Memoirs of an Entrepreneur

Today's corporate world is largely devoid of loyalty between employer and employee. In my generation it was not uncommon to join a company right out of school and retire from that company. We were advised that if you worked hard, applied yourself, and excelled in your job you would be rewarded with pay raises, promotions, and a retirement program for your 'golden years'. All of this is gone with the wind - of corporate greed, merger mania, and simple business survival. In these tumultuous and fast changing times fueled by the computer age - compensation, benefits and retirement programs are as dependable as the current financial health and integrity of the owners. When the privately owned air conditioning manufacturer that I worked for was sold to a giant conglomerate, my future was placed in the hands of people who didn't even know where we were on the map. They had not the slightest understanding of our business nor did they appreciate the dedicated workers who built the business. Commitments made by the previous owner were soon broken and compensation programs - tied to the growth of the business - evaporated. It soon became painfully clear to me that the only person in that organization who was interested in my future - was me So what to do about it? Going to work for another company was an alternative (several of our competitors had solicited me) but there was no guarantee the same thing would not happen again. A better alternative would be to form my own business and be free of corporate bondage for good. As sales manager I certainly knew how to sell their products, but how to parley this into a business? With a young and growing family my bank account was paper thin. Many questions emerged - such as financing the venture, finding the right people - even the structure of the business itself. The statistics of success are daunting. Only one of five new businesses survives beyond two years. The answers to these questions and many others are the subject of this chronicle. Since there are literally thousands of 'how to' books in print why is this one unique? Well - they say that good judgment is the result of experience - which is the result of bad judgment. Our miss-calls were as important as the right ones in forming the fabric of our emerging companies. Both are revealed herein. Scratch a businessman or an entrepreneur, and you will likely find a salesman. All are profiled within these pages. The prime business we chose was to be an Independent Manufacturers Representative (a highly insecure venture, but one that offers big rewards for those willing to take the gamble). As the business became successful we invested some of our profits in creating outside ventures such as real estate and real estate development - in order to 'copper our bets'. At this juncture I became an entrepreneur. If you have an itch to break free from the stifling atmosphere of the corporation in order to be your own person - if you want to avoid being a victim of circumstances - if you long to enjoy the personal and financial freedom of running your own show, and living life as you please ----- read on.