Family House. The volunteer coordinator, Debbie Bosetti, talked to me before the event started. She was so thankful that I had offered my DJ services to the Family House that she was nearly in tears. Right then, I knew that that starting my DJ company in the Bay Area was one of the best decisions I had made in my life.

Triage Consulting Group:
Each year, Triage gives awards its employees that best represent their five Guiding Principles: Client Service, Relationships, Knowledge, Balance and Fun. These awards are give to five employees in our San Francisco office, and five employees in our Atlanta office. The winners are voted upon by our very own Triage employees, so everyone has an equal say.

In 2006, I was awarded the Guiding Principle award for “Relationships.” When my name was called, I was shocked. To know that my co-workers saw me as someone who as Triage would say, “Builds strong relationships with our team members, colleagues, clients, and community” was such an honor. Winning this award made me realize how important relationships are, and how something as simple as “being nice” or “doing the right thing” means to others.

In 2006, I also won a Triage award known as the MVP for our Corporate Social Responsibility Award. I feel a little embarrassed talking about this award because I think everyone should get an award for their service. But, I received this award – I think it had to do with the number of successful events I organized at Redding and the Exploratorium field trip I had planned to take kids from both Redding Elementary and Lincoln Elementary (in Oakland).

OASES on ABC/KGO:
On August 2006, I was lucky enough to be interviewed on ABC/KGO’s Sunday morning television show “Beyond the Headlines.” The show’s episode covered volunteerism in America, and OASES was selected as one of the nonprofits featured. I was at the right place at the right time, and I was selected to interview with Cheryl Jennings (ABC news anchor) to talk about my volunteer experience at OASES. It was my first time on local television. I was thankful for the opportunity to represent OASES and to represent “volunteers” in general.

What’s the niche?

The beauty of my business is that I do this for the passion of DJing and entrepreneurship – and it’s not to make a living. I’m very fortunate that my full-time job at Triage allows me to balance my life and their work.

Because I do work full-time at Triage, I end up averaging about one a month. I don’t just take any gig though. The great thing about having a full-time job is that I do not have to take clients that offer me work I’m not interested in. I also get to work more closely with my clients because I’m not taking every prospect under my wing.

Because I’m not making a living off of DJing, I find it very easy to offer affordable rates to my clients. I know how expensive weddings and parties can be, and I know how much large event planning and wedding DJ corporations over-charge their clients.

All of this allows me to offer affordable rates for clients that I truly want to work for.

What’s the biggest challenge?

Time management.

Simply put, I love to get involved. There are so many worthy causes and so much to do, but so little time. I work a full-time job as a traveling consultant, work as a part-time DJ owner, and volunteer for Redding Elementary, the OASES Cal Alumni Club, and the Haas Alumni Network. I am also getting more involved with recruiting Cal students for Triage. Fortunately, this goes hand-in-hand with the Haas Alumni Network.

Balancing all of the above with a significant other, my dog (Yes, my dog), friends, and traveling can be quite challenging. I am actually thankful that my full-time job at Triage really gives me the flexibility to do this. When I’m traveling on the road, I take care of a lot of these things so I do not have to do them when I’m back in the Bay Area.

What’s in store for the future?

With me? You’ll never know! Life right now is really good to me. I couldn’t be happier. I enjoy my full-time job, work in my community, and I have an amazing girlfriend and wonderful friends.

I’ve recently joined the Haas Alumni Network as a member of their Development Council, and I’m excited about the idea of helping undergraduate students. I was only in their shoes a few years ago, but it feels like so long ago. As I mentioned earlier, I’m hoping to get more involved with recruiting Cal students for Triage. I look forward to going back to campus to meet some new faces.

I’ve also decided to get involved with the executive committee for the OASES Cal Alumni Club. The alumni club is still very small, and we have a long ways to go. I think I’ll be able to bring the experience and skills I get from the Haas Alumni Network, a much larger alumni organization, to the OASES Cal Alumni Club.

As for DJing, I really enjoy doing events monthly. It keeps the work fresh, and it allows me to work very closely with just a handful of clients. As word of mouth spreads and I continue to do business, it will be very interesting to see where my DJ company ends up. Who knows? I may be going to Cal to recruit DJs and consultants!

And as for Triage, I’m obviously happy there. If I continue to move up in the firm, the traveling should decrease and the work will become more diverse. I hope to increase Triage’s involvement in the community, and my goal is to make an even bigger impact at Redding Elementary. The possibilities are endless here.

Best way to keep a competitive edge

The best way to keep a competitive edge is to always be looking for ways to improve and innovate your business process. I think it’s very difficult to come up with original ideas, like Microsoft Windows or an iPod, but it’s much easier to think of ways to improve your business process. For example, many of my competitors that post on Craigslist post in plain text. I noticed this and took the time to create a posting that utilizes HTML which add colors and photos to the advertisement.

Guiding principle in life

My guiding principle in life is to always be optimistic. This doesn’t mean I have a smile on my face all the time. To me, optimism is to always think of the best in any given situation. If I’m stressing about a deadline at work, or I mispronounce a name at a wedding, I don’t hang my head low – instead, I see those mistakes as learning opportunities.

Yardstick of success

For DJing, I consider the night successful if everyone is having a good time, and if my client genuinely thanks me. I can tell when people are not having a good time; it’s all about the music I play.

At Triage, I measure my success in ensuring my team meets our goals and in seeing my associates succeed. If I can create opportunities for my associates to shine, and they do – I feel successful.

Success isn’t about how well I perform individually; it’s how well I can help make others succeed.

Goal yet to be achieved

I have yet to climb to the top of the Triage corporate ladder. The next step is to make Manager.

I am very passionate about education. This is evident in my work at Redding School, Lincoln Elementary, and the Haas Alumni Network. One of my long term goals has been to achieve a graduate degree – not for money, but for the sake of higher learning. Because Triage does not sponsor a part-time graduate education program, but my job, I’m considering enrolling in a weekend or night program that will further my education.

Best practical advice

Get involved. There’s not much too it. Whether it’s for work or for something else in the community or world, find something you are passionate about and get involved. But don’t just “get involved,” get involved. Put your whole heart into it and you’ll have no regrets.

Supportive words from a family member or friend on your venture

My father is your stereotypical Asian father. He’s a man of few words. When I received my promotion to Senior Associate at Triage, he wrote me an e-mail that consisted of two lines:
“i am proud of you
cc the planet”

Mentors?

I have so many mentors, it will be impossible for me to talk about them all. I can’t stress how important it is to have mentors. I think I have about ten mentors who are both coworkers, friends, and family. One common trait they all is that they are selfless individuals who have overcome adversity in their lives. My mentors range from several years older than me to some that are as old as my parents. Several of my mentors are, of course, entrepreneurs.

What motivated you to get started?

I think I had elaborated this on the “About the company” section in the resume section.

Like best about what you do?

DJing is probably one of the best jobs one could have. No one is ever unhappy at my events where a DJ is present. People want to have fun, and I can make that happen.

At Triage, I am thrilled that I work for a firm where I can excel at both the profit and non-profit side of the firm. I’m essentially paid to be a health care consultant and to help the community – it doesn’t get any better than that.

Like least about what you do?

At Triage, the weekly travel can get tiresome. Fortunately, the travel lessens as one becomes more senior in the firm.

At age 10, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a doctor – but what Asian kid didn’t grow up “wanting” to be a doctor?

What was your first job?

I was a Courtesy Clerk at Ralph’s Grocery store. I remember riding my bike to work when I was just sixteen. I bagged groceries, pushed carts, greeted customers, mopped floors, and cleaned bathrooms. I see now that the skills I developed by working at the grocery store at such a young age have carried over into my work as a young professional.

Biggest pastime outside of work

Playing pick-up basketball at the local park.

Person most interested in meeting?

Al Gore &ndash his recent techniques used to make the world know about environmental issues are impressive. Despite his loss in a presidential campaign, he has continued to fight for his beliefs through creative use of the media.

Leader in business most interested in meeting?

Bill Gates – he created his fortune from a unique idea that revolutionized the computer world as we know it. In addition, he has one of the largest foundations.

Three interesting facts about yourself

1. I’m a foot taller than the rest of my family.
2. At age 18, I DJed and renewed wedding vows for a Mormon couple’s 60th wedding anniversary.
3. I went to twelve years of Catholic school.

Three characteristics that describe you

1. Passionate
2. Networker
3. Professional

Three greatest passions

1. Working with children
2. Family
3. Education

Favorite book

“Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley

Favorite cause

Oakland Asian Students Educational Services

Who would you like to be contacted by?

I thought about this question for a long time. It’s a tough one. There are so many people I would love to be contacted by: CEO’s of big firms, Nobel Prize winners, etc.

But after much thought, I think I would love to be contacted by my high school biology teacher, Mr. Smith. I haven’t spoken with him since I graduated from high school, but he was my favorite teacher in high school. Although he was my biology teacher, he was more like a father figure to me. He always had a great sense of humor, made teaching fun, and was so passionate about his profession.

He was the teacher you would stop by after school just to say hello, and he was the one that took to have after school study sessions even though he wasn’t getting paid for it. Mr. Smith was a great role model for me, and I would love to see how he’s doing. I want to tell him about all of the great things I have accomplished and I want to thank him for his guidance and encouragement. I think he would be happy to hear from me, and he’d probably get a kick out of me being involved in health care.