Recent grads founded company

After struggling to find jobs following graduation, two recent UCF graduates created an opportunity for themselves.

But to Michael Cho and Xi Guo, their venture is more than a business – it's a way of giving back to the UCF community.

Cho and Guo are the founders of Promo Knight, a provider of all-purpose promotional goods designed to help students and organizations at UCF by offering a more affordable option for marketing materials.

"We want all organizations to benefit from our pricing structure and the quality we offer as well," Cho said.

Cho, a finance major, started his business like many startups, operating out of his garage. He and Guo, an engineering major, branched into promotional goods after founding a T-shirt printing business, Impress Ink Tees, as a hobby.

Today, Promo Knight carries a wide range of personalized items including pens, key chains, mugs, foam novelties, tote bags and sunglasses. Even customizable Silly Bandz and Snuggies are included in its inventory.

Both Cho and Guo were driven to become entrepreneurs because they faced difficulties finding jobs in their fields because of the economic downturn.

Cho said the lack of a job market influenced them to start the business.

To survive an economy that is limited for professionals, he suggested to graduating students to find "something they enjoy doing" and stick with it.

He said he never expected to become an entrepreneur right out of college and that he believes the initial success of Promo Knight was "accidental."

Since its operations began this summer, Promo Knight landed several clients including the Student

Accounting Society and the Chinese American Student Association.

After those successes, Cho moved the business from his garage to a shop on Goldenrod Road, turning it into a legitimate business.

"From the money we made, we didn't decide to spend it," he said. "We decided to invest it."

Both noticed firsthand how the expense of promotional materials could place a financial strain on organizations.

Guo, who served as treasurer in the Asian Pacific American Coalition, said complaints about the high costs of marketing goods reach as far as the Student Government Association.

"Every single year when [SGA] have meetings, they always complain about how much money they spend [on materials]," he said.

As president of CASA, one of Cho's duties was to purchase promotional goods. He recalled the pricing for goods was "not really competitive" and there was little business flexibility.

That inspired him to create the competition and flexibility where he believed it did not exist before.

"We don't have a middleman," he said. "That's how we can get the best price possible, because we have direct ties to our manufacturer."

Megan Holland, an intern with the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, believes the early success of Promo Knight can serve as a sign of encouragement for other UCF students with ideas for their own businesses.

"If they see someone else succeed, it's enough motivation for them," she said.

Fellow CEI intern Lina Cafe agreed, particularly because of Cho and Guo's ties to UCF.

"I think it proves a connection since they are graduates from this institution," she said. "It's cool that UCF students are paving the way for other UCF students."

Guo acknowledged he and Cho are currently aiming to launch the Promo Knight brand to UCF and the community. As a starting point, Cho said he plans to hold a launch event at the Student Union on Wednesday, Sept. 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

"We'll be giving out T-shirts, key chains, anything you can think of," he said.

Eventually, Cho and Guo hope their business can lead to event sponsorships.

Cho said he pitched the company to SGA and expressed an interest in being involved with Homecoming.

Guo hopes for sponsorships to lead to larger scale events on campus in the future.

He also said events seem to have been shrinking in scale since graduating.

The two also provide a price guarantee to beat competitors by at least 10 percent, as well as a discount for student organizations and charities.

"Any UCF-affiliated group gets a 10 percent discount no matter what," Cho said.

Motivated by their involvement in the college and in the Pi Delta Psi fraternity, both approach Promo Knight as more of a cause than a business.

"Any organization will help influence students to contribute to any cause," Cho said. "Being involved at UCF was what led me to this."

Guo said he wants Promo Knight to help increase the presence of organizations on campus and get more students involved.

"We want to have an active student body at UCF," he said.