Meet five entrepreneurs who have had the courage to go it alone and succeed. Their inspiring stories stand out as shining examples of what great ideas can accomplish and a passion to take them wherever they lead.

Leslie o’connor

Founder and CEO of Search Wizards

Crossing the border from Canada to the United States in 1999, Leslie O’Connor brought with her $ 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 hours a day. She felt there had to be a better way of life, and created a company that in 2007 had $ 12.2 million in sales. Last year, Search Wizards ranked 89th on the Magazine Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Private Companies List. It has also been acclaimed by Catalyst Magazine and the WomenEntrepreneur.com website, who have rated her as one of the best female entrepreneurs in the country.

Smart street

O’Connor was encouraged by her father to start a business career. He calculated that his street smart daughter would do better selling than going to college after high school. For 20 years he worked selling door-to-door vacuum cleaners. Unsurprisingly, this made her an excellent salesperson and made her skin thicker, allowing her to bounce back from the inevitable frustrations and disappointments in 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 soared to $ 12.2 million. Although the company has grown rapidly, O’Connor has been conscious of growing organically, telling an interviewer: “I never bit off more than I could chew. I never wanted to have cash flow problems. We are debt free, always so. we’ve been – what matters in this market. ”When Search Wizards started making money, all the cash was reinvested in the business, never having to borrow money or come up with a business plan to sell to potential investors.

Virtual company

A decisive factor in 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 low, which he believes has enabled him to better serve customers. The team of recruiting and recruiting consultants provides expertise in core recruiting functions and aims to provide their clients with access to the best available talent.

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 Entrepreneurial magazine, “Be a great juggler. As a woman in business, you will always have a lot up in the air, including running 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 sister. The very traits that make us great in all of these roles are the ones she will rely on to excel in business. “

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