Don’t be thrown off by this title, it was actually suggested by Will Pepper who I’m going to be interviewing in today’s post 🙂
Dr. Will Pepper helps companies save money and increase productivity by overcoming technology apprehension so they can rock out. He speaks on technology privacy and safety, as well as social media etiquette and training. For more information, or to contact him to speak/consult with your organization, visit BetterThanFree.Info
1. What got you interested in helping other businesses with their spending? Share your story.
First of all, thank you for interview. It is always an honor to share. I was consulting for a company and the first thing the management wanted to do was fire some staff. Wait, what? Your very first choice is to not only fire hard-working people, but to make the survivors of the firing take on the excess responsibility? Have you lost your mind? Of course, I didn’t say all that, but also I politely stopped consulting with that company. Instead, I started helping out businesses and charities with something most businesses have trouble with understanding and properly using: their business technology.  From this one change, I’ve seen minor savings to tens of thousands of dollars savings in spending and increased productivity.
2. Explain a bit more in detail what exactly your company does
We do public and private speaking engagements, helping the community understand crucial things, like how to keep your information private online. We also do individual consultations and team-building exercises to help find true technology needs. That sounds rougher than I meant it to sound. Here’s an example: your company is ten years old and you’re in a rut. You’re making a profit, but it could be better. You don’t want to increase your prices because you love your customers, and you don’t want to fire any staff because you love your staff. You hire us, and we work with you and your team to find ways to streamline your tech. You might be using overpriced and outdated systems that are cutting into your profits. Boom! You have a website that’s outdated and won’t fit on smartphone screens, so it’s doing more than costing you hosting money; it’s ticking off potential customers. Boom! Man, I’ve saved one group thousands of dollars just by looking at how they were handling their mailing system! (It’s) never a dull moment…
3. How have you gone about finding new clients to work with?
A good bit of word-of-mouth, as well as people contacting me after a speaking engagement and from our website BetterThanFree.Info. It’s always the case that when I meet with people they either say they need the help or they know at least three companies that do. But busy is good, right?
4. What are the biggest challenges you face with your business?
People don’t want to open up about their current tech, either because they’re embarrassed it is so old or they don’t know if it is legit. You know when you buy a CD, you remember what those are, right? I tend to buy CD’s from artists (that) I don’t know much about from pawn shops. So none of the money I pay for the used CD goes directly to the artist, producers, etc., shame, I know, but it might influence me to buy their next album…I digress…this is frowned upon, but not piracy. So it doesn’t bother me when I find some companies are currently pirating software in some form or fashion. I’m not going to report a company that does this, but I WILL find you software that is a lot cheaper than getting busted by the feds. No one I’ve ever consulted for has paid full price for technology, and many get free or donated software that meets their exact technology needs.
5. What are your future plans for 2015 and beyond?
Man, this year has been a blast. We’d love to work with more startups, small businesses, and charities because I love saving money and solving problems. A goal of mine, with full disclosure: we have recommended and produced savings for individual companies that reaches well into five figures, but I’d love to say we’ve saved one in the six figure amounts.  Fingers crossed!
Thank for having me, and have a great rest of the day!
Get in contact with Will:
Email [email protected], or call 662-638-5002.
