Dushan’s curiosity and passion for entrepreneurship started when he was young. This enthusiasm led him to establish his first business straight out of high school; established a young adult night club and went on to create a thriving entertainment business in the Chicagoland area for more than 10 years. Eventually, he established several other businesses including a fast food chain that operated in malls around the mid-west.

Dushan is a Professor of Entrepreneurship/Management and has lectured thousands of students at Purdue University’s Chicago area campus for over 29 years and currently at Valparaiso University. He has taught and teaches university students in a variety of undergraduate, graduate (MBA) and executive – MBA courses, including Creativity and Innovation, Business Model Canvas, Business Planning, and more. 

Dushan is the Inaugural Director of Valparaiso University Innovation Hub and was the Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship Success at Purdue NW for 10 years. He created and implemented regional, national and international programs, like the Chinese Executive Leadership Program, Big Sell Entrepreneurship Competition where entrepreneurs from across the country got an opportunity to pitch their ideas to win their share of more than $100,000 in cash and prizes. It was one of the most unique competitions in the country because audience members used electronic clickers to judge every idea. At Valpo University, Dushan has created the Northwest Indiana High School Pitch Competition, Speaker Series and professional workshops for student, businesses and community members.

Much of the lessons and programs Dushan teaches his clients (startups and businesses) come from lessons he learned and the many ups & downs he experienced in his own businesses and life. Many never talk about their mistakes, but Dushan is adamant about changing the culture where people share their mistakes in an effort to help others avoid many of the same pitfalls of starting and owning a business.

Dushan has provided expert advice to a variety of companies and been invited to speak at events locally to international gatherings. Even in the midst of the pandemic, he was able to provide virtual workshops for a number of businesses to help them maneuver through the many obstacles they faced.

Dushan has been traveling and advising organizations in China for over a decade. He has the distinction of being the first and only foreigner to ever to hold a workshop for 200 middle managers at the prestigious Chinese Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (China Aerospace) and had the honor to advise one of the largest hospitals in Ningxia, China that expanded their city to quickly become one of the largest medical tourist locations in world.

Dushan is a creator and event organizer and wants to change the startup process because of his own startup experiences and pitfalls that could have been avoided with some simple strategies. He discovered that there is nothing more important than getting the immediate feedback from potential customers. So, he created Great Pitch Idea Competition to allow audience members to vote on every single idea; thus, providing instant feedback on ideas to help budding entrepreneurs and innovators determine if they have a viable product/service that customers want or if they need to pivot and re-evaluate their offering.

Dushan also believes it is time that we get together and share our mistakes – Fukups – openly with others to help them understand what went wrong and how to avoid mistakes when possible. But more importantly, it’s time to show people that failures are not fatal but part of every great success story. My Fukups and Network After Hours will provide opportunities for likeminded people to gather, network and meet new friends that share their values and interest.

Dushan enjoys giving back to the community and volunteers his time to sit on community boards, speak at various public events and non-profit organization, but most of all, he love to provide educational programs and workshops for young people and often volunteers to speak at high schools and colleges. Dushan has served as a board member and in other capacities for the ECIER Foundation for 10 years teaching young underprivileged junior and high school students life skills, entrepreneurship and business skills, problem solving skills, and more. These young folks als get the opportunities to visit regional and national companies to see how others like them have started their own businesses, and they earn scholarships to attend college.

When Dushan is not volunteering, he is created free programs and events for young people to get to hear how other young individuals got started on their dream and to get motivated to start their own journey.