But Hess, 41, who practices what he preaches, advises anyone starting out in the business world, "that success does not happen without taking risks. You can't give into fear."

With a name like Pathetic Medic, it's obvious Hess, who lives in Elverson, is not in the business of saving people's lives -- it is their vehicles' "pathetic" interiors he's out to help.

Pathetic Medic dispatches mobile units throughout central and southeastern Pennsylvania to repair unsightly car problems such as burn holes, leather scuffs, ripped rugs, odors, windshield "dings" and anything else that needs fixing inside the car.

Work is performed at a fraction of the replacement cost, Hess said.

Plenty of business owners might shy away from using the less-than-appealing adjective pathetic as part of a business name, but not Hess.

In 2004 the name became a registered trademark. In 2006 Hess sold his first franchise in Montgomery County.

Most of Pathetic Medic's work is performed at major auto dealerships on used cars being prepared for resale or trade-in, Hess's wife of 18 years and business partner, Kim Hess, said.

"It was Kim who once said to a dealer, 'If you don't sell that car because of that burn hole, that's pathetic,' Jim said. "That's how the whole pathetic thing got started."

According to Jim, a major reason used cars don't sell is interior damage.

"And cars that smell don't sell," Kim said.

"We tell dealers"¦don't let the name fool you," Kim said. "We can make leather seats look like new. Our work is anything but pathetic."

Hess launched the business, originally called Repair A Tear, in 1984 but only began franchising recently, after the change to its new name caused the business to take off.

"We couldn't trademark Repair a Tear because it was already used somewhere else," Jim said.

Even Donald Trump might be hard-pressed to find an apprentice to match Hess's passion, skill, luck and desire. The self-proclaimed "poor kid's" background story reads like a model of the American dream.

A 1983 graduate of Garden Spot High School and Brownstown Vocational Technical School, Hess was an "Ag kid from a poor family. There were seven of us kids.

"I was the president of FFA and worked at Good's Greenhouses in Bowmansville after graduation," he said.

Hess said he enjoyed the work but dreamed of owning his business and one day and being his own boss.

"I didn't want to always be helping someone else build their business. I wanted to build my own business," he said.

Fate stepped into Jim's life in 1984 when he met friend and mentor Terry Medley, a St. Louis native and "a savvy entrepreneur who introduced me to the car-appearance business."

"I bought an interior repair kit for $400 and taught myself how to use it. I put it in the back seat of my 1964 Plymouth Valiant and went to set the world on fire," Jim said.

Word spread quickly among auto dealers in Lancaster County about Jim's work.

"A month later I was making a $100 a day. That was a lot of money in 1984. My classmates were either in college or making minimum wage at convenience stores."

Two and a half decades quickly passed, and the Repair a Tear business thrived. Hess expanded the business into Philadelphia and its suburbs.

Destiny would once again enter the lives of Kim and Jim Hess in the early part of the millinieum when the couple met Patrick Ludwick at a franchise exposition in Fort Washington.

Ludwick, a Pittsburgh native, was named "Entrepreneur of the Year" in 1991 by Inc. Magazine.

"Jim simply came up to me and told me about his concept. Since I was the founder of a similar mobile automotive business, Jim captured my attention very quickly. I think it was just fate that Jim and Kim picked me out of the crowd of hundreds, but have since realized how small the world is," Ludwick said.

The relationship between Ludwick and the Hesses grew and they kept in touch, but in 2003 Ludwick was recruited to the Middle East and ended up in Iraq with a Department of Defense Contractor.

While in Iraq, Ludwick worked with the Hesses via email, often using satellite links powered by generators.

"I can remember several times being shelled while working on business plans and marketing issues," Ludwick said.

"Working on Pathetic Medic while in Iraq took my mind off the situation."

Jim's sister is running the franchise in Berks County and the Lancaster County franchise is currently available, Jim said.

"Only one franchise is awarded per county territory," he said. "Lancaster County has a lot of car dealerships, and the person who buys it will do well."

It's the perfect opportunity for a one-man operation."

Jim said he is proud and excited about the prospect of opening the franchise in the Lancaster County territory.

"It's where I'm from and where I got my start," he said. "For me, money doesn't grow on trees -- it grows on cars."

"I bought an interior repair kit for $400 and taught myself how to use it."

Jim Hess of Pathetic Medic