Software Prodigy
Matt Lautz
Brevient Technologies
www.brevient.com
Milwaukee
Founded: 2001
Age: 23
Brevient makes software that manages every point of customer contact -- be it order entry, marketing, or tracking sales leads -- for small businesses. Lautz started the business at the tender age of 18.
It was his second company -- the first time around he couldn't find a good software program to manage his orders and customer-contact information. So he built his own. In just a little over a year, he has some 1,000 small businesses using his software. The milestone was achieved with about $1 million from friends and family.
Lesson learned:
"A business does not grow based on what the CEO does but on what the people you hire do. You need to hire talent who can do everything better than you."
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