There’s a balance to be had between being a business owner and keeping up with technology. I love both. Those are the two main hats I wear, even though not all of our customers realize I have a technology background.
I was using Oracle back when it still came on hard floppy disks. I started off in technology. My boss at that time was Kerry Osborne at Database Consultants, Inc. When he went to sales meetings nobody ever knew he owned the company. He was just there to help figure out the best solution.
In fact, the only reason I ever went to a sales meeting was because Kerry was gone one day, and a salesperson asked me to go in his place.
I thought it was an honor! So I told them I would go.
Years later I was relocated to Oklahoma City for that same company, and I didn’t bother hiring a salesperson. I did have some assistance from the sales team in our Dallas office, and I’ve had some sales training since then. But I’ve always thought you can help people without coming off as “salesy.”
I’ve always felt quasi-entrepreneurial. I’ve been good at helping people at the executive level and making sure things were done right. I understood what everyone’s role was enough to determine what they needed help with.
That skill is what gave me the confidence to get promoted at Database Consultants, Inc., relocate to Oklahoma City to open up an office on my own, and then to start LSG Solutions.
Along the way, I got exposed to other technologies. Database Consultants, Inc. was an Oracle shop. I took the time to invest in learning and working in the Microsoft stack and open source stacks. At LSG we decided not to be Oracle only, but to provide other solutions as well.
To this day, I enjoy being both an owner and staying active in the tech side of things. Sometimes there are rough days as an owner, so I can take my mind off that by helping employees with something on the tech side.
On the other hand, sometimes technology isn’t working right and you’re banging your head on the desk. On those days, I need to step away and review timesheets or financial reports.
My goal is to be able to intelligently talk with our clients about their problems, possible solutions, and the pros and cons involved. My job is to figure out how to get people out of the IT mud they’re stuck in. And being both an owner and having a tech background helps with that.
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