Soon after cofounding Nordis Technologies when I was 27, I was bowled over by a revolutionary new technology that I knew would give us a competitive edge: The fax machine. It allowed us to transmit an invoice, purchase order or other business communication from Florida to California in a matter of seconds!
That memory makes me smile. I was right about its value to our business. Until something better came along.
Since recently turning 60, I have been reflecting on my years in business. I first became a company owner at 22 when I bought my dad’s Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop. At the time, I didn’t know what P&Ls, payroll taxes, and balance sheets were, let alone the best ways to hire and manage employees. But I quickly learned. This experience gave me the business smarts for launching Nordis.
In the short 33 years since then, I have ridden or led waves of change. Three that have rewritten so many aspects of how organizations operate:
- Technological advances, in services, operations and personal life.
- Industry consolidation, both in our field of customer communications and payments solutions and in every one of our clients’ markets.
- Greater connectedness/interconnectedness, driven by technology and social media, which has made the world smaller, more open, and more vulnerable and has reset expectations and abilities for fast or even immediate responses/action.
Tech advances
One thing that strikes me is how I and my generation are the bridge between two very different worlds. My parents and others their age grew up in a world of rotary phones, physical ledgers and manual typewriters but also lived through the start of jet and supersonic air travel, trips to the moon and the launch of television. My kids, on the other hand, are digital natives. They interact endlessly on their phones and on social media, swapping payments on Venmo, avoiding calls in favor of texts, shopping, streaming, taking online classes, learning dances and other fads and even getting their news from TikTok.
I feel like a tech pioneer, both personally and professionally. Willingness to embrace new technologies for ourselves and our clients has been and is a key part of our sustained success at Nordis. For example, our patented Expresso® customer communications management platform has been a leader from the start, built in the cloud versus as installed software. Artificial intelligence will most likely be another gamechanger for our business and yours.
Consolidation
Just as I’ve seen tremendous consolidation and company failures among my competitors over the past few decades, massive M&A activity has transformed each market we serve. Fewer and much bigger players make the competition for their business tougher. But we’ve continued to grow fast by sticking to our business model of offering innovative, tech-driven solutions and excellent customer service that deliver cost efficiencies, greater effectiveness and market advantage to our clients.
Connectedness
There’s no getting around how much more connected and faster our world seems, with 24/7 news, social media and worldwide business operations often running continuously. We’ve held impromptu videoconferences with our teams in multiple locations to brainstorm, collaborate or solve an immediate issue. It’s much easier to do that today—the pandemic, of course, made video meetings routine.
These are not purely positive changes. Being connected all the time and the faster pace of business makes it hard to take an uninterrupted vacation. As a CEO, husband, and father, I know we all need some downtime. I also balance the ubiquity of technology in so many aspects of our lives with spiritual pursuits. I prioritize meditating every day and lead a meditation practice at Nordis once a week.
Amid all the technological progress, consolidation and connectedness that sometimes can be a burden, we need to stay centered on people. Gen Z, now a bigger force in the workplace than boomers, may lead the way.
From career aspirations to benefits to how work is done every day, this younger generation has a different mindset, values, and work ethic than earlier generations. They seek out employers they can trust, where they can make a difference, where they can grow and contribute and that demonstrate care for mental health and work-life balance.
All in all, it’s been an extraordinary time to be an entrepreneur. I wanted to build a company that matters, that is a positive influence for our clients, our employees and our industry. When I was 27, I could not have predicted that we’d end up where we are now. I am really grateful to have lived during this time and still have more to accomplish.
