Roadie Profile: Ed Gandia

Ed Gandia has been solving business problems since he was a child. Raised in an entrepreneurial family, he started a candy store business out of his garage at the tender age of eight.  However, he decided to take the corporate route out of college and spent 11 years as a successful sales executive.

 

Ed had always had a dream of starting his own business and saw an opportunity in the market for his unique skills and expertise.  He started the business on the side while working and got great feedback and results from the market.  He decided it was his time and took a leap to focus on his copywriting and marketing consulting business full-time and has never looked back.

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Q: How did you make the leap from being a successful corporate sales executive  to starting your own company?

 

A: It all started when I went to work for a national professional IT services company in 2000. Although this was a large company, it had no real lead generation engine in place. In other words, as field salespeople, we had to find our own opportunities.

I had a quota to meet and my wife and I were talking about starting a family. So I took matters into my own hands. First, I realized that I had to find a way to multiply myself. Cold calling alone wasn’t going to cut it. So I learned everything I could about the art of direct mail and lead generation. And I started writing sales letters to drum up leads. I even took a copywriting course to upgrade my skills.

Through this process, I discovered that I enjoyed “selling on paper” as much as I did selling in person. In fact, I soon moved on to another company (a software firm), and I quickly rose to the top position in my division—all the result of the strategies and skills I had developed.

The results were impressive enough that I put together a strong business case for large-scale lead generation program for my employer. To my surprise, I was turned down. Boy, was I furious!

Fortunately, that big “no” was exactly the motivation I needed to launch a part-time copywriting business. It took a while to get my first client. But once the business started coming in, it came fast. In fact, I quickly had more work than I could handle.

Shortly after that, my employer was acquired by a larger software firm. Even though they offered me a great opportunity with the new company, my side business was doing so well, I decided this was the time to break free.

That was June 2006. I haven’t looked back since then.

 

Q:  What has been the impact on your life after making this change?

A:  It’s been huge! I’m a very driven person, and I get tremendous satisfaction from knowing that I’m charting my own course, seeing my ideas in action and making my own decisions. I chase after my own “quotas.” I decide what I do, when I work and whom I work with. No one else dictates those things. You can’t put a price on that kind of freedom!

I’m also much more relaxed than I used to be. I don’t worry as much. Don’t know why, considering that so many people worry to death when they strike out on their own. I think it’s because I’m exactly where I want to be.

 

Q:  What helped you along the way?

A: In terms of people, my wife was always extremely supportive. So were my parents and close friends. I had a couple of colleagues who introduced me to some very good clients—companies that enabled me to get a decent start. I worked with some fantastic coaches along the way.

Something else that carried me through the tough times was the realization that this was an incredible opportunity to stretch my wings and see how high I could fly. During my transition period, a coworker of mine was killed on his 36th birthday. That tragic event was a grim reminder that life is very short and we need to take action on our dreams…now! If we put them on hold, the “right time” may never come.

Q:  How has your mindset changed about risk and making change?

A:  I realized that if I tried this business and failed, the worse that could happen is that I would have to go out and find a job. I recognized that I could live with that. But what I couldn’t live with was the thought that playing it safe would lead to some regrets later in life. I didn’t want to end up wishing that I had placed that bet while I had the chance.

I can’t tell you why, but I have a greater sense of peace now than I ever have in my professional career. I’ve learned that betting on me is not a bad bet after all…

 

Q:  What was it like starting a business on the side while working in a very demanding sales job?

A: I wanted to replace a six-figure income with a business that could pay me a six-figure salary. I wanted to live my dream…but I wasn’t willing to take a huge cut in pay.

All this meant that I had to work nights and weekends, which meant less time with my family. I also had to work hard to build up our savings. I work in a creative business, and you can’t be creative if you’re constantly worried about money and how you you’re going to pay the bills at the end of the month.

 

Q: What has been the biggest surprise to you in starting your own business?

A: How well my business has done and how much I’ve grown personally and professionally over the last 2 years.

The motivational speaker Jim Rohn once said that the real value of a goal is not reaching that goal—it’s what you become in pursuit of that goal that really matters. How true!

I had to become really great at my craft to be successful. And in order to continue growing my business and adding value to my clients, I have to keep up that self-improvement program. That’s a price I’m always willing to pay.