Mike Heisman speaks to Georgia Southern entrepreneurship class

March 23, 2012

On March 8th Founder and CEO of Metjet, Inc. – Michael Heisman spoke to students in two of Georgia Southern University COBA’s entrepreneurship classes. Jim Williams, the Chair of the Advisory Council for the Center for Entrepreneurial Learning and Leadership, hosted Heisman during his lecture.  Dr. Jerry W. Wilson, Chair of Management, Marketing, and Logistics Department introduced Heisman who was one of his students that graduated in 1999 from Georgia Southern with a major in logistics.

Heisman enjoyed his college career. After graduating from Georgia Southern he determined this was the time in his life to aggressively learn as much as he could from his jobs in the logistics industry.  So he was willing to work 100 hours a week in order to gain experience. This resulted in moving 11 times for job promotions or new job offers in a great variety of the logistics industry. With a passion for aviation, experience in the transportation sector and a logistics background, Heisman knew that he was on the right track when he chose to start MetJet.

He discovered while living in Green Bay, Wisconsin there were no direct flights from Green Bay to Florida.  It was very inconvenient to fly only connecting flights or have to tolerate if there is snow, the drive to Milwaukee can take 7 hours even though is only 115 miles.

So Mike did more research about the Green Bay Metropolitan Area’s population of approximately 500,000.  Orlando, Florida was the number one destination out of Green Bay. While 40.000 people flew to Orlando, only 18.000 flew from Green Bay, the rest drove to Milwaukee for a direct flight even though it is more expensive.

In the near future, his dream will become reality. On May 25, 2012, his MetJet will take its first ever flight. MetJet is an airline company that will provide affordable nonstop air service between underserviced cities (initially Green Bay) to key markets, such as Orlando, Fla. and Minneapolis, Minn.

One challenge Heisman faced in the start-up of MetJet was lack of funding. According to Heisman, the initial cost was more than $2 million. With confidence in his company, he decided to look for angel investors. Heisman also looked into a process known as the Regulation D offering which is intended to make access to the capital markets possible for small companies that could not otherwise bear the costs of a normal SEC registration. He combined the purchase of stock by initial investors’ with free round trip tickets.  By now, the company has raised almost a million dollars through this process.

Heisman’s MetJet is different than the current companies at the market since it will “offer better service and benefits than its competitors for the same price.”

Even though the first flight has yet to be launched, Heisman already has plans of expanding the business.   He sees a need for the same type of service in other cities throughout the United States.

Heisman advised the students to have solid networking in their careers. He said it never hurts to make acquaintances and emphasized the importance companies are giving to websites such as LinkedIn. All except one job Heisman has worked, he attained through networking. He also told the students that if they are interested in a particular company, they should go knock at the company’s door. They need to show how much they want to work for them and keep insisting.

He recommended that some background in information technology and accounting is good for everyone, especially if planning to open a business. These skills can save a lot of time and money. Finding as many ways as possible to differentiate yourself from the others can only help you in the long run.

Heisman explained over the years he had gotten all kinds of rejections. Nonetheless, he advised, “If you truly believe that is a need for the service that you are providing, then you should go for it.”

After Heisman’s lecture, students were given the opportunity to ask questions. He thoughtfully explained any time they wanted to contact him for his help he would be more than willing to offer it.

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