Free from 9 to 5

I met Ian Landsman through our blogs at the beginning of the year. We were both embarking on the microISV ownership path. He and his company, UserScape, have been far more successful than me. Here’s his story…

Ian, please give us a little background on your business.

UserScape builds help desk software for small to medium size businesses and business divisions. The average customer so far tends to be a business with 1 to 5000 employees.

We were formally incorporated in March 2005, though in practice we started developing HelpSpot about a year ago now.

UserScape is located in the beautiful Hudson Valley, about 2 hours north of New York City.

Do you work from home?

Yes, I’ve set up dedicated office space in the house. I’m currently looking into office space, however, that will probably wait until the spring.

What kind of traditional 9 to 5 job(s) have you had in the past, if any?

I’ve had a bit of a wandering career. I started out as an accounting major. After school I went to work for Office Depot, where I was an assistant store manager. The money was good, but overall, the job was less than rewarding, so a few years in, I decided it was time for a change.

I left Office Depot and went to work for a startup in the educational technology field. There, I learned how to formally program, though I was always a bit of a computer geek. As a product manager, I was responsible for all customer support. This is really where the idea of HelpSpot started and many of the features I wish I had in my tools back then are the core of HelpSpot today. During this time, I also began consulting on the side, developing websites as well as several corporate intranets.

My last 9 to 5 was working for Marist College running the eLearning technology and programs. Among my responsibilities was the management of the support system for over 5000 people who used the eLearning system daily.

What led you to start your own business?
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Read Part I of this interview here.

What’s the hardest thing about starting your own business?

Honestly, the hardest thing for me in starting my own business is the fact that I’m such an introverted person. Approaching people is so necessary for my work, and it’s so difficult trying to make connections to get myself out there and known. Another problem is that I’m not comfortable talking about myself (wouldn’t know it to read this interview, but I’m really trying to get over this problem). I always figured my pieces would speak for themselves, but as I recently told someone, I know people respond better to stories, so I intend to start building stories around my designs both on the website and in the catalog I’m developing.

It also doesn’t help that I moved less than a year ago to a state where I knew a grand total of two people when I got here.

As far as telling stories around your designs, were you inspired by Seth Godin’s book, All Marketers are Liars, or this article he wrote for Fortune?
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Rebecca left a comment on one of my earlier posts and included a link to her website. I was very impressed by the elegance and beauty of her jewelry designs. When I found out she was trying to start a business of her own, I knew I had to interview her!

What services/products does your business provide?

Rebecca Thomas Designs provides sterling silver wrapped wire jewelry accented with various semi-precious stones and glass beads. I offer pieces that I’ve made and also do custom and commissioned work. I also am available to teach jewelry classes, and hope to have a series of technique and project sheets available by the end of the summer.

How long have you been in business?

Truth be told, this business started under another name in the summer of 2003. A poor peformance and a series of moves led to the business not operating for about a year. I just started reorganizing and putting my pieces out for the general public again last fall. The new website and business name were launched only in the past couple of months.

Where is your business located?

The international headquarters for Rebecca Thomas Designs is located in Bothell, Washington!

Is it a home-based business? Online-only business? Retail storefront business? Full-time, part-time?

It’s a home-based business that conducts business both online through eBay and an online consignment shop (www.oldegarage.com) and offline through friends and coworkers. Eventually, I expect the website to be the major point of sale.

It’s definitely a part-time business that takes anywhere from eight to twenty hours of my week, depending on other demands on my time that week.

What kind of traditional 9 to 5 job(s) have you had in the past, if any? What are you currently doing as you build up your jewelry design business?
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Read Part I of this interview here.

How hard/easy was the transition from a 9 to 5 job to running your own business? Did you have other means of support while you were getting your business off the ground (part-time job, spouse, etc.)?

My husband finished veterinary college in 1997; that is when I quit working full time. He has supported our family since then, so I had the ability to start this business without needing to work another job to pay our bills. (If I didn’t have 4 kids, I could have started this business by working nights and weekends on it…)

Aside from the demands of child rearing, I just couldn’t face going back to work for a boss again. I doubt I will ever do that unless I have absolutely no choice. It doesn’t suit my temperament very well. I was lucky in my last 9 to 5 job that I had a great deal of autonomy in my daily work, or I would not have lasted that long.

Are there things you miss about a 9 to 5 job?
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I came across Karen Zack’s Antonia Rose Printing a few months ago when I was looking for custom printed post-it notes. I ended up not ordering from anybody (yet), but I saw a picture of Karen and her children on her Contact Us page, with the caption “This is me, Karen Zack, with my four children. They are my inspiration for success!” And I thought what a great touch that was. (I also noticed that, since then, she has started a business blog and added a link to her personal blog!) I knew her story would be perfect to tell here, so here it is…

Please give us a little background on your business.

Antonia Rose Printing is an online printing retailer. We specialize in custom Post-it notes (for businesses, personal use, wedding favors, coupons, etc.), but we also sell everything from wedding invitations to personal stationery and business cards. We provide free basic design help to our customers, which is a great boon to those individuals and small businesses that do not have graphic designers or advertising firms to layout their artwork for them. Other online printing retailers do not do this at all. I have incorporated more custom printing options into the basic items I sell, so we can print your artwork on our wedding invitation stock for example; most other online retailers will not do this for anyone.

We started up in November 2003, so we have been in business less than a year and a half. The business is now based in Bordentown, NJ, though I started it in Minnesota; we moved to New Jersey due to my husband’s promotion in June 2004. (He is now the Area Veterinarian in Charge for the state of New Jersey, working for the USDA APHIS VS in public health, monitoring things like mad cow disease, bird flu, etc.)

We are an online-only business, located at www.antoniaroseprinting.com and www.custompostits.com. I also have two wedding information sites which indirectly promote Antonia Rose Printing: www.IDoinMN.com and www.IDoinNJ.com. My office is in my home, in what used to be a dining room.

What kind of traditional 9 to 5 job(s) have you had in the past, if any?

In high school, I worked full time during the summers doing clerical work. In college, I worked full time during summers in a fish cannery in Alaska. After college, I worked for 12 years as a legal assistant, first for private firms, then for the county child support enforcement division.

I’m sure I won’t be the only one to wonder, how did you get a job at a fish cannery in Alaska?
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