washington business
8 a . m . ben marsh and mark estep :
Scout Systems
Ben Marsh and Mark Estep are the co-founders and owners of cloud-based Scout Systems in Kent . Mark has two sons — one age 2 and the other born in June .
Scout Systems makes video game-style software and hardware that helps manufacturers bridge the skilled labor gap . It monitors the interaction between the operator and equipment and gives plant owners and operators detailed , easy-to-understand data to uncover opportunities to boost the facility ’ s production capacity . The goal is to support managers with information to assess where investments are needed , which can be staff training , proper tooling or processes , to help the operator do their job safer and more efficiently .
“ The product is not about spying on the operators ; it ’ s about fully understanding where operators find challenges and address them ,” Ben explained .
In 2008 , Ben called Mark with an idea for a form of data collection that he hadn ’ t seen before . They came up with the concepts , but the project fell flat for a while — Mark went back to the business world and Ben went back to engineering .
In 2014 , the best friends reconnected on the idea , built a hardware prototype , put together a business plan and “ jumped ship ” from their jobs to start the business .
Like many small-business owners , they got the business off the ground by raising money from friends and family .
the day to day : juggling life , growing the business
Mark and Ben have early mornings and arrive at their modest office at 8 a . m ., both with coffee and a sack lunch in hand .
Mark also has his 2-year-old son in tow . The grandparents are waiting in the parking lot for the hand off they make each day . They take care of their grandson while Mark and his wife are at work — she works in Seattle and takes the bus each day . The child care help is one important element that makes running a business possible .
Once in the office , they fire up their computers and put their lunches in the small refrigerator in the corner .
They quickly get to work at the table situated between their work stations . They go over a checklist of software upgrades one customer requested , in what order they should be tackled and how soon they should be available in the cloud as systems updates .
The discussion turns to customer feedback about the speed of software updates . Ben and Mark prepared and delivered the updates in a timely fashion , but it was a little sooner than the company was prepared to implement .
They agree that the “ quick turnaround ” issue is something to keep in mind for the future .
A sales call at 9:45 a . m . means some research on the potential customer . What does the company make ? Where are they located ? Is Scout Systems a good fit ? Mark pulls up the company ’ s website . Looks like it could be a good fit , but Ben jots down notes and questions for the call .
They work with a programmer located in South Carolina , so they check their emails for feedback on new features a customer requested .
The day is planned — and full — and it ’ s only 8:30 a . m . And , they always take work home , which Ben calls “ a bad habit .”
the business plan
All great businesses start with a great idea , but the glue that holds everything together is a strong business plan .
“ I went to business school and I always felt like a business plan was the core thing you needed ,” Mark said , adding that the plan started out as 20 pages . They quickly realized they needed to narrow it down .
They decided to focus on their target market for the product first , with the understanding that they would not be out on a national stage anytime soon .
“ We had to begin by focusing on our local market , specifically businesses in the Pacific Northwest ,” Mark explained .
They decided on the best customer fit — manufacturers that first and foremost understand the importance of data and how it can improve their process , and companies that make a host of products and have a lot of human interaction in the manufacturing process .
36 association of washington business