It may be true that Julie Lough of Micro Visions, Inc., Mary Nienhuis of North Coast Components Inc. (NCC) and Bonnie Knopf of Intrepid Plastics Mfg. launched their businesses in different times, circumstances and industries. Nevertheless, the three owners\u2019 success stories share one common theme: They all took an entrepreneurial leap of faith.

\u201cI had built Micro Visions to the point where I had to make a choice, and it was probably the most difficult decision I ever had to make,\u201d said Lough of her decision to leave her job in 1993 to make her com- pany, which specializes in offering a vari- ety information-technology services, a full-time operation. \u201cThe most significant encouragement to start the business really came from my husband.\u201d

Nienhuis was originally hired as the general manager for NCC, which special- izes in distributing electro-mechanical products, back in 1991 when the compa- ny was located in Novi, Mich. After a few months living in a hotel for three days a week away apart from her family, Nienhuis decided to take matters into her own hands and convinced the owner to move the business to West Michigan, closer to home.

\u201cOnce the company was relocated, the owner never visited,\u201d Nienhuis explained. \u201cI was on my own. I had grown the business nicely and decided I wanted to continue to do so, but for myself. In 1995 I began negotiations to purchase NCC. It took two years, but in 1997 I became the new owner.\u201d

Knopf majored in plastics engineer- ing at Ferris State and worked in the auto- parts industry for six years when in 2003, subsequent to hearing about opportunities for women-owned businesses, she decid- ed to branch out on her own and start Intrepid Plastics, a full-service plastics injection molding company that makes plastic parts for auto suppliers. Knopf used a metaphor to describe the adventur- ous attitude of entrepreneurs.

\u201cSomebody asked me one time if I wanted to be a deer or a cow,\u201d she said. \u201cHe explained, \u2018Do you want to be a cow that\u2019s basically in a pen, that\u2019s taken care of, that\u2019s fed everyday, where you know what your life is going to be? Or if you want to be a deer, be out there and sur- vive and make your life what you want it to be?\u2019\u201d

\u201cI like the prospect of living on the edge, the risk factor, and it\u2019s exciting to know that only a percentage of people that try starting their own business suc- ceed. It\u2019s also sad to know that some fail too, but it just makes it a challenge and I\u2019m the kind of person that likes a chal- lenge. It\u2019s a risk, like a deer just barely missing a car,\u201d Knopf said.

Mentoring also played a fundamen- tal career-building role for the three women. Lough, who is a member of the Alliance of Women Entrepreneurs (AWE), learned a tremendous amount from other women business leaders over the years.

\u201cI\u2019ve had some great coaches, both personal and professional, that have really challenged me to think differently about things,\u201d said Lough, whose com- pany is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. \u201cAnd I have some great peer groups that I get together with on a monthly basis where we can bring up different issues and tap the experience of those who have run into the same busi- ness challenges. So I would say those groups and those coaches, both personal and professional, have been an enor- mous help.\u201d

Nienhuis learned some valuable les- sons about how to run a business during her 30 years working in the electronic- distribution industry.

\u201cIn my early years I worked for a company that offered me the opportunity to experience a growing business,\u201d Nienhuis said. \u201cI was employee-number- seven and the company grew to multiple locations in multiple states. The manage- ment team had a diverse style and as a result I was exposed to many ideas. They allowed me to grow and work in various aspects of the business. The company was caught in the downturn of the mid-eight- ies and ended up in chapter eleven. I had the opportunity to work with attorneys, creditors, bankers and company employ- ees throughout the reorganization process. I learned a lot from thisexperi-

Knopf, who\u2019s been a member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers on an executive level for the last eight years, said that while being a woman in a male- dominated engineering field was chal- lenging, there were several engineers who offered useful counsel.