CHAPTER 4
HATCHING THE NEW BUSINESS: OVERCOMING FEAR AND TAKING ACTION
Liz McKinley was working for an oil refinery in Kansas. She had been hired as a pipeline scheduler but quickly learned the business … and began to dream of starting her own company.
Liz was smart. She kept her day job, saved as much money as she could out of her salary, and kept her eyes open. After a few years, she identified a niche in the market that she thought she could expand upon. Liz noticed that petroleum companies tended to be third- and fourth-generation family-owned businesses. They usually covered a fairly narrow region because they worked with their own fleet of trucks. It dawned on her that she could service a much wider area by outsourcing the trucking.
Liz had $100,000 in savings. She wasn’t sure how much it would take to start her business, but she certainly didn’t want to risk it all. She had twin toddlers at home that she had to support. Liz just didn’t know if the time was right for starting her own business.
Then something happened that shifted Liz into high gear. Her father died suddenly. Around the same time, one of her close friends died too. Liz was struck by how quickly life can pass you by. She realized that she had some money … she had some know-how … and she had a good business idea.
Was she scared? Sure she was. But that didn’t stop her.
Like I said, Liz was smart … and cautious. She did not go out and rent expensive office space or buy fancy equipment. She began her company from ...
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