Channel Pro - February 2008

ISTARTED THIS COMPANY with two partners almost 25 years ago. I have an accounting degree and had worked as a controller, so we started developing financial software. In 1990 we switched platforms from DOS to AS400, which is what we used to evolve our financial software into the textile manufacturing software that became the focus of our company.

Textiles were the predominant industry in the Southeast back then—I’m from the South, and it’s what I’ve known all my life. But the textile industry is gone. With its demise, a lot of our customers shuttered their doors. The thing is, when your customers go out of business, they don’t pay their bills. We had some pretty hard years.

Then, it was 2000 or 2001 and my partners and employees were gone. So with the help of a very good friend on the West Coast, I made a decision to change the direction of the company—I would leave software development and move toward networking and Microsoft’s Small Business Server (SBS). I would—and still do—support the customers that bought our manufacturing software, but SBS would be my main focus.

It was not easy. People still think I’m a software developer. You have to educate them about who you are—and that takes a long time.

HELP IN THE TRENCHES There are people who do exactly what I do, who are just as busy as I am, who are willing to help me. And I know that in a crunch situation, there are a number of people I can call and say, “Hey, can you come and help me out?” And they will come. It helps me sleep at night.

WHY
I WORK
WITH
SMBs

THE PROS AND CONS

OF GOING SOLO

As a one-man show, the biggest challenge I have is trying to be in two places at one time. I tell people jokingly that my company consists of me, myself, and I, but we haven’t decided who’s in charge yet!

Another challenge is that you have to do everything. One minute you’re a technical person and the next minute you have to work on sales or marketing and the next you need to be an administrative person to run your company and handle all the rest.

On the other hand, the biggest benefit to being a one-man show is that you are a one-man show. I am the boss. I make the

final decision. I tell my prospective customers, “When it comes time for you to decide about engaging with this company or that company, remember that when you work with me, you’re working with the owner of the company. I can make a decision and I will back it up.” I think that’s important.

I came from a business background in which everybody was afraid of everybody else. No one would work together because they were afraid you were going to steal their customers. Then about five years ago I heard about the SMB Nation conference that Harry Brelsford was putting on in Indianapolis.

Jim Sterling, my friend in California who does the same type of work I do, called me and said, “We need to go to this.”

So we went. There were

110 of us that first year. And it was then that I realized:

There’s a community here— people who can help me answer questions, help me when I have a problem. What a concept! All these people working together! It was amazing.

And it grew. I believe there were 700 or 800 at-tendees at Harry’s latest conference in Redmond. Additionally, the Small and

Medium Business Technology Network (SMBTN) has evolved nationally in the last few years. The mission of this group is to provide new opportunities for those serving small and medium-size businesses through education, collaboration, and networking. The beauty of it is that you can work by yourself because of this community. Right now if a customer has an issue with their IT infrastructure and I need some assistance, I can send out an email and you would not believe all the information I will receive.

THERE ARE A LOT OF SMALL COMPANIES out there that need help. That’s what I do. I tell these people: “I’m a little guy, so I understand your problems and I can help you. I know every problem you’ve got, because I’ve got them too.”

People relate to that. I recently put a server in for a customer who has only two users. A lot of people would say that was ill advised and that I should have done a peer-to-peer network at a lot less cost. I don’t think so. I have given my customer a solid foundation so that should he decide to grow his company, his infrastructure is already in place.

He saw that; he under-
stood that. I gave him a long-
term growth scenario that he
can live with and grow with.

We have a community that’s so strong and so vibrant that I get excited about it. It makes my life bearable! I think community is vitally important, particularly if you’re a Lone Ranger. There are not enough hours in the day to stay current on everything. You can’t do it. And if you think you can, you are definitely fooling yourself. You’ve got to rely on other people.