Jason Schade, founder of ConnectGO Internet, Inc, knows what it takes to wear many hats as a small business entrepreneur. Since starting his company in 2000 after the dot-com crash, he noticed many businesses needed his help with web development, and is now creating a hub where people can seek assistance in running their own businesses and connect with other entrepreneurs for advice.
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What is your role in your business?
Since we are currently only a 5 person company, we all wear many hats. I find myself doing quite a bit of everything at the moment. Day to day operations, technical stuff, marketing, sales, you name it, but there are also multiple outside partners we have that enable us to run a lean operation.
What services or products do you offer?
Our main focus is building and running our own internal projects right now, we have been refining and optimizing for internal projects for over a decade. We are now developing plans to help and potentially partner with small businesses to help them grow, be more efficient and profitable. We also do web hosting, design, SEO, and marketing for others, but it has been by referral only for a while.
Where did you get the idea for your business?
While I was in school for web development in 1999 during the dot com crash. The web development program I was in at the time basically told us, “Well, there aren’t going to be jobs for you guys.” I quickly realized there was the potential to do something.
How did you get started?
We started with a dial up service in 2000. DSL was barely just coming out at the time, and I knew I could also resell DSL, but it was much less expensive to get started with a dial up service. I was mostly just putting up flyers door to door and did some computer shows to market my company, I barely knew what I was doing at the time. While marketing for dial up service, I actually received more requests to build websites, so we moved towards doing websites instead.
What is unique about your company?
Well for better or for worse, we don’t like risk, we don’t have debt, which is somewhat unique. With what we are doing now, our focus is going to be helping businesses and individuals with just about anything they are trying to accomplish.
What is the one thing you would want your customers to know that maybe they don’t realize?
In small to medium businesses, often times the person you are talking to is working for free until a transaction happens, and if a transaction doesn’t happen, no one is paying for all the efforts that person put forth. We strive to make all processes as easy as possible, and everything clear up-front. Most of our customers do understand that time is money, since they are business owners themselves.
What do you need help with to get you to the next level or to get you where you need to get going?
Ideally we would like to raise some money to jumpstart our growth plans, but there is work involved in raising money, so we might just keep pushing without investors, we will see.
What is something you found unexpected getting into your business?
There is a lot to learn, and being your own boss means exactly that, you literally have to tell yourself what to do. Maybe that’s just me, but making plans and task lists helps.
What is the most difficult thing you have had to overcome in developing your business? Or what mistakes have you learned from?
Finding niches that are not oversaturated, and figuring out what it takes to stand out.
What forms of advertising have you found most effective? Have you ever done commercials on TV, radio, or internet?
Word of mouth, SEO, and yes, we did a radio commercial one time on trade, that did lead to a few customers.
What has been your greatest accomplishments in owning your business?
So far, buying our building and gainfully employing people.
What is the best advice you ever got and from whom?
Lots of things from Brian Tracy courses, good stuff, check it out https://www.briantracy.com/
Are you hiring? If so, what jobs, or where can someone find the job postings?
If you are a programmer or web developer looking to be in the Kane County area, we’d love to hear from you, go to our website and submit the contact form.
Visit ConnectGO on their social media pages and give them a like and a follow
ConnectGO Internet, Inc
1712 Main St.
St. Charles, IL 60174