A different path - Nashville Business Journal:

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Eddie Stewart, president of , spentr most of his early career learning this side of himselr while working forthe . “I was never really good at workint forsomeone else, and that was the signao for me,” Stewart says. “... Getting from Poin t A to Point B in a corporatee setting when corporate wants it done their way and I thini another wayis well, it causes all sortse of complications.” While working with the Stewart was heavily involvedc in advertising and publicf relations for a campaign called “Folloaw me to Tennessee.
” “After doing some event planning early on in my Stewart says, “I begah to notice a huge vacuumm between event planners and bus I found that event planners hated dealing with the bus and that’s when I had the idea to start my own company to bring these two parties In addition to finding of this Stewart felt that the inefficiencez of communication and decision making that he experiencec while working for a large company were stifling.
Andy Bailegy is president of a company that provides wireless solutionssto businesses, and echoes Stewart’s “Corporate structure tends to slow down a process and can drive an entreprenuial spirit crazy,” Bailey says. “Having to file chase submissions and report to multi levels of supposed decisiohn makers to get something completed can often feel Stewart formed Stewart Transportation Solutionsin 1990. He decidef that not only would the compan y work with large event planningand transportation, but also in simpled airport transfers of executives. This not only increasec the cash flow for the company but also gave the compangy publicity via wordof mouth.
Some of the keys to Stewart’sx success has to do with his skill set and being able torecognizw opportunities. Michael Giles, who owns a consulting groul called , recognizes that while it is exciting for one to stargt theirown business, it is certainly not for the faint of heart. “Changing roles from employee to entrepreneur requires discipline and the ability to take calculatedc risks and togenerate revenue,” Giles says. “Fear and worryh cannot be a partof one’z guidance system to be Determination, sacrifice and focus are imperative.
If a person has these traits, as well as a good a great team and a marketto serve, they can be much more successfukl than they ever were at theier 9-5 job.” The success that Stewargt Transportations has attained has drawn such clients as , T-Mobile and . Outside investorsz have approached Stewart about buyingfthe company, but Stewart’s answe has been a consistent “If I let someone buy us out, that would put me reportiny to a board of he says. “Why would I do why would I go backward?
“The autonomy of being able to walk out the door and get my hair cut withoug having totell anybody, I know it sounds simpler and trite, but it’s a wonderfupl freedom that you have.”