Jim learned to make hotel reservations on his cell phone in the short window between when the standby passengers get on board and when the flight attendants close the door. He learned to do his research ahead of time and be ready to pull the trigger. He also learned flexibility and patience. And, if what they say is true that happiness is the difference between your expectations and your reality, he’s learned the secret to happiness: temper your expectations and enjoy what life offers you.
 
There are some parallels to angel investing. There’s a lot of uncertainty. You sometimes end up someplace different than where you thought you were going. And, it can somehow be “affordable” and “expensive” at the same time.
 
Jim got started working with entrepreneurs and startups in the 1990s when he was invited to join the Business Technology Center. Located in Altadena, the BTC was created to incubate technology developed in Los Angeles County, initially starting with entrepreneurs from JPL and CalTech. A friend of his invited him to be on the Advisory Board of the BTC when it opened in 1998. As a result, Jim spent a lot of time with entrepreneurs and startups. In addition to advising the BTC, he was mentoring its startups and providing accounting and financial guidance for some of them.
 
Duane Peterson and Jim's brother Howard, both Founders of the Pasadena Angels, realized that the BTC was a tremendous source of IP and startup potential, but what was missing was a source of Angel investment that could support the supply of startups. That realization was the impetus for the Pasadena Angels, and the two of them drafted the legal setup, procedures and contracts.
 
Jim’s CPA firm began to specialize in accounting and financial management for startups, and a few of them eventually became unicorns. His connections at the BTC also led to his co-founding LA County Tech Week in partnership with Mark Lieberman, BTC Director. For seven years they put on the annual technology showcase, which was county-wide and culminated in the 2009 iteration. Jim and Mark retired from LACTW after that year as Mark moved to Oregon and Jim and Denise spent more time traveling.
 
Jim and Denise have three children. Brian lives in NY where his byline sometimes appears in the NYTimes. Robbie was recently promoted at the airline and has made travel easier for them over the years.  And, Alan, who lives in Playa Del Rey, just had a daughter, which means that the couple now face the difficult choice of spending time spoiling their granddaughter or spoiling themselves by traveling around the world.