Techies Get Their Thrills - and Chills - on the Startup Roller Coaster

By Susan Kim, MANAGING EDITOR



Is it the thrill of uncertainty in a technological world that moves at a dizzying speed? The feeling of limitless possibilities in a sector where a computer code can earn you millions? Or is it the reward of building a perfect team of geeks?

However you analyze the mystique, some entrepreneurs can't get enough of combining the breathtaking speed of technology with the ups and downs of a startup. And some of them even jump right back into line and ride that roller coaster all over again.

For Charlie Wolf, founder of Kensington-based Payroll Network and a self-described "people person," the attraction of the startup lies in the challenge of getting the best people to the table.

Before starting Payroll Network, a provider of integrated payroll services, in 1998, Wolf was president and CEO of Wolf Computer Systems. Before that, he served as executive vice president at Automatic Data Processing, and was also founder of Hughes Computer Systems.

"The thing I really enjoy is putting a team together," he said, "getting the right people in the right positions. You can't really orchestrate unless you do that."

Starting with his very first "real job," Wolf began dreaming of entrepreneurship. "I was fortunate to get a position when I was 18 years old in an accounting firm," he recalled. "In that position, I was able to go out to a lot of local companies and see how they operated. I really enjoyed that, and I admired the people who had those companies."



'You Forget the Pain'

Besides building a powerful internal team, tech entrepreneurs also said they simply enjoy the challenge of figuring out what their sometimes-elusive customers want.

Julie Lenzer Kirk, currently CEO of Rockville-based Path Forward International, helps entrepreneurs, companies and communities leverage innovation to drive economic empowerment.

She founded her first company, Applied Creative Technologies, in 1995 as an information technology solutions firm focusing on manufacturing operations and inventory control. She grew the company to multi-millions in revenues before selling it.

Kirk said she has always enjoyed trying to step into the minds of her customers, especially now that her customers are often entrepreneurs themselves.

"I love the challenge of figuring out what customers really want, and then how to deliver it to them through a business that makes money. It's about being creative, being the master of your own destiny. It's both scary and exhilarating at the same time."

Kirk said she often advises would-be serial entrepreneurs to wait awhile between startups. "It is like childbirth: You forget the pain, so you do it again," she said. "It's the toughest job I've ever loved."



Practice Makes (Not Quite) Perfect

A startup is always rife with uncertainty, but serial tech entrepreneurs reported they do get better with practice.

Paul Capriolo, president and CEO of Social Growth Technologies in Columbia, has spent his career developing and selling products and companies related to social networking. Over the years, he's gotten better at starting up, though it's always unpredictable, he said.

"The more businesses you start, the easier it is to get started, and the more time you have to work on the core product," he said. "Inevitably, every company will lose its steam and become 'corporate,' but before that happens, it's a wild ride that leads you somewhere you didn't exactly intend to end up."

Want to become a serial tech entrepreneur? Then be prepared to devote your entire life to your job, Capriolo advised.

"Personally, it's bizarre whenever I hear someone say they can't wait for the weekend or 'TGIF,' because I feel the exact opposite," he said. "I wish it was last Monday morning so I could get more time to work and build something that can change an industry."



Staying Entrepreneur-Minded

Though some entrepreneurs sell their company when it starts to "go corporate," others manage to retain a sense of entrepreneurship even in a long-term setting.

Brian McIntyre, founder and CEO of WorkStrategy Inc., specializes in human resources technology. He sold his previous company, Working Concepts Inc., in 2001. Both companies are still based in Columbia.

He has stayed put for nine years, now, but nevertheless has to think on his feet.

"Especially now, during the recent economic freefall, most dedicated entrepreneurs are busy recasting budgets and thinking of new, innovative ways to sell their products and services to customers," he said.

The advice he most often gives to fledgling entrepreneurs is often not what they want to hear: Go work for someone else for awhile. "I think people contemplating starting their own venture should try to learn everything they can from their current employer - marketing, sales, accounting and customer relations. Even if the business model is different, there are so many common practices to be learned."

Entrepreneurs are people with eternal hope, he added. "We're optimists and need to temper that a bit with sober conversations with bankers, accountants and attorneys."