Imperial Forces
The truly ambitious entrepreneur has but one goal, one drive, one prime motivating factor: the desire for empire.
Brenda L. Hill-Riggins was waiting in line for food stamps in 1992 when she got the news that her Miami plumbing firm had won its first big contract. Unfortunately, her staff wasn't big enough to supply the 10 people the client needed. No problem. Hill-Riggins pulled two people out of the welfare line and hired them on the spot.
An auspicious way to start an empire? Maybe not. But Hill-Riggins cleared $2 million in 2001 and expects a series of high-profile contracts to pan out this year to the tune of $9 million. "I have the vision to grow this company, and I'm the type of person who wants to win," says the 43-year-old president and co-founder (with husband Marcus A. Riggins) of M.A.R.S Plumbing Contractors Inc., which has moved past leaky-toilet calls into installing plumbing systems for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Raymond James Stadium and the Miami Heat's AmericanAirlines arena.
Continue reading this article - and everything on Entrepreneur!
Become a member to get unlimited access and support the voices you want to hear more from. Get full access to Entrepreneur for just $5.
Entrepreneur Editors' Picks
-
These Co-Founders Are Using 'Quiet Confidence' to Flip the Script on Cutthroat Startup Culture and Make Their Mark on a $46 Billion Industry
-
My 7-Year-Old Daughter Started Selling Eggs. Here's What She Taught Me About Running a Startup.
-
Why You Need to Become an Inclusive Leader (and How to Do It)
-
Career Transitions You Can Make in Your 40s and 50s
-
Billionaire Naveen Jain Is an Expert at Disrupting Fields He Has No Experience In. His Secret Sauce for Building Multi-Million Dollar Companies? 'You Have to Come as Naive.'
-
4 Principles to Develop Next-Level Leadership at Your Company
-
This Filipino American Founder Is Disrupting the Beverage Aisle by Introducing New Flavors to the Crowded Bubbly Water Market
