Dr. Daniel McKorley’s journey to becoming the successful entrepreneur known as McDan is rich with inspiring stories, many of which are chronicled in his book, “The Path of An Eagle, Despair, Hope & Glory.”
While much of his story has been told, there are aspects that have not received as much attention, such as his early career before founding McDan.
In Chapter VI of his book, titled “Becoming McDan,” Dr. McKorley describes his decision to resign from a company where he had spent many years, to venture out on his own.
He explains how he followed a principle of life to study under various individuals in the business areas that interested him, which ultimately led him to establish his own successful multinational company.
He explained, for instance, that “Working for others did not only help me raise capital, it also enabled me to acquire experiences and ideas which later facilitated immensely in building my own business. These days, I see many people going into businesses without first going through some form of training or even serving as apprentices under people with the know-how.
“That is rather risky, and I do not know why someone would try to do that. Having some foreknowledge in anything we venture to do in life helps mitigate our risks. Who would risk walking across a river without first finding out how deep it is?”
Dr. Daniel McKorley, known as McDan, recounted how he felt it was time to move on from his role and become an independent entrepreneur.
As part of his principles, he chose not to resign through a letter but instead requested a face-to-face meeting with his boss. During this meeting, he expressed his decision to part ways and pursue his entrepreneurial aspirations.
Read how he explained this below:
In my case, I worked for others in the import and export industry for many years before starting my company, I had acquired many experiences and thought it was time l brought all that to bear. Having considered a lot of factors, I walked to my boss one day and asked that he accept my resignation. To me, that was more respectful than writing a letter. My boss had been very kind to me, and I felt I should reciprocate his kindness by having a one-on-one discussion with him over my intentions to resign.
Although his children’s behaviour was rather obnoxious, I thought I needed to maintain a healthy relationship with the man himself since he personally had not offended me in any way.
It was very early in the morning when I got to my boss’s house. He thought I had come to discuss something concerning my work, but to his dismay, I dropped the bombshell. For some time he was speechless, indicating the level of his perplexity. “I may be leaving, sir,” I said, “but I’ll be available to help in any area where my assistance would be needed.”
Upon this assurance, he gave a deep sigh, and I could very well understand his crestfallen look. We had worked together for a long time and he knew I had played a very critical role in the success of the business. He had confidence in my competencies and my strong work ethic so I could understand how difficult this was for him. “I know you don’t mean any harm,” my boss said when he finally found his voice, “but I am aware what your exit means to this company.”
I nodded with my head still bent down. I did not want him to solicit my sympathy with his grief-stricken mood. He begged me to stay for some six months so I could help train someone to take over from me. To prove to him that I did not have any malicious intent, I accepted to do as he had requested. Five months into the training programme, however, I realized it would definitely take longer than six months for the new guy to be well-versed in our operations because he was a bit slow on the uptake. I reported my observations to my boss and this time, he allowed me to go.
The McDan company was officially registered in the year 2000 but it took some three more years for it to take full flight, he wrote in the book.