Johnny Rock Page
cgiatm@aol.com

33, President, CGI, Inc.
Tempe

Johnny Rock Page (yes, that's his real name) is into ATM machines--and motorcycle road racing. He drove around Arizona for months, spending 3 times the amount of his start up costs on junk food for the road, before he got his first customer. As a speed demon, his real motivation behind the business was to gain financial freedom in a hurry. Rock on, Mr. Page. Now give us some money.

What they do:
Sell ATM machines

First one sold:
October 1995

2001 revenue:
$2 million

First Job:
Door-to-door sell the Arizona Republic and Phoenix Gazette

Motivation:
no retailers in town had ATMs for customers yet. The opportunity offered me residual income and a chance at financial independance.

Milestones:
We sold the first ATM in Arizona--which took over three months to convince someone to buy. Potential buyers asked where our other ATMs were located; I told them I didn't have any placement yet, but that I'd have them all over the state in a few years. Eventually we had ATMs installed across Arizona, which led us into being a nationwide ATM sales organization in all major cities across the U.S. When my residual income was big enough, I was able to quit my night job. Another milestone: I converted a picture of a 1997 Dodge Viper GTS I kept in my wallet into the real thing.

Advice for the would-be entrepreneur:
Dream big--write your goals on paper and state why you want the lifestyle you're dreaming of. With all the adversity you'll run into, you constantly need to remind yourself why you're doing this, or you'll give up.