“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” – African Proverb
The achievements of an organization are the direct results of the combined efforts of every individual. FIELDBOSS has reached its 10th anniversary this year. Let’s take a moment to highlight some of the most important milestones in the last ten years, which have set the stage for an even brighter and impactful future.
We spoke with Jonathan Taub, President of FIELDBOSS, to learn a little about him, how FIELDBOSS got its start, and where he sees its future.
The Beginning
Q: What were you doing before you started Rimrock/FIELDBOSS?
A: I had been selling Dynamics GP accounting systems for 20 years where the business model was consulting centric. The business was at the point in my life where I really wanted to create a product and have the product be the focus. I also felt strongly that focusing on a vertical industry of some sort was strategic for so many reasons. I liked field service because of its resiliency to the economic cycle.
Q: What inspired you to start it? How did you come up with the idea for FIELDBOSS?
A: I was friendly with my rep at Microsoft. We had attended some conferences together and would get to talking. I was also introduced to a uniquely talented developer who had just retired from Microsoft. We immediately talked about the field service space as I was running my accounting software practice at the time and had a client who needed a maintenance management solution for billing and scheduling. By then, our Microsoft rep had quit and was contracting himself out, so he configured something in what was called Dynamics CRM at the time. Shortly after, an elevator company called needing a solution, and so we decided to build a product. It all happened very quickly. We had a customer with a problem and a budget. That was the beginning of 2012. By the end of the year, we were marketing FIELDBOSS to HVAC and Elevator companies and had our first two clients by the end of 2013.
Challenges
Q: What were some of the early challenges you faced? What are some of the things you did along the way that didn’t work?
A: Ignorance was bliss! The biggest challenge was definitely the never-ending functionality requirements. It was like Whack-A-Mole. We would get to a certain point but always needed more. As our client base grew, we realized we/they needed more functionality. So that was a challenge…functionality depth and breadth. Field service is very complex and that became apparent very quickly. But that makes it a great space for us. We stuck it out and are much better positioned now to help contractors gain a competitive advantage and grow their business.
Q: You quickly became an expert in the HVAC/R and elevator industries. How did that happen?
A: I have learned so much over the last 10 years and it’s all thanks to the relationships I have formed with our clients and industry professionals. Every new relationship along the way seemed to have taught me something new. The early adopters of FIELDBOSS were very generous with their time and really educated me, as they too believed in the vision of FIELDBOSS using the Microsoft stack. I went to lots of events, demos, conferences….really just immersing myself in the industry over the last 10 years. I am genuinely interested in the equipment, the business model and the industry trends which makes it easy to learn.
Proud Moments/Wins
Q: Do you remember your first sale?
A: Definitely. It was Paramount Power, a Toronto based generator service company. They were the ones who trusted us to get them a maintenance scheduling and billing solution. Then came Ambient Mechanical who could really see that our platform was the future. These early customers were established in their industries and bought into our vision for FIELDBOSS so that was incredibly validating. They are still with us today!
Q: Your biggest win?
A: Every single client that comes on board with FIELDBOSS is a big win. It is definitely a dopamine rush. Whether it is a big or small company, honestly, they are equally important. It is about winning a relationship, not a sale, and that the companies are trusting us to help them grow their business and take care of their people. It is not about the users for us, it’s always about the relationships.
Company Culture
Q: Let’s talk a little about the culture at FIELDBOSS. You have quite a few staff who have been here from the early years. How do you motivate people and keep them happy?
A: I try to create a culture that I would want to work at. For me, it is all about wellness and work life balance. It is not healthy to expect people to work excessively or be subjected to excessive stress at work. Obviously, there are times when you have to but it’s a give and take culture. We have a high level of trust amongst our staff. With the right product, processes and industry, good things will happen over time.
The Future
Q: Where do you see FIELDBOSS going and how do you plan on keeping the product innovative?
A: FIELDBOSS as a product will stay innovative because it is built within the Microsoft platform. We never have to worry about falling behind from an innovation perspective because the platform does it for us. We keep our focus on where the industry is going and ensuring our customers’ success which drives every feature we create, every best practice we support through our software, and every innovation we bring to the industry.
We are continuing our growth trend of 20-30% a year. Long term steady growth is the goal. We want to know that we are making a difference in the industry and with our clients. Is our customer base outperforming their cohorts? Are they running better businesses? It is exciting to see.
About Jonathan
Q: What is something you have learned over the past 10 years?
A: I underestimated how long things would take. We didn’t make any big mistakes, but despite being careful by nature, I still got it wrong insofar as how long it would take to get to where we are now. We stuck to our conviction that slow and steady wins the race.
Q: If you could go back in time, what’s one piece of advice you would give yourself 10 years ago?
A: One piece of advice I would give myself is to spend more time on my fitness journey. I have always been very health and fitness conscious. The struggle I had was that the constant pull of the business cut down on the time I spent in the gym. With our growth, that is all in a much better place for me now. I realized that if you are in a good place with your own health, it is beneficial to not only yourself but everyone you work with too.
Q: What is your favorite part about your job? What excites you most?
A: My favourite part of my job is establishing new relationships with prospects. Getting to know them for the first time. Setting the stage for a long-term journey together.
Miscellaneous
Q: Given the shift to remote work over the past year of the pandemic, has your thinking shifted on how important offices and in-person collaboration are for innovation and success?
A: I believe that the importance of working in person is excessively undervalued right now. The pandemic definitely proved that work can be done remotely, but you lose a lot by not being in person. It is a human behaviour thing and loss in communication. There needs to be balance; it can’t be one extreme or the other. I think organizations that get that right will outperform those that don’t.
Q: What do you feel is the biggest strength of the company right now?
A: The biggest strength of the company is the fact that our staff know the industry and we are built on the Microsoft platform. We have best practices that are scalable. We are in a really good spot right now.
Q: Do you focus on your competitors?
A: I liked the Oprah approach to competitors. While I think it is important to understand your competitors so that you can understand the market, we don’t get too caught up in what they are doing. We stay focused on doing what is right for us and more so what is right for our customers. I think spending time focusing on the competition is actually wasteful. The platform and our customers keep us plenty busy. You get that right, and the rest will take care of itself.
Final Thoughts
Q. Do you have any last words?
A: I am proud that our software helps field service companies provide critical services. We share that responsibility with our customers, and we take that very seriously. Life is always interesting, as technology evolves, the industries evolve. At the same time, we are mindful to maintain constant healthy staff and client relationships. This has been our foundation for the last ten years and I don’t see it changing. And for me, I have as much energy now and I am just as motivated as ten years ago. We are just getting started.
If you would like to learn more about how FIELDBOSS can transform your business and empower your team, please contact us or schedule a free personalized demo.