CEO's 'Bedtime Stories' Are Helping Entrepreneurs Live Happily Ever After

RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Once upon a time, back in 2001, David Ingram wasn't sure whether his fledgling IT staffing firm was going to survive. The Internet "bubble" had popped, tech stocks were in a free fall, and Ingram had just lost his largest client. The dream of owning his own business had become a nightmare . . .

"I wasn't really considering bankruptcy at that point, but I was petrified by the thought of losing everything I had worked so hard to build over the years," he remembers. "I lost a lot of sleep."

Flip ahead to 2009 . . . Ingram is resting much easier nowadays. Despite the recent recession, his is one of the country's fastest-growing private companies and has made the prestigious "Inc. 5000" list the past two years in a row.

Now, the President and CEO of Capital TechSearch has written a book aimed at the legions of emerging business owners called 15 Bedtime Stories That Keep Entrepreneurs Awake at Night (Higher Life). The book contains real-life tales from the trenches, providing winsome insights on everything from cash-flow issues, to hiring and firing, to business ethics.

"It's the book I wish I'd had when I was starting out," Ingram explains. "Each chapter begins with a real-life story that either I, or someone I know, has been through. I then discuss the outcome and what was learned in the process -- in other words, 'the moral of the story.'"

Though some see the tail end of a recession as the worst possible time to start a new business, many are taking the plunge. Of job seekers who gained employment in the second quarter of 2009, nearly 1 in 10 did so by launching their own businesses, according to outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas' quarterly Job Market Index.

"People want to control their own destinies by creating their own jobs," Ingram explains. "Depending upon your own efforts feels less risky than depending upon the efforts of an impersonal company."

Still, even in non-recessionary periods, about half of all new businesses close in their first five years. Ingram hopes his book inspires not just action but contemplation: "I want to help people avoid the mistakes I made, common mistakes that turn dreams into nightmares."

Ingram adds that entrepreneurs will be the catalyst for America's economic recovery and will help many Americans find greater fulfillment in life.

He concludes, "When people risk their personal livelihoods to chase a dream and make a difference, they can and will find incredible levels of success and satisfaction."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Ingram is founder, President, and CEO of Capital TechSearch. Nationally recognized for his expertise in executive hiring and small business leadership, Ingram is often quoted in the media, including Forbes.com and HR Magazine. He is also a popular speaker for business groups and a guest lecturer at universities.

To receive a review copy and to arrange an interview with David Ingram, contact Joanna Puello at media@ahigherlife.com or (407) 563-4806. www.ahigherlife.com

SOURCE HigherLife Development Services