By Emily Seitz (The Cascade)– Email
Print Edition: September 11, 2013
Sometimes it is easy to lose sight of the light at the end of the tunnel while toiling away as a student, but for five talented UFV alumni, following that light led to the successful launch of their own business.
Josh Isaak and Kelly Banman are the co-founders of MySky, a customer relationship management (CRM) software program.
Both came equipped with the different skills they learned at UFV to develop the company; Isaak (CEO) earned a bachelor of business administration and Banman (Product Manager) is a computer information systems (CIS) graduate.
Combining their specialities of company management and user interface design, they were able to create a distinct CRM software program for small businesses.
“Our education has … taught us that success lies in hard work and measurable results. We strive for measurable results every day at MySky,” Isaak says.
Rounding out the success team are fellow CIS and business administration students Loren Von Spronsen, Win Nguyen, and Randy Epp. They have assisted the company with software development and customer growth.
“The role UFV has played for MySky is giving us a network … Most of us met each other first at UFV and when it was time to create a company, we had that network to turn to,” Isaak explains.
Together they created MySky to solve small businesses’ struggles to manage sales and leads.
Through smart marketing, the company was able to quickly get small businesses interested in their unique software.
“We approached MySky very differently than most traditional businesses. We wanted to make sure our users caught on to our software before we made it,” Isaak describes. “It’s definitely a more laborious way of coming up with a solution, but it’s tremendously rewarding in [the] long run because you know you have a product that is going to sell.”
The success has been excellent for a local company barely a year old. It took four months to develop the beta software. Even before the software was in market, MySky was presold.
As for the feedback, it’s been very positive. Over 30 companies internationally are using MySky. Isaak explains that they love the fact that it’s user-friendly.
“MySky helps bring context to the customer database so small businesses always know where in the buying cycle their leads and prospects are at, and where to focus their attention,” he explains. “The first time a user signs on to MySky, one of the first things they always say is, ‘It’s so simple and easy to use.’ They get it right away.”
In August 2013 MySky was fully launched with prospects of exponential growth and success over the next five years, while keeping to a small and dedicated team.
