Free from 9 to 5 Chronicles of people and ideas to inspire and achieve freedom from a 9 to 5 job

Interview with Ian Landsman of UserScape

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?