“What services should we offer to help our members grow their businesses?” 

WTIA Chief Executive Officer Michael Schutzler asked me this question one week into his new role at the WTIA. Since he was my new boss and a technology entrepreneur with a proven record of success, I wanted to impress him with my answer.

Since I came from a finance and operations background, I was comfortable with the notion that services could save organizations money and time. I struggled, however, with the concept that a business service could increase a company’s revenue. Other than traditional sales and marketing tools, such as paid lists and CRM software, I couldn’t think of many examples designed to enhance revenues or expand operations.

After sleeping on the question, I walked Michael through my entire thought process. I then went into one of my long tirades about how ridiculous this conceptual exercise was. Michael paused, looked at me, and asked another question:

Why does the WTIA exist?

The answer he was looking for was:

• To be the united voice advocating for the tech sector in Washington State.
• To help solve the two greatest challenges in the tech sector: access to talent and capital

His answer led me to one of those ah-hah moments. The best way to help our members grow revenues is to offer a core set of services that specifically address their talent and capital issues.

In our market research it is clear there are not enough mechanisms available to small business owners that help address talent and capital-specific issues. Enter the concept of free WTIA business consulting.

WTIA Free Business Consulting – How it works:

1)       Effective Feb 1, 2014 (offered throughout 2014 and then will be evaluated based on usage levels and feedback), WTIA will provide members with access to free business consulting in three business areas:

• Finance
• Human Resources
• Legal

2)       Free business consulting is available to all member companies on a first-come first-serve basis throughout fiscal 2014. Sessions occur three times a month on Fridays from 1:00 to 5:00 pm.

3)       Any question or issue is fair game, as long as it falls under one of the three business areas.

4)       Consultation is provided by one of WTIA’s selected service partners. These are best-in-class providers, vetted by the WTIA, with expertise serving technology companies.

5)       Consulting sessions will take place at one of our service partners or at WTIA’s offices. A WTIA staff member will be on-site during each consulting session to support the program.

6)       To sign-up for a session, members can go to our website or contact a WTIA membership representative at membership@washingtontechnology.org .

Call to Action

Whether you are dealing with a complex business issue for the first time, looking for a second opinion or searching for a trusted business partner, the WTIA can help you.

To learn more or reserve your spot today, please contact the WTIA membership team at membership@washingtontechnology.org.