Multi-venture entrepreneur Skip Thaler talks about his terrifying moment after merging his Fleetwood Franchise with Tires Plus and how he influenced a workable partnership with Tom Gegax and Don Gullett to expand Tires Plus from 11 retail stores to 40 or from $25M to a $50M business. Timing and the right partnerships made the difference between success and failure in Skip’s life, always teeter-tottering on the fringes between financial disaster and exponential growth.

I just finished reading the inspiring book Shoe Dog by the founder of Nike, Inc., billionaire Phil Knight. Terrifying moments were part of his journey too. A must-read autobiography for every business owner and entrepreneurial leader who wants to learn what it takes to build a global brand. Phil wrote that until he took his athletic shoe company Nike, Inc., public in 1980, he had been in debt most of his adult life. He directed Nike from 1962 until 2004.

Phil and Skip’s journeys show how women were unconsciously left out of leadership. Phil organically created his executive teams with people (men) he knew in track-n-field. The first female executive hired at Nike was in 2010, executive vice chair and general counsel Hilary Crane. Skip followed a similar course in working with men in his circles.

Growing profitable businesses is intense and expensive. Phil’s borrowing to pay for his ideas started with the 50 dollars he borrowed from his dad. This led to borrowing millions of dollars from banks and other investors. Phil’s well-told story validated my experience working with business owners and entrepreneurs over these past 30 years, including Skip’s experience as he reflects on his journey here.

The intensity to drive profits never lets up, which is part of the excitement and other emotions like the fear of survival that can drive humans to new heights in self-awareness and brand expansion. Cash-flowing businesses can become a science of mastering intuition and calculations in financial risk-taking, timing, and circling yourself with the right team and money resources and operating together within the restraints of moral and ethical behavior.

I marvel at Skip’s impeccable timing that he has honed over decades of launching, growing, and shaping new ventures. He trusts his intuition, especially when he is freaked out. Even his hobbies of growing 1,000 orchids and sailing worldwide have a depth of time mastery in their life cycle.

When the idea starts taking shape and curiosity grows, is that when Skip’s passion emerges, and his focus, skillsets, and energy take hold? Or does his entrepreneurial leadership process take shape differently? You decide.

Another element in timing is within the ‘windows of opportunity’ where critical decisions can create wealth. Skip discusses those leaps of faith and how he lands firmly on his feet with boundaries that support healthy relationships.

Below are some pivotal moments within the spectrum of timing we discuss.

• The business model of the wholesale and retail sides of the tire business begins competing. Now what?
• He was turning over inventory. How about someone else worrying about turning the inventory? Skip has another idea that works better for him and his temperament.
• Who of the four partners has the most significant financial exposure? How long can one sustain financial exposure? How many nights can you go without sleep before changing your economic model?
• A hiring technique that works for each new hire.
• I am regaining self-productivity by founding Intercontinental Marketing Corporation.
• Learning the international marketplace with a $5,000 investment: bank site drafts and third-party freight forwarders lowers financial risk and is efficient.
• Tires have cosmetic issues, too; how. Skip capitalized on blemishes—building a family-owned business.
• Passing the baton from one generation to the next.

This meaningful conversation is one you don’t want to miss! Timing is everything.  DOWNLOAD

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