Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Kendall Kunz, Founder and CEO of Forms On Fire, located in Bellevue, WA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
At Forms On Fire, we know when people use paper forms, growth slows across the entire organization. We offer the mobile cloud solution you need to eliminate waste, increase productivity, and accelerate growth because every person and every company deserves a chance to thrive.
Our customers include clients in the Fortune 50, the small company that services your furnace, and everything in between. Virtually any company in any industry will reap a significant return on their investment by going mobile using Forms On Fire.
Tell us about yourself
The concept of Forms On Fire resulted from iterating on a minimum viable product (MVP), explained in the book The Lean Startup by Eric Ries. The name Forms On Fire was inspired by the book "Brains On Fire." When you start a company, sometimes you don't know if what you're creating is going to be good. Our clients tell us today that it is very good.
Watching each member add to and exercise their leadership skills, seeing what clients create with our platform, and looking back at our growth trajectory just makes me smile. This is truly a great business, and we have a great team keeping it well oiled every day... and that keeps me going. Exercising my God-given gifts: those skills, talents, and abilities, and influencing others to use their own God-given gifts have been a great motivator for me all of my life.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
We have a "rookie smarts" mentality and tend to hire college graduates and others with little experience. But letting them take the reins even in small areas where they can excel has been very rewarding to watch as our strategy is paying very good dividends for our clients and employees alike. Allowing others to take on new responsibilities has been a long road.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Establishing policies that keep you on track towards continued growth and leaving behind the edge business that, while also could be profitable, but that have a likelihood of slowing you down. At the end of the day, it comes down to you: are you willing to do whatever it takes to get your idea off the ground? Can you put in the extra time required to do it all if everyone else has left for the day?
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Be sure the mission you're on is fun and challenging for you. If it isn't fun or isn't a sufficient enough challenge, you won't put your heart into it.
- Make sure you have some runway (i.e., money in the bank) so you can dedicate yourself to the mission. It's important that you have extended time to think and implement your own ideas.
- Fail fast and fail often. Building a business is about finding the right product/market fit, as well as failing at all the tasks that bring it to market. Don't be afraid to fail, and be sure whatever new you implement has a path to failing fast if it does not work.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
The company has been very blessed to make it this far without any external financing or shareholders. We are lucky to be in the position we're in, and we have a culture that would be hard to match if we were influenced by outsiders. This is one of the keys to our success.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.formsonfire.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FormsOnFire
Twitter: https://twitter.com/forms_on_fire
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/forms-on-fire-inc-/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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