Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with C Nelms, Founder of Failsafe Network, Inc., located in Cheyenne, WY, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

Failsafe Network has been "helping people learn from things that go wrong" since 1985. Its primary customers are high-risk industries, including oil and gas, chemicals, and power generation. In the mid-1990s', the Federal Government started REQUIRING these high-risk businesses to investigate the causes of unexpected and often devastating events, which led to an increase in business both nationwide and worldwide since then. In 2021, the business was moved and sold to an affiliate in Cheyenne, WY, from its original base in Montebello, VA.

Tell us about yourself

Things that go wrong are arguably the most important phenomena of life since they are capable of teaching us things we'd never have learned without them. Most importantly, things that go wrong are capable of changing OURSELVES if we're willing to look at ourselves as part of our problems. I learned these lessons the hard way and have been committed to helping others learn a bit more easily.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

According to feedback on critiques over the past decades, I have been PRIVILEGED to have helped many people change the direction of their lives-- and those around them -- for the better by helping them to be introspective rather than simply blaming other people and things.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

For me, the hardest thing has been sharing the workload. I have never really learned to delegate or to find the right people to help drive the passion I have for this work.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Focus on your passion. Never, never commit to a business that will consume you for the rest of your life without that underlying passion.
  2. Find your uniqueness and make it known. In my own business, whenever someone tried to copy me, I'd let them -- and then find a newer and better way. Always find that uniqueness.
  3. Don't neglect governmental requirements like withholding taxes, filing deadlines, etc. Know what they are and put them on your calendar, and don't ever get behind.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

For my own business, I've tried numerous ways of marketing, including direct mail (in the old days), purchased mailing lists, hiring marketing gurus, etc. NONE of them worked for me, probably because of my clientele. The only thing that worked was WORD OF MOUTH. It took me all over the globe.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.failsafe-network.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/failsafe-network/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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