by Rachel Schreiber
Dean Jeffery began building with the tools that would lead him from his first entrepreneurial adventure to his present position as president of his company, Worknet Systems.
When Dean was 14 years old, he started an outdoor furniture business driven by his need to have spending cash. From his home in Watervliet, 10 miles from the shores of Lake Michigan, he and his father built picnic tables, chairs and benches. Dean sold them from his front yard. Though he started late in the summer, he sold 10 tables that year. The next year, he attended a home and garden show and took orders. For five years Dean netted cash and an excellent lesson in being an entrepreneur. He says, “Every year I posted a gain in business. While my friends were picking blueberries for minimum wage, I was making tables. That’s where I got my entrepreneurial bug.”
Dean earned his degree from UM Business School with the goal of owning his own company. As part of his senior thesis, he wrote a business plan for L’Express Grocerie, a grocery delivery business. Immediately out of college he put that plan into action and L’Express Grocerie began in 1990. Using the tools of a software developer, Dean created a custom program that would take grocery orders over the phone automatically. His business ran for 2½ years. After that, he worked for a computer store and a local non-profit. It was at the non-profit Dean carved out his next business. He states, “At the social work agency, though I was hired to do the marketing and public relations, I became the default computer guy because I knew more than anyone in the office. I was always using technology to accomplish what I was doing. It got to the point where I was called upon to support the computers and technology than to do the job I was hired for. That’s where I got the idea that there were probably a number of smaller and medium size companies where someone had inherited the role of IT, and this is a service I could provide.”
Hence, worknet began in January 1998. Dean recalls, “The first 10 years we operated as a traditional IT support. Many businesses had us in their rolodex and when things went wrong we would race out, patch things up and go back to wait for their next emergency. A couple of years ago I didn’t feel we provided a win-win relationship with our customers. I felt by offering services on a proactive basis, that is, keeping people out of trouble, would provide the opportunity for a real win-win. We shifted from that break-fix reactive mode to a retainer-based service, by setting up a fixed monthly contract. We’re doing preventative maintenance, design, network administrative and support and providing it for a single pre-arranged fee.”
Today technology is the tool that inspires Dean. He states, “Technology is central to every business everyday and when your computer’s not working, neither are you. Technology provides us a platform to support and partner with all kinds of different companies.” His varied background lends itself well to diverse industries. He adds, “That helps me to understand the business side of what business owners are trying to accomplish. We focus on trying to match the technical with the business plan, not just selling the latest, greatest and newest technology. We look at what the client is trying to accomplish and what they are expecting in their business growth and development and how technology can support that.” Dean’s TotalCARE™ support program has resonated with his clients which include Ann Arbor SPARK, Meta Systems, Arboretum Ventures and O@W, Inc. He explains, “They understand the concept of being proactive. They like having a predictable fee and getting a predictable result instead of waiting for the crisis.”
Worknet staff includes three network engineers and an office manager. Dean expects to double his staff in the next couple of years. “This fall,” he concludes, “I detect a new optimism. We’ve seen more orders for upgrades, new systems.”
If you have found this story, interesting, informative or inspiring, please let Dean know! Worknet Systems is located at 100 Huron View Blvd., Suite 210, Ann Arbor, 734-622-8484, djeffery@worknetsystems.com or www.worknetsystems.com.