Consultant says now he should have hired sooner

1. What was the biggest driving factor in your decision to become an entrepreneur? Was it the desire to be the boss? A compelling idea? A family tradition?

I've always felt an innate yearning to do things the way they should be done. My personality… is a natural-born leader. When leadership is sort of innate, you'll find that it's hard to work for anyone else. Pretty soon, you'll find that you're writing up business plans and starting a business.

2. How did you determine whether your product or service was feasible to provide and would be appealing to customers? Was it a gut feeling, did you question manufacturers, do preliminary studies?

I worked at a company called Aironet. We saw Wi-Fi going mainstream, and it was such a strong reality that Cisco purchased Aironet. While I saw that Aironet was such a fine product, there were no systems integrators to install it in companies.

3. Did your family and friends support your decision to go out on your own?

No doubt about it. My family supported me spiritually and was my team. I was newly married at the time. (My wife) was very, very supportive. I think the reason why is that I had such a passion for what I did. People will invest when someone is passionate about what they do.

4. In the dark hours of the night, what worried you most about your business in the early days? What caused you the most concern?

Finding new clients kept me up at night. So did being able to support the growth that I was experiencing at the beginning. When you start a business, you have to have some capital up front. You're not going to get a paycheck for a year. If you have to worry about paying yourself, then you've started the wrong way.

5. Do you think Northeast Ohio is a good climate in which to start a small business? Why or why not?

I think it's an excellent climate to start a small business. The Akron Chamber of Commerce has done a great job to promote business. There are amazing resources here. The only challenge we face here is that the tax situation in Ohio isn't as favorable as in other states.

6. Is there anything you'd like to see in place in Northeast Ohio to help small businesses?

Tax incentives, absolutely. I also think opportunities and funds should be available for start-ups that have good business plans.

7. How much did you know about running a business when you began? Was it enough?

I had prepared myself to run my own business because I had worked in a lot of different phases of companies. I'd worked as an engineer. I'd worked in sales. I'd worked in management. If I didn't spend my time (working in a vital area), I researched it. I wouldn't say that I knew a ton, but I tried to prepare myself before I cut the cord with employment.

8. Over your career, what is the most important thing you have learned?

Confidence in your employees and the products and solutions you offer is a big piece of it. It goes back to that excitement and exuberation about what you offer people. Hire the best team of people that you can afford, and make sure they share your level of excitement and understanding about what they're offering to the customer.

9. What was the biggest mistake you made, and how did you fix it?

Not hiring employees fast enough. I took about two years before I hired my first employee. That put me a little behind in my earnings potential. Usually, people make one of two mistakes. They either do it too fast and go out of business, or they wait too long and you cause extra stress on the team you have in place, and you miss out on potential revenue possibilities. Timing is everything.

10. Did you have a mentor or advisor? Who and what did this person do for you?

I did not in the very beginning. I will tell you that it is an important factor. Look for someone who is a well-rounded entrepreneur in terms of family, business, community. Ask them to help you with your business plan. That's so, so critical.