Bootstrapping to $15 Million: Ernie Bray, CEO of ACD (Part 6)

Ernie Bray: The challenge we found with virtual workforce was that some people just don’t fit well in that model because they get distracted too much. They don’t focus on what they’re doing. Because we’re a results-oriented company, we have our computer technology in our platform, we can monitor pretty much whether they’re getting the job done. We use Slack for communication. We use Skype a lot. We communicate through our technology platform itself. If you institute the right tools, you can create a pretty cohesive distributed workforce, but it really goes back to having the right people who can do that.

Sramana Mitra: It takes a lot of self-discipline. Do you have a lot of people working from home? You said you have 12 people working at headquarters. Do you have a second office?

Ernie Bray: No. We have to have accounting. Accounting is in the headquarters. We have quality assurance in the headquarters and some administrative staff.

Sramana Mitra: You have chosen to build this company in an organic way. Talk to me a bit about that decision.

Ernie Bray: That’s one of the things that’s really important to me. I’m approached by private equity and venture capital all the time. I have probably six to eight meetings a month. I have a hard time in just wanting to sell the company and go on to something else. I care about the whole culture and building something to last. I tell other entrepreneurs, “Whatever business I’m in, even if it seems boring, I want to do something to make a difference in the industry that I’m in.” I’m in that mindset. I put my own money on the line because I believed in what I could do here. I also care about my people. I want to have a good culture where there’s team work and people know that they can have a long-lasting career that’s built for the future. I don’t want to be caught up in quick exits. I want to build something that means something.

Sramana Mitra: You’re not jumping to sell your company and get an exit?

Ernie Bray: Not at all. I’m not opposed to potential growth partners. I saw an article on Inc. about evergreen companies.

Sramana Mitra: Yes, I know the people involved in that.

Ernie Bray: I was very impressed with the article. I was like, “That’s what I’ve been doing for 12 years and I didn’t even realize it.” I didn’t know there were other people out there doing it. That’s the philosophy. Like I said, there are potential acquisitions out there. There may be some smart moves that we can do to help accelerate growth, but we’ve been just marching along. We’ve been growing every year for 12 years. It’s been measured growth. I feel bad giving up now when I see so much potential ahead.

Sramana Mitra: Terrific. Congratulations. Thank you for your time.

This segment is part 6 in the series : Bootstrapping to $15 Million: Ernie Bray, CEO of ACD
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