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An Entrepreneur's Journey - Interview with Kelly Caldwell
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Have you ever wondered what the entrepreneurship journey looks like? There are a lot of components! Today we’re going to be talking to Kelly Caldwell. Kelly is a successful entrepreneur who started with a wildlife science degree and working in a zoo and ended up growing her business to a value of $25 million and selling it to a public company. She’s got a great story, and you won’t want to miss it!
You Will Learn About:
- The first decision that Kelly made in order to jump into entrepreneurship with both feet.
- Information about Kelly’s early career experience that led to her starting her own business.
- Some of the challenges and milestones that Kelly met shortly after starting her business, including how she handled the cash cycle.
- The direction that Kelly wanted to go in as the business grew, as well as how she shifted from growth mode to big-business mode.
- Some of the considerations that Kelly had to keep in mind as she looked forward to selling, as well as what she thought the probable outcome would be once she sold.
- How Kelly kept her employees in mind as she considered interested buyers.
- What Kelly wanted in terms of both price and terms from a sale and how it turned out.
- The emotions that Kelly went through when she went through the sale and integrating with the new company.
- One thing that Kelly might have done differently on her entrepreneurial journey.
- What Kelly is doing now in her life after business.
Takeaways:
- It’s so important to have a mental shift: You need to look at your business differently in order to get it ready to sell.
- Look at how buyers value your company. Even if you don’t want to sell, doing this will give you a valuable calibration.
- Employees are vitally important, both now and when the time comes to sell.
Links and Resources:
About Kelly Caldwell:
Kelly Caldwell is a successful entrepreneur who has held jobs ranging from Senior Vice President at a publicly traded company to Elephant Rider at a zoo show. She is a proud mother to two wonderful daughters, a happy wife to her husband and a semi-retired mentor and speaker. She is proud to have built a business that employed nearly 200 people and received national recognition but she would much rather tell RV stories or help others follow in her entrepreneurial footsteps.
In 2002, while working at a large engineering firm, Kelly and a Senior Project Manager, Amy Gonzales, decided to form their own company. AK Environmental was founded out of the frustration of working through the bureaucracy of a large company to service the clients Amy and Kelly had relationships with. Clients noticed. Soon this two person operation grew to over 175 employees. Organizations like INC Magazine, Ernst and Young, Zweig White, and Women Presidents’ Organization recognized AK for their growth. Ultimately, in 2014, publicly traded company NV5 purchased AK.
Kelly is now semi-retired and working in real estate investment. She is proud that she started a business at 25 years old and sold it before reaching 40. That has provided her a platform to help others fuel their passion to be entrepreneurs by mentoring with several organizations, angel investment, and public speaking. Kelly is always looking for the next opportunity but it may include an RV trip.
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