Name: The Crimmins Group
Location: Signal Mountain
Products/services: Crimmins Group consultants bring over 45 years of experience in information technology and telecommunications services to medium, large, and enterprise level businesses. They can help with e-discovery, set up hot sites and cold sites, and work to form and implement a strategic IT plan.
Age: Ward Crimmins and Keith Collins decided to start the firm last fall.
Startup investment/annual sales: The Crimmins Group is in the late prospecting stages, meeting with companies in the region to assess their needs.
Target market: Companies with between $50 million to $800 million in sales are ideal, according to Ward Crimmins, president. They prefer to take on projects with a three- to six-month engagement.
Biggest hurdle: The biggest hurdle so far has been narrowing their focus to the particular sector where they foresee the most business growth.
Biggest reward: Mr. Crimmins said the biggest reward is having a satisfied client who recommends him to others, and providing an income for his family.
Challenges in the future: The rapid changes in technology requires IT and telecom personnel to be aware of emerging products, and to avoid recommending solutions that will prove to be obsolete in a short period of time, Mr. Crimmins said.
Lesson learned: Determining what IT and telecom assistance buyers are looking for and how to price services competitively in today's economy was difficult to learn. The trick is to provide solutions that are right for the market and that are priced to bring high value to clients.
Five-year goal: Mr. Crimmins expects to be a regional IT and telecommunications consulting firm, focusing on one or two key vertical markets, with a small permanent staff. He and Mr. Collins plan to collaborate and contract with other consultants when needed on specific projects.