These may not be the best of times to start or run a small business, but Christopher Hazlett’s struggle to hang tough through one crisis after another may hold lessons for the legions of entrepreneurs caught between a stumbling economy and crippling credit squeeze.
At the very least, his upbeat attitude should offer them solace, and maybe even a bit of inspiration.
It has been a rough year for Hazlett, founder and president of Integrate Consulting L.L.C., a software design firm in Hoboken, N.J. First, during the market turmoil last January, Johnson & Johnson, Merrill Lynch and almost all his other clients walked away from their contracts in just two weeks. His company’s revenue projections for 2008 fell from six figures to close to zero.
Then, he spent a disheartening four months trying to find new business.
Admitting defeat, he made a big gamble to save his company by switching from his comfortable perch of doing software design for Fortune 100 companies to the uncharted territory of developing a Web product for a market that includes churches and synagogues.
His timing is not optimal. He is introducing a software program called Event Clipboard on Friday in the midst of the American financial system’s current nervous breakdown.
Is Hazlett, 31 years old, nervous?
“Most of all, I feel exuberant,” he said. “I wake up in the morning saying, ‘Yes! I wonder what’s going to happen today?’ ”
In 2006, with all his energies centered on Integrate, he prospered. He signed a big contract with Merrill Lynch and a few smaller deals. He hired an assistant, who, like him, worked out of her home. The money rolled in — in the low six figures in 2006 and again in 2007, with phone bills his biggest expense.
Photo by Integrate Consulting L.L.C..
cassy on November 14th, 2008 at 2:55 am
Its like the saying” if you failed, dont lost hope but try and try again”. Just like Mr. Hazllet, when his business failed, he struggle and find another business that will bring him up again!
Jaclyn on November 15th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
I agree with Cassy…if everyone gave up the first time something didn’t work out…the world and technology would not be where it is today. if it doesn’t work the first time, tweak it a little bit and try again! this website is a great idea for business owners of all kind’s i think, a place where they can go to get a little light shown on the subject for them and maybe get a little solace like Hazllet said!
James Spinosa on November 16th, 2008 at 9:34 am
Wow didn’t realize the religious market was even that expansive for such software. Whenever the economy is in a rut it just means that nation and it’s people must retool their skills and move on.