Not so long ago, companies secured their online presence with a well-designed website. But today social media is changing the online landscape, opening up opportunities and presenting new challenges for businesses looking to tap into a dynamic and growing population. And it is growing…if Facebook were a country, it would be the world’s fourth largest after China, India and the United States.
Navigating the world of social media can be daunting for businesses, but local start-up firm Noobis, Inc. speaks the language. Noobis develops and integrates social media applications and works with companies and non-profits to leverage social media opportunities. With the assistance of the SUNY Fredonia Technology Incubator, the firm has seen growth of its own.
Back in 2007, Jon Brennan and his cousin Mike, then working for a tech firm in Buffalo, recognized the potential of social media. “This is going back a couple years,” says Brennan, “so Facebook still wasn’t really that known outside the university realm and Twitter was brand new. We saw that social media was going to be the next great wave.” The two began brainstorming ideas, brought in Brennan’s brother Jeff as a partner and Noobis was born.
“When we started a couple years ago it was a very big struggle, not only being a new company, but in a new industry,” says Brennan. “We would walk in and talk to a client about social media and they had no idea what we were talking about. Now it’s gotten a little easier because even if someone doesn’t understand social media, they’ve at least heard of Facebook, they’ve heard of twitter –at least we have a starting point to draw from.”
Mike drew on his resources as a SUNY Fredonia alum to explore the new SUNY Fredonia business technology incubator. The start-up firm and the new incubator were a great match and when the temporary incubator space was ready, Noobis became a tenant.
The incubator provided a nurturing and supportive environment as well as space, internet access with a dedicated IP, and help with connecting to accountants and attorneys. “That’s a huge help when you’re a small business, because it’s the stuff you don’t want to deal with. You want to focus on the actual business,” says Brennan, who credits Project Staff Assistant Catherine Switzer with framing business issues for Noobis in a helpful and productive way. “Cathy is very good at asking the tough questions - questions that we had asked ourselves, but were afraid to really confront. They were important questions that would lead to the path of either success or, if we ignored them, failure.”
This is exactly the type of support the SUNY Fredonia Technology Incubator is charged with providing. The SUNY Fredonia Business Technology Incubator, located on Central Avenue in Dunkirk, was made possible through the partnership and collaboration of the university, regional government and economic development organizations. Funding for the 21,000-square-foot, $5.7 million facility has come from local, state and federal sources. A grand opening at the new building was held in December.
One of the highlights of the grand opening, was Noobis’ graduation from the incubator program. At the ceremony, SUNY Fredonia President Dennis L. Hefner noted that normally a start-up company like Noobis has a one in five chance of succeeding. But when the start-up is affiliated with a university incubator, historically that ration increases to four in five. “That’s what this facility represents,” said Hefner, “the chance to turn that ratio around, and turn our region’s economy around in the process.”
Another inherent benefit of the incubator environment, according to Brennan, is the camaraderie with other entrepreneurs who are going through a similar experience. “Every entrepreneur comes at it with their own, singular focus,” he says. “The ability to share not only resources, but ideas and advice is really invaluable.” Brennan says he would like to stay involved with the incubator on some level to share that camaraderie.
For now, Noobis is focused on growing in Western New York and introducing area firms to the benefits of incorporating social media into their marketing efforts. That, Brennnan says, can still be an uphill battle. But he sees movement in all areas of business, including non-profits.
He points to the Buffalo City Mission as an example of a Noobis client that has embraced social media. He says Noobis was approached by the Buffalo City Mission last year, through a connection at InfoTech Niagara, about doing something different for their annual Feed the Hungry campaign. The result was an on-line treasure hunt powered by Noobis’ Amplify application that has turned out to be a great success for the Mission (www.hungerhunt.com). “I’ve got to give them a lot of credit because they were really ahead of the curve in leveraging new technology to get their message across,” says Brennan. Last year, the Buffalo City Mission’s Feed the Hungry Campaign, even in a challenging economic climate, saw a 240% increase in giving from the previous year.
One aspect of growth that Brennan would like to see come to fruition for Noobis this year is job creation. Currently, the company works with twelve contractors for graphic design, programming and copywriting. Brennan would like to be in a position to hire a few employees in 2010. “I love WNY and I want to bring real employment opportunities here.”
Brennan has an MBA and he and his partners have significant experience in the field of emerging technology. They began Noobis with a fully developed business and marketing plan. But Brennan warns that, in the world of tech start-ups, strict adherence to a plan can lead to stagnation and failure. Brennan says the growth of social media is so rapid, so exponential, that a business plan has to be flexible enough to roll with new developments. “What we do is we constantly monitor our path to make sure we’re heading in the right direction. The biggest goal for us right now is to grow a company here in WNY.”
So what advice would Brennan and his partners give to someone just embarking on the path of entrepreneurship? Believe in your work and find good resources. “If you believe in what you’re doing and you’re passionate about it, by all means listen to advice from other people, but don’t listen to the naysayers. Ninety-nine percent of the people out there will be willing to tell you what’s wrong with what you’re doing,” says Brennan. “Certainly planning is key, but if you believe in it - go for it. And look for services, like the incubator, Chambers of Commerce, IDAs and networking groups to help you along the way. Without support like that, it’s way too easy to give up.”
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Noobis, social media, SUNY Fredonia Technology Incubator, start-up, Facebook, Twitter, technology |
