The bold, the brave and the daring
Meet five entrepreneurs who have had the courage to go it alone and make it big. Their inspiring stories stand out as shining examples of what great ideas can achieve and the passion to take them wherever they lead.
Leslie O’Connor
Founder and CEO of Search Wizards
Crossing the border from Canada into the United States in 1999, Leslie O’Connor brought $1,800, her son and her dog and proceeded to build a multi-million dollar recruiting business called Search Wizards.
Working as a recruiter for an Atlanta-based tech staffing organization, O’Connor worked 14-hour days. She felt that there had to be a better way to live and created a company that in 2007 had $12.2 million in sales. Last year, Search Wizards was ranked 89th in the Inc Magazine 500 list of fastest growing private companies. There has also been praise from Catalyst Magazine and the WomenEntrepreneur.com website, which have ranked her as one of the best businesswomen in the country.
street smart
His father encouraged O’Connor to start a business career. He figured his street-smart daughter would do better selling than going to college after high school. For 20 years, he worked door-to-door selling vacuum cleaners. Unsurprisingly, this made her an excellent salesperson and toughened her skin, allowing her to bounce back from the inevitable frustrations and disappointments in her business.
He created Search Wizards in 2000, allowing him the flexibility he craved that comes with working from home. Success has come quickly. In 2003 sales were $359,600. In 2007, revenue had skyrocketed to $12.2 million. Although the company has grown rapidly, O’Connor has been concerned with growing organically, telling an interviewer, “I never bit off more than I could chew. I never wanted to have cash flow problems. We’re debt free, always have.” been”. -what matters in this market.” As Search Wizards began to make money, all the cash was reinvested in the business. He never had to borrow money or come up with a business plan to sell to potential investors.
virtual company
Fundamental to its success has been the fact that the company is a virtual business. Starting with just a handful of consultants, there are now 135 working in five different countries. This has kept his overhead costs low, which he believes has allowed him to better serve customers. The team of recruiting and sourcing consultants provide expertise in core recruiting functions and aim to give their clients access to the best talent available.
great juggler
O’Connor is willing to offer advice to other entrepreneurs and believes that one of her most valuable assets is the ability to multitask. She told an interviewer from Entrepreneur Magazine“Be a great juggler. As a woman in business, you will always have a lot of eggs up in the air, including managing your business and making strategic decisions to grow your business. In many cases, you also have the role of a wife, a mother, a daughter and a sister. The same traits that make us great in all of these roles are the ones you’ll rely on to excel in business.”
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