Mario Andretti, one of the most successful American race car drivers, once said, “Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal – a commitment to excellence – that will enable you to attain the success you seek.”
The single-most important characteristic that every entrepreneur should possess in this day and age is commitment — commitment towards one’s dreams, one’s desires, and one’s own abilities.
“The entire universe is conspiring to give you everything that you want”- Abraham Hicks. Out of the 7 billion people on this planet, only 8% go on to achieve their goals. It is not because the universe is biased towards this 8% population. It’s just their commitment that convinced their fate to take a turn for the best. Everyone is born with a talent, but it requires undeterred determination to really bear the fruit of that talent. Entrepreneurs become successful when they commit to their idea, team, customers, and the community.
Entrepreneurs should have great leadership qualities to become leaders who inspire a shared passion for the work being done at every level in the company. This story is about one such inspiring leader at MercuryGate, a company recognized as a leading provider of transportation management solutions. At MercuryGate, every employee is focused on customer service. And that focus is an extension of the company’s leadership, which recognizes their teams for their contributions and help them realize that their efforts do make a difference. The inspiring entrepreneur leading the way at MercuryGate is Monica Wooden
Predicted Opportunity and Grabbed it Instantly
Monica and her MercuryGate Co-founder, Steve Blough, anticipated an opportunity to reduce costs in the supply chain. They were amazed by the level of inefficiency and various untapped opportunities to reduce costs and optimize supply chain performance. They had experienced first-hand the frustrations of using technology applications that were developed from a purely academic perspective. They recognized the significant need for technology designed based on how the transportation industry operates. Together, they developed a Transportation Management System (TMS) and worked with others to accelerate a significant disruption in the logistics industry. Monica and Steve were the first ones to put TMS in the cloud.
What began with an idea, later evolved into a full-fledged conviction to leverage the resources that would improve transportation technology systems. Monica took an active role in the industry by planning, listening, and adapting to the changing norms and trends of the market and its stakeholders. With ongoing support from colleagues, friends and family, Monica continued to innovate and expand the technology solutions offered by MercuryGate, while rapidly increasing the company’s customer base.
Keeping the Entrepreneurial Spirit Alive
MercuryGate has been well received since its being founded in 2000. Steve Blough came from an operational background and like Monica, launched his career from a warehouse floor. Monica and Steve developed MercuryGate’s initial product offering with an up-close, hands-on understanding of the challenges faced by the transportation and the logistics managers.
MercuryGate has been very well received since its earliest days of operation. Monica and her team continue to operate with a clear vision based on an in-depth knowledge of the industries they serve. She has built a strong team of talented and passionate individuals who are dedicated to doing the best job possible for their customers. The only limiting factor to their master plan was the rate of expansion. Monica and her team are constantly executing solutions to match the pace of their growth.
Perfect Blend of Technology, Process, and Business Intelligence
Since its beginning, MercuryGate has focused on tailoring its solutions to their customers. Monica and her team developed the first transportation management solution for a large electronics company with extremely complex, high volume transportation needs. The system was so successful that it began saving the company millions of dollars as soon as it was implemented. This was the genesis of their advanced, proven solutions that today serve hundreds of customers.
MercuryGate continues to be a competitive advantage for today’s most successful shippers, 3PLs, freight forwarders, brokers, and carriers. Monica has dedicated all her efforts in turning MercuryGate into a unique solution provider; one which would natively support all modes of transportation in a single platform, including Parcel, LTL, Truckload, Air, Ocean, Rail, and Intermodal. Monica has collaborated with various experts to consistently release innovative, results-driven technology. Her commitment towards making customers successful has led MercuryGate to become an invaluable asset to various TMS users. Even after several years of operation, Monica is still driving the evolution of MercuryGate by improving productivity and operational efficiency. MercuryGate has also earned cheers for its sophisticated and stable Business Intelligence system that improves transportation processes, increases customer satisfaction, and reduces costs; and all the credit goes to Monica and the efforts of her dedicated team, today.
Believe in an Idea Honestly and be Unconditionally Faithful Toward It
Monica believes that in this age of fast-paced growth, we just cannot afford to be intimidated by failure. Every new venture should be approached with a vision of what success means to you and that entrepreneurs should never stop learning, working, and improving. “It is imperative to have an unwavering focus on achieving your goals,” Monica said.
Monica is confident that by keeping her entrepreneurial spirit alive, MercuryGate will continue to experience rapid growth through expansion of important features and functionalities in the current platform for their existing customers. She pledges to explore new opportunities, customers, and markets along with her incredibly talented team.
