Carolyn Gable, motivational speaker, radio host and author of Everything I Know as a CEO I Learned as a Waitress, is the founder  and CEO of New Age Transportation, Distribution & Warehousing, Inc., a $30 million third-party logistics company.

After struggling for 12 years as a waitress, Carolyn, a determined single mother of two children with little formal education or prior professional experience, walked into an employment office and asked for a job in sales. She landed a job in customer service for a motor freight company and worked her way into sales.

Carolyn founded New Age Transportation in 1989, arranging freight shipments with just one employee. Ten years later, in 1999, Carolyn expanded her freight business to include warehousing. Today, New Age Transportation has over 70 employees and is a thriving business with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small, local businesses.

Carolyn is a passionate advocate for the plight of single parent families so, in 2001, she created the “Expect A Miracle” Foundation, which provides working single parents with funds to enroll their children in extracurricular activities.  

Carolyn wrote Everything I Know as a CEO I Learned as a Waitress as an entertaining and inspirational chronicle of her journey from a single mother and former waitress to a successful entrepreneur.  It is a reflection of her strongly held personal beliefs and its 12 principles are the foundation for conducting business at New Age Transportation.  

Carolyn is currently co-hosting a one hour radio segment every Sunday at 11:00am: “Carolyn and George: Seeds for Success” which provides inspiration to others who want help realizing their personal and professional goals.  Carolyn can be heard weekly on Chicago WCPT 820 AM or via the internet at www.wcpt.820.com.

Carolyn’s awards include the 2002 Regional Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the 2003 Chicago Entrepreneur of the Year Award presented by the University of Illinois, Chicago, the Women of Achievement Entrepreneur Award from the YWCA of Lake County, the National Luminary Award presented by The Mothers In Business Network, the International Alliance of Working Mothers, and the Right Award for Workplace Excellence. George W. Bush honored Carolyn with the Daily Points of Light Award. Most recently, Carolyn was named a 2008 Women’s Business Enterprise Star by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council and was awarded the 2008 Enterprising Woman of the Year Award by Enterprising Women Magazine.

Gable is the mother of seven children ranging from ages 9 to 33 and lives in Kildeer, Illinois

When you first started your career/business did you feel passion for your work?  
I had no idea this would be my life.  I wanted to be a traditional wife, settle down and raise a family.  I never dreamed I’d find myself a divorced, single mother. It was while waiting tables in the eighties and struggling to make ends meet that I came across a new breed of woman – the saleswoman.  I knew that I could do the jobs they were doing, so I applied to many places only to be rejected for being unqualified and inexperienced.  I never gave up and my persistence landed me a job as a customer service representative for a trucking company. I urged my boss to put me into sales.  I refused to take no for an answer.  Finally, after a year, he let me try sales and I was like a “duck to water.”  Being successful in sales was natural for me and I became passionate about my customers and my business. After working for several freight companies, I decided to start my own business from the dining room of my townhouse.

When you first started were you able to visualize your final outcome?
I am a true believer in visualization.  When I first started New Age Transportation, I was not able to predict the magnitude of success we have today, but every day, without fail, I visualized my employees coming in to work, the phones ringing, the trucks delivering on time and sales increasing.  The daily belief that we would be successful is one of the reasons New Age Transportation has revenues of over $30 million today.

What were you top three obstacles/challenges?
My greatest challenge since starting New Age Transportation has always been finding good, committed people.  I have learned that closing the sale and getting the business are the easier parts of my industry.  It’s the commitment of those individuals behind the scenes to providing consistent and outstanding service that is critical to our long term success.  I believe in the power of thought so I visualize exceptional people coming to work for the company.  From a more practical perspective, I’ve tried to create a unique and motivating place for those who join us.  

How did you deal with doubt, fear, and self recrimination?
Spirituality is a thread that is particularly strong in my life and I take great comfort in the belief that I can not do this alone, particularly during times of doubt, fear or stress.  The foundation of my spirituality is the belief in my abilities and in God.  It makes the questionable seem possible and the fanciful seem real.

Did you feel that the traditional male dominated workplace affected you at all?  If so, what did you do about it?
When I started selling freight there were very few women in the industry.  There may have been times that curiosity about a woman in the business got me in the door, but that didn’t guarantee business and in fact, I had to work harder to prove myself.  I didn’t really give the gender difference much thought.  I had been a waitress for 12 years so I had developed great listening skills and an ability to know what was important to the customer.  I had waited on business executives and heads of many companies, so I was just as comfortable selling freight in the board room as I was on the loading dock.

Did you have mentors?  If not, why?  If yes, tell us about them?
Mark Pitzo at Roadrunner Freight Systems gave me my first sales job.  This occurred in the mid eighties when the freight industry was clearly a man’s world, but Mark saw my potential and took the risk. Down the road, it was Don Risser, the owner of Dawes Transport, who had the most profound influence on my career. Don took me under his wing for almost 15 years. He taught me the ins and outs of the freight industry and ultimately encouraged me to start my own business.
 
My Aunt Jo headed Women’s Wear for Carson Pirie Scott.  She was the first woman to be named Vice President and break into the executive ranks.  She was my mentor as well as a personal and professional confidant.  She was very talented and one of her most valuable lessons to me was in handling performance issues with employees.  She always advised this timeless three step approach:  build them up; describe the issue; build them up again. She saw something special in me and took a personal interest in my journey. 

Do you feel you were traditional in terms of your steps to your Optimal Level?  If yes, if no, please explain.
I am not sure what ‘traditional’ would look like, but having little formal education beyond high school, waiting tables for more than a decade and then heading a successful freight company, is not the usual career path.  What I do think is ‘traditional’ is my desire to succeed, my ability to stick to it and my willingness to take risks.  I suspect that most successful business owners have these ‘traditional’ entrepreneurial characteristics.
 
As you look back, what is the one thing you wish you knew when you started?
I now know that everything happens for a reason and falls into place based on what has happened before.  I believe that there is nothing more effective in steering your own destiny than self-empowerment.  If you learn from your past experiences and put yourself in a position where good things can happen, they will. 

I wish I’d known this when I started the business.  I wish I had understood that I didn’t have anything to worry about.  I wish I had just trusted the process. 

Any regrets?
The title of my book, Everything I Know as a CEO I Learned as a Waitress, really answers this question.  I wouldn’t be as effective as a CEO without the invaluable lessons I learned while waiting tables, including paying attention to detail, practicing patience and honoring honesty. I wrote my book because I truly believe that my past experiences shaped my success and the lessons I share in the book make success possible for anyone.

Do you believe luck had something to do with your rise to where you are now?
I was in the right place at the right time when deregulation in the transportation industry occurred.  It opened up a new market for brokering freight, but it required the ability to see the opportunity and be open to the possibility. 

Do you feel you paid a price to be as successful as you are now?
Success requires hard work and the time to devote to it.  That requires time away from home, family and friends.  For me, it has meant continuously balancing my own needs as well as those of the business and family.  It requires a commitment not to neglect any facet of my life and a lot of creativity to make it all work.

What is the best piece of advice you have for other women on their way to their Optimal Level?
Expect A Miracle! I believe in the manifestation of all positive things, including my own destiny and my own miracles.  The key to this process is a sense of expectation.  But expecting a miracle is not a passive activity.  It calls for action, takes persistence and requires faith. If you have the faith, you know that it’s going to be okay, even if you fail. 

Do you have any other tips for career or business women?
I would tell these women that the inevitable defeats along the way don’t mean failure.  As many times as I have succeeded, I have failed too.  I have never let the hard times drive me to my knees.  One of the keys to my success is “sticking with it”.  This means being present in good times and bad.  It is the ability to keep a level head when it seems all of your hard work is for naught and to be able to pull yourself up by your bootstraps.  “Sticking with it” means believing in your dream so strongly that nothing can possibly deter you.

What do you think is the biggest mistake career/business women make?
One of the biggest mistakes women make is in not understanding that success is defined by your intent.  If you just want to make money, you will never have enough and success will elude you.  Think hard about your true motivations, sort those out first and then hang on for the ride of your life!

Any additional comments you would like to make?
As New Age Transportation has continued to grow and mature, I have been fortunate to have the time and resources to become a serious advocate for the children of single working parents. New Age Transportation, my book, Everything I Know as a CEO I Learned as a Waitress, and my radio program “Seeds for Success” make my voice a little louder.  I choose to use my voice on behalf of these children.

Single parent families are a significant portion of the US population (approximately 30%) so the way employers manage working mothers and society views the plight of these children must change. Specifically, I would like to see changes in legislation to ensure that non-custodial parents in every state pay child support.  Fortunately, there are government agencies to help with the essentials of housing and food stamps, but the extras, the things that make life a little sweeter, that build character and a passion for life, are difficult to provide for these children.  My foundation, “Expect a Miracle,” provides these extras; music and dance lessons, sports fees and extra-curricular activities.  To date, the foundation has helped over 2000 children nationwide.

My hope is that my future business success will allow me to continue to champion this cause, and to making a lasting and positive difference in the lives of all of these children.

I have recently teamed up with Dr. George Watts for a one hour segment every Sunday at 11:00am.  The show “Carolyn and George: Seeds for Success” provides inspiration to others who want help realizing their personal and professional goals.  My co-host, Dr. George Watts, has a PhD in behavioral psychology and brings an academic perspective while I add the perspective learned from the ‘school of hard knocks.’  Together we host motivating guests and provide an entertaining and useful hour for our listeners.  Listeners can join us every Sunday at Chicago WCPT 820 AM or via the internet at www.wcpt820.com.