The story of how a small business owner became his own first customer.
Matt Rissell was frustrated. Or maybe a better way to say it … he was irritated! As the owner of a printer supply company and a background in business mobile devices, Rissell knew about technology. And he knew how to grow a business. While business growth was great, it meant adding employees. And adding employees meant more paperwork. And more errors. And more chances for employees to fudge on their time cards. Time and attendance tracking was becoming a bigger head-ache everyday. So Matt did what he always did. He set out to find some technology to solve this business problem. He knew that almost every business problem out there had a technology solution to solve it. Inventory control. Accounting. E-Mail. Order Processing. But where was the Time and attendance package? In his world of automation, the idea that someone had not created a computerized method for tracking employee Time and attendance was ludicrous. So Matt fixed it.
Brandon Zehm was quickly becoming a rock star in the programming world with a client list that included a government laboratory, Albertsons, HP, and Merrill Lynch. Then he received a call from an old friend, Matt Rissell. Matt explained his problem and asked Brandon if this is something he could do. Somewhat insulted by the simplicity of the problem, Brandon said “sure”! After just one month of programming and testing, Brandon had a time and attendance package ready for Matt to use in his business. Problem solved. Clock-in and clock-out was automated. Reports were generated for payroll. Matt was happy. The bookkeeper was happy. End of story … until the bookkeeper suggested to Matt and Brandon that they could start selling the software (still unnamed at this point).
Both Matt and Brandon had entrepreneurism in their DNA, so it was no surprise that they started to look beyond just solving the time keeping needs of Matt’s business. Not long after, TSheets was born. Using the same thinking as when they created the software, Matt and Brandon set out to create a different kind of software company. They established several principles to guide the company and the evolution of the software:
The first principle was a reminder to never lose the simplicity of TSheets; to remember that the actual problem that was being solved was automating clocking-in and clocking-out. The second principle was a reminder of Matt’s initial frustration; that despite all of the advancements for small business automation, business owners were left to use paper time sheets or antiquated punch card systems. Finally, the third principle was a reminder that the audience for TSheets was small businesses so the monthly fee had to be affordable. Further, it had to have an immediate return-on-investment.
Although a simple solution to a complex problem, Matt and Brandon did want some depth to the product. However, instead of loading it up with a bunch of features based on their own whims, they did something unique. They asked their initial customers what features they wanted! This mission to be customer-driven, rather than feature-driven kept the simplicity of the software, but created depth and breadth to the product. From the feedback that was received, they added job codes, QuickBooks integration, mobile device access, and dozens of other customer-requested features. This practice of asking customers for feedback still continues today.
Another goal for TSheets was to use the company as a vehicle for greater good, not just a revenue stream. Matt and Brandon determined that their “cause” for TSheets was to empower business owners to become business leaders. One of the first steps was to start featuring their customers on the TSheets site. Not just testimonials of their use of TSheets, but giving their customers a platform to talk about their businesses. This was a mission beyond just time keeping to helping small business owners become successful. In addition, Matt and Brandon wanted TSheets to be a place to develop talent internally, so they created a culture of transparency and personal development for their employees.
Today, TSheets’ clients have thousands of employees using TSheets. There are plans in the works for some major alliances with national organizations. Programmers are being hired. A marketing company has been retained to help manage and grow the TSheets brand. All of this from one small business owner’s frustration … err, irritation.
For a video profile of Matt and Brandon, click here.
For more information or to interview Matt Rissell or Brandon Zehm, please contact Justin Foster at 208-342-2583 or justin@thetricycle.com
