Posted Under: Entrepreneurship, Our Heroes

Today we are talking to Dennis Golden who is our next guest under the “Our Heroes” series.  Dennis, a former VP of sales for a large printing firm, left his job when the printing industry started to decline. He managed to turn a personal hobby and interest into a business after some extensive research and development, IM-Safe was born.  Dennis understands people pursuing the job security and benefits related with working for larger firms however, he encouraged (and still does) everyone including his own children, to be in business for themselves.  Let’s dig deeper into his success story…

DD: Who are you and what kind of corporate job were you at?

DG: My name is Dennis Golden. I was a Regional VP, Sales for  a large  international printing firm with locations throughout North and South America

DD: What made you leave the job?

DG: What made me leave was the economy and the general state of the printing industry which was and continues to be in a state of decline. Profit margins are so tight that many printers were bidding jobs at or below cost.  Candidly the future did not look good for an industry that is undergoing massive changes, downsizing and restructuring in an effort to adopt to new technologies

DD: When did you realize that you wanted to be an entrepreneur & why?

DG: The illusion of job security and benefits associated with larger firms still draws people however, I have always encouraged my children to be in business for themselves. Over time my son, daughter and wife were all running successful businesses. Once they were established I took my own advice.

DD: What did you do to break the corporate jail? How did you prepare
for the employee to entrepreneur transition?

DG: I did the classic approach I took a hobby and interest that I had for 15 years and turned it into a business.  This was not a casual event. Prior to launch I studied the competition, met with branding experts and later trademark professionals who all helped me to define and carve out a niche

DD: What are your suggestions for aspiring entrepreneurs?

DG: Follow your dream – life is too short to be miserable working at something you do not love. Worse still is working for someone you do not admire. It’s just not good for your health or spirits to be doing something just for the money or benefits.  In the long run you pay a significant price for one way loyalty to a large firm

DD: How are you doing and how do you feel now?

DG: No complaints — I should have done it sooner. The business continues to grow even in a poor economy

DD: That’s Dennis Golden, founder of IM-Safe LLC. Tim explains that the initial days were a whirlwind but because he loved what he was doing it was fun! I absolutely and wholeheartedly second his advice to you all “Follow your dream – life is too short to be miserable working at something you do not love. Worse still is working for someone you do not admire. It’s just not good for your health or spirits to be doing something just for the money or benefits.  In the long run you pay a significant price for one way loyalty to a large firm”

Success to all!!