Small businesses are the lifeblood of their community. In this week’s Spotlight on Small Business, AMP sits down with Pinnacle IT.
Pinnacle IT is a service-excellence-focused, 30-year-old technology firm headquartered in Little Rock, with offices throughout Arkansas.
“Like many technology firms, we started by helping friends and family, along with their businesses, solve technology problems. As our organization grew, I moved from providing tech support into an account management or sales role. Over the past decade, my role has been more focused on being the CEO of a thriving business technology solutions firm. Our focus today is on cybersecurity, cloud and end-user support (on-site & help desk support),” CEO Chris Bates explained.
Bates shared what some of his day-to-day duties entail.
“My focus has changed over the years. While my career began in providing direct tech services, I now spend most of my time consulting with clients and working to get out of the day-to-day so my time can be spent on things that will grow the organization, and that will allow me to spend less time in the business. As most business owners know, getting out of the ‘weeds’ is critical, although extremely difficult,” Bates said.
Bates shared some goals that are on the horizon for Pinnacle IT.
“While we certainly intend to continue growing our organization, we are also focused on sharpening our skills – especially pertaining to cybersecurity – and making sure our current clients are provided with a consistent level of support. We understand that transparency in business, especially a technology-focused business, is paramount. It’s a focus of ours to also provide the ultimate amount of transparency around our technology solutions and business practices to help our clients feel at ease with their ever-changing technology systems and with us as an organization,” Bates said.
Bates shared some of the challenges that he and his small business have faced.
“Changes in the cybersecurity landscape, coupled with work from anywhere, have made the past few years very challenging. Not only must we work to protect our clients’ systems and data, we must protect them from nearly anywhere. It is our responsibility to be at the forefront of the changes in technology to make sure that our clients are receiving the best possible solutions that are available to them. We pride ourselves on being the necessary extension of an organization’s IT systems and caring for our clients’ businesses as if they were our own,” Bates said.
Conversely, Bates shared some of the successes that he’s had as a small business owner.
“I’ve been blessed by many successes, both personally and professionally. Over the years, I’ve been named to lists like 40 under 40 at age 38 in 2010 . . . and had many successful acquisitions that have allowed me to grow Pinnacle IT to what it is today. I also just recently welcomed my first grandchild into the family. I’m a proud new grandfather and look forward to all that comes with the role,” Bates said.
Bates offered a few words of advice to aspiring small business owners.
“Surround yourself with the right people in the right places. Lean on others, and don’t be the bottleneck. Make time for things outside of work – family, hobbies, yourself. It’s a joy to watch a small business grow and become a home for your team. There’s a huge feeling of accomplishment in getting your business to a specific point; however, it’s equally important to stop and take time to develop yourself outside of your business,” Bates said.
Lastly, Bates shared some life lessons that he’s learned as a small business owner.
“Realize before it’s too late to enjoy life outside of the business. Empower other people to lead and fail quickly. Cash is king,” Bates said.
READ ALSO: SPOTLIGHT ON SMALL BUSINESS: SUPERTASTERZ’S OPERA SAUCE
