Abe Issa trudged up the walkway to another suburban front door, sweat sliding down his back in the blast furnace of a Fort Worth, Texas, summer. He had a pretty good idea of how he’d be received on the other side of the locked screen: “Not interested.” “Don’t need it.” “Don’t waste your time.” Take your pick.
“Whenever I got rejected, it would sting,” admits Issa, whose family immigrated to the U.S. when he was 5 to escape the civil war in Lebanon.
Everyone knows that door-to-door sales went out with the Fuller Brush man. And what Issa sells is even more of a challenge to the established order: In Texas, the heart of oil and gas country, he offers non-fossil-fuel energy solutions. His company, Global Efficient Energy, provides foam insulation, HVAC, LED lighting and solar products—the last a veritable heresy in these parts. Out of every 100 sales calls, he might wrangle three or four appointments to do a free audit to show homeowners the money they could save with more effective energy management.
“I was told by friends, business associates and investors that homeowners would never buy energy management products from someone with no track record, no references, no office and no employees, who happened to knock on their door uninvited,” recalls Issa, who launched Global Efficient Energy in 2011 out of his apartment with $1,000.
But naysayers and conventional wisdom didn’t mean much to Issa. Like all entrepreneurs, he saw things not as they were, but as they could be. Energy costs are a major expense for homeowners; cutting those bills would be a successful value proposition. And everyone wants to save money. Issa took the rejection as motivation, pounding the sidewalks until 9 every night.
Bu hikaye Entrepreneur dergisinin October 2015 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Entrepreneur dergisinin October 2015 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
The Better Way to Fail
The next time something you do flops, here's a new way to learn from it.
Making the Midlife Leap
After getting laid off in her early 50s, Keri Gardner decided she wanted to control her own fate-so she bought a franchise with her 401(k).
A Quick Guide to Franchise Ownership Costs
Franchising costs money. Here's what everything means.
This Doughnut Franchise Is Hitting the Road
To grow, DonutNV needed a steady supply of delivery trailers. So last year, it started making them itself.
3 Steps to Find Your Perfect Franchise
There are many brands out there. Finding the right one is up to you.
This Fencing Franchise Is Ready for Growth
Superior Fence & Rail nearly doubled its sales in one year. How? By stepping back and focusing on fundamentals.
What Are a Franchisee's Role and Responsibilities?
If you're going to be a franchisee, you should know exactly what's expected of you.
This Dog-Training Franchise Is Zooming Ahead
After a rough few years, Zoom Room made major changes...and has emerged as a stronger, faster, very well-behaved business.
What's the Real Damage?
Most clean-up companies just fix messes, like fire or flood damage. But 911 Restoration's new CEO saw an opportunity to help with the other emergency they often encounter: customers' emotional trauma.
Mental Health Services, Franchised
The U.S. is facing a growing mental health crisis. Ellie Mental Health wants to be the solution.