There are times in the genesis of a company's life when, for lack of capital or back-up, fate presents no other option but to come up with the goods or perish.Trevor Eagle's entrepreneurial career is a familiar story of having looked into the eye of the tiger several times and worked through a solution without blinking in his moments of truth.

Several years with Big Blue had seen Eagle based from Bridgeport, Connecticut to Stockholm, Sweden. A disagreement with his local management, however, would draw an abrupt close to this high-flying career. Six children - one on the way - and nothing to sell but his knowledge. Headhunting, educational roadshows and a little consulting kept the cash coming in but never enough . Fruitless months chasing his "big picture", a sizeable government contract, had seen to the last of his severance pay. It took a speculation from way out in left field, a deal through the "Fijian" Government leasing out their spare computer network capacity, to begin Eagle's turnaround.

Raising capital for his rookie company he sold off a 50% stake - one that through others' mergers and acquisitions, would come up for sale to hostile opposition. Saving him was the intestinal smarts to originally instruct his attorney to draw up a contract with "fifty percent ownership but the company articles of someone with a hundred percent".

Nowhere for the enemies within to maneuver, and Eagle bought back the remainder.

Steady growth now propelled this former international swimming representative to "compete in bigger meets". Eagle's company had attracted the eye of a major computer supply corporation. A hastily arranged flight to San Francisco was what it took to make the deal - a sole agency in his own domestic market. To "put up" he and wife, Corallie, needed to exhibit financial commitment to the big boys and so mortgaged the family home.

By September 1980, however, the money began to run dry. Only three systems had been installed statewide, the supply giant began to wag its corporate finger, and Eagle wasn't going to make October payroll. He placed a fateful call to a founding client with the words: "No payroll for next month and I know you guys need an upgrade". A figure was discussed and Eagle summoned. Entering the office he was simply told, "Here's the check and it had better bloody work".

That bought only enough time to battle through eighty-six agonising iterations of another contract with a far larger corporation. Riding on the cusp of oblivion, the prospect... finally bought. Eagle recalls one memorable party the night it came through. They even printed "I survived" t-shirts.

Years later, with an annual turnover of $35m, the Eagle Technology Group's 200 employees tackle everything computer-wise from system integration, to software and internet product development. Government and international clientele are served right across Asia, the Pacific, as well as domestically.

From his own experience the need to accept change - good, bad and rapidly - has been the nature of the beast: "You have to make the 'here & now' decisions without all those committees," says Eagle. "That way you survive, and outrun the larger competition."

"It's not the biggest or the strongest that necessarily win at this game," he adds, "its those with the ability to adapt quickly. I constantly remind my people that the job they take on now may not be the one they hold in twelve months time."

Eagle's survival and ever-culminating success was born of remarkable courage in the face of considerable, existence-threatening change. There was no luck or charity in saving the company at crucial moments. He could have filled his head for hours with the "What if's" that would eventually bring his own demise. No time. Only enough time for a solution. He had to fashion his own life-boat.

Maurice Williamson, a senior government politician in Eagle's home state commented: "Eagle's the ultimate salesman...succeeding with tenacity and 'absolute' commitment to every project."

There are times in entrepreneurial business when, unfortunately, there are no fall-back positions. Time spent contingency planning, ducking and diving instead of throwing punches, is the same time within which the company's life-force slowly but surely ebbs away. For small companies the early days equate with a high degree of ungovernable permutation. Despite all the careful planning in the world, moments wasted in doubt can be the last moments. In Eagle's own words: "You must act with the absolute belief that it's going to happen. Everything else is illusory."

Contact Peter Thomas Anich at ptanich@motivationmen.com

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