Community spotlight: Faster Planet, July 27, 2005

Karen Quincy Loberg / Star staff "We help companies grow," said Jeff Baugher, 31, left, CEO, with Dan Spencer, 37, president, of their network and technology consulting firm Faster Planet in Thousand Oaks.

Owners: Dan Spencer and Jeff Baugher

Type of product or service:
Information technology consulting firm

Date established: July 2004

Telephone: 1-866-553-2783 or 1-866-55-FASTER

E-mail: Info@FasterPlanet.com

Web site: http://www.FasterPlanet.com

Employees: Four

Start-up capital: $40,000

Estimated gross revenues: $300,000

Questions addressed to Jeff Baugher, CEO:

Why did you decide to start your own business?
I have always been looking for a company that helped people use technology wisely. There are many different business models that can make money fast or sell products better, but I've never seen one that was truly based on client satisfaction. History shows us that the get rich attitude can definitely pay off, but only in the short term. I want to build a business that will last, and giving the customers reliable, cost effective solutions is the only foundation that will support us for the long haul. I quickly realized that to do this, I would need to start it from scratch.

What was your background before you started your business?
I studied at the University of California at Berkeley in a cognitive science major with an emphasis in artificial intelligence. I worked as an independent contractor for various different companies after school, including at a sheriff's office, Amgen Inc. and a local consulting firm. My partner also is a technician who has been working with computers for years. He, however, has a tremendous amount of experience running and starting small businesses. We have a unique combination of skills that allows us to look at problem from all angles.

What do you consider unique about your business? Our philosophy on how computers should be run. Computers can fit into a small business without being the typical unstable and unreliable wreck that people feel chained to. The more we move our clients toward our standard working environment, by definition, they don't need us as much. We have a tendency to work ourselves out of our clients. It may seem to be a flaw in our plan, but so far there is no end in sight of broken computer systems we can work on.

What business courses or advice have you found to be most valuable in getting your business off the ground and keeping it going?
Practical experience with running computers in a working environment is the only way to know how to support computers. We have read the manuals and taken the classes that hardware and software vendors want you to take. We've always found them to be lacking. Vendors are concerned about sales and nothing more. Our philosophy is to align our interests with the client and figure out what's best for him. As a result the most valuable asset we've found is our clients. Our business is entirely based on referrals and this we take to be a sort of business karma.

What were the biggest hurdles you overcame?
Finding the right employees. Not only do our engineers need to have a well-rounded technical knowledge, but more importantly, they must be professional and good communicators. They need to be able to talk with clients that know little to nothing about computers and infrastructure design.

Who is your target client/customer base?
Our ideal client sizes are companies from 25 to 300 employees. We do handle specialized projects at larger companies and occasionally will get clients that are very small. I like to provide a road map to clients that contains all the expenses and benefits that come with it. This puts the power back into their hands to make an informed decision. In general, the clients that like the road map are a good fit for us. It sounds simplistic, but we aren't in the business of selling a product, we sell a service and that means the clients perceived value is key. A hard sell would just backlash on us at some point in the future.

What is your strategy to increase market share?
I've started a marketing plan to expand our business and take control of the flow of work. We've tried various different media with varying success. We've found most decision makers somewhat wary of advertising. The technology field has been inundated with advertisements that have claimed to be the next new thing. You only have to get burned once or twice before you stop believing the next computer ad.

What kind of competition does your business face?
We've rarely bumped into our competition when going after work. Most consulting companies are going after the more lucrative contracts at large corporations. There is interesting new growth in the residential support market that may start putting some pressure on us soon as they expand into our niche.