BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : FEBRUARY 5, 2001 ISSUE
FRONTIER -- FEATURES A Seat on the Roller Coaster 3.2.98 For more than a decade, RENEE FELLMAN, owner of Portland (Ore.)-based Interim Management Co., made a living by rescuing companies. But last year she embarked on her biggest turnaround of all: closing her consulting firm and taking the plunge as an entrepreneur, with an online diet-coaching service, as yet unnamed, set to launch this fall. Fellman, 57, has five employees and is seeking investors to supplement the $100,000 of her own cash she has already invested. Q: You had a thriving consulting business. Why give it up? A: I was between projects and doing some gratis consulting for my son's interactive-design company. They were doing things they were really excited about. It made me realize this is what I need to be doing. Q: How is gearing up for your launch different from consulting for others? A: I don't have to deal with recalcitrant owners. Also, I'm not cleaning up other peoples' messes--and I don't have to leave just as things get interesting. Q: Still, you must get nostalgic for the days when you could walk away from all the headaches. A: Doing a startup is like riding a roller coaster. When I'm at the bottom, yes. But when I'm meeting my goals, I wouldn't exchange it for anything. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP					RELATED ITEMS Where Are They Now? Spin Master Plays to Win Even Cowgirls Pay Their Dues The Art of the Startup A Seat on the Roller Coaster Broken Headbone He's Got Ink in His Veins An Emu in Every Pot? Now He's Talking California Dreaming It Wasn't About the Money The Crunch at Emergency Solutions ONLINE EXTRA: For a Candymaker, Success Is Sweet ONLINE EXTRA: Questing for Profit in Child Care ONLINE EXTRA: A Bicycle Builder Peddles Her Own Wares ONLINE EXTRA: A Web Designer's Minimalist Approach INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online

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