From the Reporters
Carole Matthews

A Lesson in Staying Focused

 

Turn down a $22 million contract? What owner of a growing company in her right mind would do that? Well, Lurita Doan, the founder of Technology Management in Reston, Va., did. And she hasn't regretted it a bit.

In the New York Times story, For Her, U.S. Borders are Profit Centers (online subscribers only access), writer Melinda Ligos writes about a government contract worth $22 million that Doan turned down back in 2000. Doan's reason: She needed the company to stay focused on what it was good at, even if it meant turning down this and other lucrative deals.

Her "stay focused mantra" has hurt business a bit. Today, the company is a recognized leader in the border surveillance technology with 150 employees and $14 million in revenue.