Your Name: Nellie Akalp
Business Name Corpnet.com, an online business consulting service
Type of Business: Legal Document Filing Service
Business Location: Westlake Village, California, United States
Website http://www.corpnet.com
Twitter https://twitter.com/corpnet
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/corpnet
Pinterest http://pinterest.com/nellieakalp/
Reason for starting
I dabbled in a range of various industries to find the right fit for me and realized that helping entrepreneurs succeed was where I wanted to be. There is great satisfaction in answering the phone and talking to a new entrepreneur who is looking to incorporate or form an LLC on a brand new venture they’re starting out on. It always takes me back to when I started my first business back in 1997 and renews the passion I had then to every day today.
How do you define success?
I believe success is something you achieve based on how much you put into whatever it is that you would like to see success from. Certainly others can help you, just as others can provide obstacles, but ultimately you make your own success and your own failure. What I know for sure is that if you want to have success and be successful, you can’t make success your goal. The key is not to worry about being successful, but to instead work toward being significant – and the success will naturally follow. If you have the vision, drive, and the determination, and you immerse yourself into whatever it is that you are trying to do, you can and will accomplish that goal in the face of any obstacle or challenge, the rest will come.. and that in itself is success!!!
Biggest Success
The biggest success I’ve had to date in my career has been selling my first company to Intuit in 2005. My husband and I started that company out of our tiny southern California apartment in 1997 and grew it to more than we could ever imagine. It was a hard decision to let go, but when Intuit gave us an offer we couldn’t refuse, we decided it was the best thing to do for our future.
What is your top challenge and how have you addressed it?
My biggest challenge is doing what I love to do and balancing that with running a successful business. Like I said, there is no greater success than helping a new entrepreneur on their journey to a successful business. However, with that comes the daily ‘To-do’ list of running and managing a business. From taxes to accounting to social networking to managing my employees, there’s always something to be done. I have to remind myself to balance those must-do items with the fun stuff.
Who is your most important role model?
My husband and business partner of 15 years, Phil Akalp. Phil is my best friend, my soul mate and most importantly, he always pushes me to continuously improve myself in all aspect of my life whether business or personal. Even though sometimes he may be a tough critic, he has a genuine heart and truly wants me to be the best that I can be in anything I set my mind to. He has made a huge impact in my life. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be the wife, mother, and business expert I am today.