Ben Thomas founded technology consulting firm PC Assistance of Little Rock 22 years ago with $2,500 in capital and “zero experience running a business.” The firm focuses on cybersecurity.
Now he’s the small private company’s CEO and CFO. Thomas said the firm’s revenue in its first year was $160,000, but that has grown to several million dollars as of Oct. 7. Its annual growth rate of 8.25 percent for the past year fell into the median range for the industry, he said.
But the firm could have grown faster if he’d studied business and sought out a loan, Thomas said. Instead, he worked a second job and took little compensation at the beginning. And, Thomas said, had he known what he knows now, he might have been scared away from starting a company.
“We were in the right place at the right time, and God was watching out for us,” he said.
Thomas founded the firm because he was dissatisfied with a job and “a light bulb went on” when the owner of a small furniture store in Maumelle asked twice for his help with accounting.
From there, Thomas combined what he naturally gravitated toward and was good at — budgets and technology. But what he enjoys most about his work is the people.
Thomas said most of his 25 employees have worked at the firm for 15 years or longer and he treats them like co-workers rather than subordinates. “If you ask anyone, they’d say I’m pretty laid back. I deal with people how I want to be dealt with,” he said, adding that the firm’s family-like atmosphere keeps turnover low.
His secret is “two words: reasonable profit.” Thomas said leaders must find the margin that insures a company’s success while not taking advantage of the trust they’ve built with long-term clients.
Thomas also said the firm’s future plans include focusing on cybersecurity in the financial sector.
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