Tulsa Man Loses Job, Opens Dream Business

By Dan Bewley, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- A Tulsa man is about to celebrate four months owning his own business, but it's the last year-and-a-half that makes his story inspirational.

At 15th and Memorial, a little elbow grease goes a long way.

"Our main business is one hour oil changes for motorcycles and ATV's," said Ken McCarty, Ride Masters.

Ken McCarty and business partner Brian Lewis took a chance on what they say is a new concept business for Oklahoma.

"A lot of turmoil as far as whether it was going to work or not," Lewis said.

It's a one-hour oil change service for motorcycles.

"It gave him a chance to come to a dream everyday and gave me a chance to invest in something that we both enjoy," Lewis said.

But how it came to be is just as interesting as the unique services it provides.

"I was an engineer for Verizon and got caught up in layoffs and reductions in force," McCarty said.

A year-and-a-half ago McCarty was on vacation while working for Verizon when he got the call, his job was being terminated.

For 13 months he looked for a job, but couldn't find anything. That's when he decided, bad economy or not, he was going to follow his dream.

"You can look at it two different ways," he said. "You can look at it like, well, the economy's so bad that nobody should open a business, or you can look at it in a way that the economy is so bad people are looking for ways to save money."

To give you an idea of how well business is going, they've already been approached to open stores in Oklahoma City, Siloam Springs and Fort Smith.

McCarty and Lewis hope their story can show others that no matter the challenges, chasing a dream is worth the effort.

"If you feel passionate about anything, you'll make it successful," McCarty said.