Nice Guys Don't Have to Finish Last
By Willis Cantey, President, Cantey Technology, Charleston, S.C.
Running a tech support business is a lot like being a car mechanic: When people come to us with a problem, they usually don't understand the underlying cause and often don't want to. They just want their machines to work right. That knowledge gap is the basis for businesses like mine, but it's also something that a lot of support firms routinely exploit.
Most business owners have no idea how long something like routine server maintenance takes. There are plenty of opportunities for unscrupulous tech support companies to skim a little off the top -- inflating billable hours, adjusting estimates, and generally working the numbers in their own favor.
Taking a stand against that kind of tactic was a no-brainer from the very start. It's tantamount to stealing, and I was raised better than that. But I still found that even day-to-day business decisions were fraught with ethical dilemmas.
Keeping our fees in check
A huge part of our business involves applying new technologies to existing scenarios. Hardware and software are always getting faster, simpler, and easier to use. Staying current and offering our clients the most advanced solutions are both crucial to our success.
For example, we often move clients over from Microsoft Exchange to Google's cloud-based business apps. When we first started doing that, it took us some time to learn how to make those transitions smoothly. Anyone I hire has a minimum of 10 years experience, but those first few migrations still took longer than they do today. So who foots the bill for that training time? The first client you move over? The last?
The answer, of course, should be neither. I believe we need to have those processes ironed out before we even set foot on the playing field. Our clients shouldn't be paying to be guinea pigs. My philosophy has meant forfeiting a lot of money for hours that other people might bill out, but the peace of mind is worth it.
Why worry?
I think about my business all the time, but I've never been a worrier. If I went around adding extra hours to projects, selling people equipment they don't need, or charging for what should be standard training time, I think I would be a worrier, and that's just not worth it. I need to spend my time running the business, not wondering when our reputation is going to fall apart at the seams.
We have a few remote clients, but we primarily work with small- to medium-sized local businesses. Sky-high IT bills can really affect their survival, especially during a recession.
Clients aren't always immediately aware of how much money they save with our business model. It takes about a year for the whole picture to come together, but once we have their systems caught up to where they should be, our billable hours bottom out. At that point they're typically paying much less than they were with our predecessors, which makes for pretty happy clients.
As a result, word-of-mouth is how we grow our business. A lot of our clients are our friends and neighbors, and our friends' neighbors. Knowing I stand on solid ground ethically means that I can look people in the eyes when I bump into them in the grocery store -- and that's priceless.
At this point we earn about $1 million in annual revenue. That could probably be a lot closer to $2 million, but I'm convinced that any gains achieved through dubious practices would be short-lived. I'd rather grow slowly and consistently than feel like we're speeding toward the edge of a cliff.
When he's not in his office or data center, you can find Willis Cantey surfing, fishing or doting on his "perfect" baby daughter.
-- As told to Joe Conway
Resources:
- Read more about IT industry ethics.
- Learn how to write a code of ethics for your business.
- Discover how the recession is affecting corporate responsibility.