Michelle Pendenza

I've been working in digital marketing for over 20 years, having worked for several startups that became successful companies. In 2009, during a really tough economy, I was recruited by a Toronto-based parent company to run their Florida business after they had acquired a company I had previously helped build. They offered me the position after meeting with other former executives, and I only agreed to come on if they promised not to lay off any of my people. We set a lofty goal of 35% month-over-month growth, which I was confident I could hit knowing the business had been neglected for at least a year, and I knew it inside and out. I met that goal, but unfortunately after about 11 months and a CEO change, they offered me a relocation package to Toronto and told me they didn't need my team anymore. I had taken out a home equity line of credit for the potential move, but instead of firing all these people I had worked with for years, I decided to start my own business. I was already running everything - HR, bookkeeping, marketing, all of it - so I picked up my guys and started my own company. We started generating revenue by month 3, were profitable by month 8, and it became a multi-million dollar business before year 3. We had a fun run for 16 years, but now I'm on to looking for my next adventure.