Even though Kinetic Technology Group is landlocked in Dallas-Fort Worth, that hasn't stopped them from surfing Apple's wave of success. But they weren't always confidently riding the big waves.

In 1997, after wiping out on a really big wave (a defunct partnership), Kinetic CEO Jim Harryman and two others from the previous company decided to do something radically different -- they were going to provide IT services to Mac-based small and medium-sized businesses.

That was a risky decision because at the time (hard to believe today) Apple was not doing all that well -- just about every day another analyst predicted Apple was going to die, be acquired, or implode. "In 2001, the tech bubble burst and 9/11 shocked us all," mused Jim, "And if that wasn't enough, 2002 was our five-year anniversary, the time when 95% of small businesses are predicted to fail. We just didn't know what was going to happen. We had no idea if we were going to survive."

Fortunately Kinetic had three anchor client accounts that kept them very busy. "That was our parachute plan," said Jim, "At the very least, each of us would leave with one account that could put food on the table if we had to close shop. So we hunkered down and went into auto-pilot survival mode."

iPhone changed IT business forever

Then Apple released the iPhone in 2007 and the tide began to turn. "Suddenly our phone was ringing off the hook," smiled Jim, "All of a sudden 50% of our time was spent converting all these businesses from Windows into Macintosh. People finally realized they no longer had to suffer using Windows. They couldn't wait to move to Mac. It was a really crazy, exciting time. And I'm happy to say that almost all of those people are still our clients today."

Initially Kinetic was providing IT support services to businesses that had gravitated to the Macintosh -- ad agencies, marketing firms, graphic designers, video editors, studio people -- all the "creative"-type businesses. But once Apple's resurgence began, Kinetic found they were now serving small and medium-sized businesses of all types. The common denominator? "They're 20-50 employees who don't want to pay for a full-time IT staff person," said Jim, "When they realize that their "super user" (almost always a senior executive) is spending more time providing IT help to staff than bringing in business -- that's when we get the call."

Unusual survival tool for small IT reseller

Kinetic didn't always know that. It took Jim hired a market research consultant to help them discover who their ideal clients were. "In 2006, I went through a period where I wasn't sure whether I wanted to still be an entrepreneur," recalled Jim, "I talked it over with my team, who were 100% behind me whether I wanted to stay or go. And for that I will always be grateful. During that time, I met this fellow who was a pleasant, very gentle guy who helped me figure out what I wanted to accomplish. It was like hiring a therapist for my business. He helped us figure out who our ideal customers were, what they liked about us, what they didn't like, where we wanted to take the business, and who our competition was -- we had no idea who they were -- and what steps we needed to take to move forward. And while some of the customer feedback hurt, we listened and took them seriously. It was the best investment I ever made. And I walked away completely recommitted to Kinetic and very excited."

One of the things Jim and his team wanted was a website that truly reflected who they were and what made them different. They wanted to wow their ideal customers instead of looking like every other IT outsourcing firm out there. "It took us several tries and fails before we found the right firm to tell our story," said Jim, "And given my background working for a Fortune 500 advertising agency, I knew what quality was. So we were very, very picky--it took us almost three years! We ended up going with one of our customers who really got us. Because we're not techno-nerdy geeks wearing pocket protectors. We're four creative guys who speak the language of business and real life. We just want to help customers get their work done and take away any technology hassles that slow them down."

Which is how they found Kerio. Being Apple fans, "ease of use" isn't just a trite saying for Kinetic, it's in their DNA. So when they found their customers struggling with Microsoft Exchange servers or expensive Cisco firewalls, they decided to get creative and find a better solution. That solution was Kerio Connect. "No matter which way you look at it -- on-premise, pricing, technology, innovation -- Kerio and its products are the perfect fit for us and our clients. I'm not in business to make gazillions of dollars," said Jim," I'm here to help people be successful in their businesses. So we would never recommend a client buy a Cisco box and spend a fortune they don't need to, just to make more money. Kerio offers smart, easy to use and elegant solutions at a fraction of the cost. How can you miss?"

When Cisco engineers saw a Kerio Control box

Recently, one of Kinetic's customers was acquired by a large company that is forcing them to toss out their Kerio products and install Cisco instead. "The funny thing is, we were working side-by-side with these Cisco engineers to help with the transition when they finally got into Kerio's Control box. They were blown away," laughs Jim, "They said, 'Holy cow, this thing is awesome!' That just goes to show you how innovative Kerio is and how easy their products are to use. We love working with Kerio because their support is great, not just technically, but from a business development standpoint. No other vendor even vaguely comes close. Which is why we tend to stay away from reselling other vendors' products. Kerio has set such a high bar for other players."

Kinetic has forged really strong relationships with the Apple stores and their business consultants in Texas. These business consultants will host seminars for business owners and tap into Kinetic, and other consultants, to deliver the seminar and answer the questions that come up. This gives Kinetic an ideal opportunity to show how they can help these firms.

Plenty of business to go around

"I don't worry if we lose business to other Mac consultants," says Jim, "I want them to be successful. I want them to grow. Because there's just so much business out there, there's no way any one of us could do it all. As it is, I'm constantly turning business away that isn't a good fit for us, but could be for another firm.

"The bottom line is I enjoy providing employment opportunities --that's the American dream to me. I feel privileged to be able to do that. The fact that we've been able to do it as long as we have is amazing. I feel incredibly fortunate. So if I can help another business, or hire someone, it's like paying it forward for all the wonderful opportunities I've had in life."