I Am Small Business, Hear Me Roar.

1
I Am Small Business, Hear Me Roar.

• Deb Bass, President, CEO
• Bass Associates, Inc. a HunTel Company

2
Overview

• The Great American Worker
• Small Business Statistics
• Background of Bass Associates, Inc.
• Spirit of the Entrepreneur
• Future of the Small Business

3
Our countrys greatest strength is our
workforce.

• President George W. Bush
• Labor Day 2001

4
Increasing Productivity

• Since the mid 1990s US labor productivity has
  grown considerably faster than most other
  developed economies
• Average annual productivity growth rate from
  19952000 was 2.6, up from .8
• European rate for 1995-2000 was 1.2, down from
  2.4

5
Working More Hours

• Workers in the US are putting in more hours than
  anyone else in the industrialized world
• 1,978 hours in 2000 compared to 1,942 hours in
  1990
• Runs counter to the trends in other
  industrialized nations

6
Creation of a Paradox

• Uncertainty is certain.
• While you the worker are in demand, your job is
  more insecure than ever.
• Despite the scarcity of workers, employers
  eliminated more positions in 1998 1999 than in
  any other year in the 1990s

7
Quotable Quote

• You can never feel complacent, You need to be
  laid off at least once. John H. Biotech worker
• Since January 1, 2001 more than 1.5 million
  layoffs have been reported in the US alone

8
Personal Financial Security

• Three months living expenses liquidity
• Up front educational expenses
• Thorough understanding of current benefit package
  and the impact of transitioning

9
What is Small Business?

• Firm with fewer than 500 employees according to
  the SBA
• 5.8 million business in 2000
• 16,000 businesses 500 employees
• 100,000

10
Small Business Statistics

• Represents more than 99 of all employers
• Employs 51 of private sector workers
• Represent 38 of workers in high tech
• Provide about 75 of the net new jobs
• Are 53 home based and 3 franchises

11
The Creator of Jobs

• Create 3/4 to 2/3 of net new jobs annually
• However share of private sector employment
  remains fairly constant
• US Census Bureau

12
Survival Rates

• Those who started in 1989-1992
• 66 remained open 2 years
• 49.6 at least 4 years
• 39.5 at least 5 years

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How Are They Financed?

• Self funded
• Credit lines
• Loans
• Capital leases
• Credit cards
• Venture Capital

14
How Are They Acquired?

• 73 original founder
• 11.1 transfer of ownership through gifting
• 10.7 purchased
• 2.9 inherited
• 2.3 other

15
Dominance of the Service Industries

• Taking care of the customer
• Specializing and customizing to their needs
• Hands on approach
• Innovators
• Consistency, predictability, uniformity

16
Omaha Small Business

• 88 of the 3200 Omaha Chamber members have less
  than 100 employees
• Almost 70 have less than 25 employees
• Buy the Big O

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Bass Associates, Inc.

• Service company delivering business solutions via
  information technology
• Founded in 1993, headquartered in Omaha
• Self funded
• Envisioned the demand due to Y2K and MA activity
• Currently 60 employees, 6 million in revenues
• Reputation built on quality service

18
Bass Business Model

• Quality I/T consultants consistently
• Locally owned and managed, competitively priced
• Build relationship rather than making a sale
• Focused on the personal touch
• Established broad client base
• Focused on delivering the needs of the client

19
Bass Associates, Inc.

• Initially staff augmentation services
• Outsourced project services with development
  lab-1996
• eBusiness service offerings - 1997
• Acquired by HunTel Systems July 1, 2000

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Bass Associates, Inc.Overview of Services
End-to-End Solutions
21
Niche Focus

• Lack of employer-employee relationship between
  consultant and employer
• Consultants feelings of isolation
• Perceived notion of consulting as a risky career
  option

22
Bass Associates, Inc. Mission.

• To establish market dominance as an I/T
  consulting services provider offering project
  based and staff augmentation services by
  generating increased awareness of Bass services,
  building client base for new and challenging
  assignments and continuing to hire and retain
  quality consultants.

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Bass Associates, Inc.Snapshot of Customers

• 70 EMPLOYEES
• 6 MILLION IN ANNUAL REVENUE
• LOCAL CUSTOMERS

ConAgra, Inc. Peter Kiewit Sons, Inc. Mid
American Energy World Insurance Omaha World
Herald Ameritrade Methodist Health System
Union Pacific Railroad HDR, Inc. AG Processing,
Inc. US West Mutual of Omaha Utilicorp State of
Nebraska
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Bass Business Values

• Maintaining positive business relationships
• Delivering quality customer service
• Demonstrating honesty and integrity
• Building on our reputation as a quality solutions
  provider
• Practicing open and supportive communications
• Exceeding business commitments
• Delivering results
• Being community minded

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Heres What Our Clients Are Saying.

•  
• Twice a year Bass Associates,
  Inc conducts a satisfaction survey of their
  client managers. The February 2003 results
  revealed, 74 of those who responded rated the
  services they received from Bass as excellent.
  The remaining 26 rated the services as good.
•  
• The same managers were also asked to rate the
  staffs responsiveness to their needs. Once
  again, Bass Associates scored 89 excellent and
  11 good.
•  
• Good business relationship, good results. Dana
  Haynes, Nebraska Furniture Mart
•  
• Local, understands my needs, communicates at my
  level. Steve Schmitz, OPPD
•  
• Highly recommended by industry and personal
  references.
• Noreen Hebda, Universal Warranty
•  
• For the past 7 years that I have been dealing
  with Bass, I cant remember a time when they have
  put a potential candidate in front of me for an
  interview that didnt match the qualifications I
  was looking for. Bass consistently does a very
  good job in screening their candidates. Brian
  Wallman, Union Pacific Railroad
•  
• Easy to work with, talented resources and
  reasonable rates.
• Dave Dibben, Central States Health
•  
• Because they are easy to work with, provide good
  resources and provide Bass Brownies. Paul
  Anctil, Aquila
•  

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Awards Recognitions

• Omahas Top Twenty Five Fastest Growing - 1996,
  1997, 1998
• Inc. Magazines Top 500 - 1998, 1999
• Nebraska Small Business Persons of the Year -
  1999
• YWCA Entrepreneur Woman of Vision - 1999
• ABWA Woman of the Year - 2002

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The Small But Mighty Bass Brownie

• Simple concept
• Consistently delivered
• Appealed to the human element
• Symbolized the Bass philosophies
• Thanked the client for their business

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Entrepreneurs

• Passionate
• Persistent
• Painstaking vs. pain-loving
• Perseverance
• Preachers

29
The Gifts of the Entrepreneur

• Naturally created here in the US
• American Small Business studied by Europeans to
  emulate the spirit
• Living the American Dream

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How Was the Spirit Born?

• Agricultural Age and the birth of the American
  entrepreneur
• Industrial Age and the Old Economy security, job
  preservation, status quo, tenure, retirement
• Information Age and the New Economy risk-taking,
  job creation, speed, change, stock options

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Todays Entrepreneur

• Men represent 62.6, Women are 37.4
• White - 89.6 Hispanic 5.9 Black 6 and
  others 4.4
• 40.4 received less than 5,000 for their efforts
• 11.1 received more than 50,000
• Self employment figures declined 94 to 96

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Self Evaluation

• Personal strengths and weaknesses
• Understanding what you dont know and where you
  need help
• E-Myth - 10 entrepreneur, 20 manager and 70
  technician
• Understanding what the business needs vs. what
  you want to have personally

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Real Life Entrepreneurs

• Either opportunists or visionaries
• Openness to innovation
• Dogged persistence
• Always moving, observing, evaluating
• Excellent at building relationships and
  insatiable networkers
• Masters at building alliances partnerships

34
The Up All Nighters

• Cash flow
• Key people issues
• Stock ownership
• Rising benefit costs
• Employee issues
• Brownie vendor

35
Women as Capitalists

• Number of WOBs increased over 89 in the last
  decade
• Account for 8.5 million US businesses
• Constitute an ever rising share of college and
  post graduate degrees

36
Intrapreneur vs. Entrepreneur

• Way of thinking and approaching a full time
  position
• American worker adopting free agent rules
• In recent years a paradigm has been created
  while you the worker are in demand, your job is
  more insecure than ever.

37
Future of the American Entrepreneur???

• Rising benefit costs
• Rising taxes
• Impact of the global economy
• Increased litigation
• Decreasing returns
• Impact on the US economy

38
Bass Associates, Inc. Vision

• To become the regional premier I/T consulting
  organization by establishing market dominance
• Our Clients first and preferred choice by
  providing their Best Access to Superior Service
  through the building of quality relationships and
  partnerships

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Bass Associates, Inc., a HunTel Company

• 2027 Dodge, Suite 500
• Omaha, NE 68102
• 402.346.1505
• www.bass-inc.com