Because of Sharon Jao's petite stature, when meeting clients for the first time they would often ask her "Where's the boss?," unaware that the boss was indeed standing right before them. Clients would sometimes not believe her when she informed them that she was the president of the company. There is one story that she recounts with relish. In 1982, a new official began working in the notary public department at the local court. As his first order of business, the eager young official instituted a policy requiring supervisors of translation agencies to personally present documents for notarization. This, of course, also applied to Ms. Jao. One day she arrived with her identification card and a pile of documents to be notarized. She stood waiting for a full 10 minutes before the new official raised his head and said to her: "Please go back and ask your supervisor to come!," prompting howls of laughter from his better-informed colleagues, who were all aware that the petite young lady in front of them was indeed the founder and supervisor of a translation agency.

That year she worked tirelessly 16 hours a day to ensure that clients' cases were handled to their satisfaction. Clients would search all over Taiwan looking for somebody willing to take on an urgent case before apprehensively handing the case over to the young woman. And she never let them down, always fulfilling the "mission impossible" by deadline.

"In the beginning, the client may have reservations but when the project is completed and you hand over a concise, well-organized work and see the relieved appreciation in their eyes - it gives me a sense of accomplishment," Jao said.

At that time, there were no companies specializing in immigration. Most people seeking to immigrate approached translation agencies to translate documents, write reports and fill out forms and Jao made the logical expansion into the immigration field. But there were obstacles. In 1970s Taiwan, immigration was not common. Countries open to immigration had yet to computerize their immigration information databases. To gather the latest information on each country's immigration law, education opportunities, and daily life, Jao frequently had a grueling overseas travel itinerary along with her other business duties. Traveling over a short span to each country and city, from Montreal to Toronto and on to New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Texas; then off to Australia and New Zealand in the Southern Hemisphere.

For her, there is often never enough time in the day. Although the company now has more than 10 consultants and nearly 40 other professionals on staff, Jao continues to insist on a personal final review of each case to ensure thoroughness. As she says: "The clients have entrusted us with such a weighty matter, how can we not afford every case that last pair of eyes to look it over, that bit of extra effort?"

"Fastlane built its reputation case by case but one misstep could bring those years of toil and effort tumbling down," Jao constantly reminds her Fastlane colleagues.

Fastlane has also offered invaluable assistance to friends who have suffered setbacks in their immigration efforts. Jao recalls: "I remember a Mr. Lin who once engaged an overseas attorney to handle his immigration to Australia. During the course of four years, he remitted several millions NT dollars. First he was going to get a business visa, then an investment visa. In the end, it was all for naught. The red-eyed Mrs. Lin told me: 'If the kids weren't already there studying in Australia, we'd just give up on the whole thing. This feeling of your fate just dangling in mid-air is just too much for anyone to endure for too long.' After some Australian friends introduced the Lin's to us, we got them their immigration visas within three months, ending four years of struggle and disappointment."

 This is just one of countless extraordinary cases Fastlane has encountered over the years and Jao hopes the company can serve as a beacon for those struggling on the road to immigration.

Perhaps this kind of business success story seems anathema to today's "e-Generation" of get-rich-quick computer mavens. To them it may seem like some sort of fairy tale, but some people do carve out their own niche one step, one rung at a time. We need more "ordinary" success stories like this in today's age of instant gratification, stories in which core ideals are not forsaken and which disprove the myth of overnight success. Because the only stories that truly last are those that can withstand the test of time.