For Some it is Still Tough Sailing in this Economy

A few years ago when the economy was stronger and investment capital more readily available I remember hearing advertisements on the radio from a company called “Make It Work.” They were advertising IT services that appeared to be targeted at SOHOs (small offices and home offices) and individuals. The advertisements were good and they talked about little red Mini Coopers the techs traveled in. I even saw a few.

I had some discussions with a couple of VC investor types 10 years ago. They were telling me of the opportunity they perceived in the home office space. They even encourage me to go after the market. I did not. I just did not see how to make it work if you pardon the phrase. The cost of getting competent technical help onsite, the training costs, the insurance costs and the administrative and dispatching overhead associated with all that is just too high, especially given the very low billing utilization rates of the technical staff. Yesterday MIW abruptly closed shop despite a contract with Costco and Amazon.

A news article on the closing:
http://www.pacbiztimes.com/2012/06/25/make-it-work-shuts-down/

A news article from more promising times:
http://www.pacbiztimes.com/2011/09/06/make-it-work-rolls-into-costco/

My condolences go out to MIW for a valiant effort, but I was skeptical from the beginning. It is also my regrets that it appears a lot of clients are out prepaid fees and the VC and angel investors involved in MIW have lost their money.

It is all very unfortunate. The SOHO market needs the help just as much, if not more, than the small to medium and large businesses that drive the IT services profession. In my assessment, the only real solution currently to service the SOHO space is carry-in services like the Apple Genius program or costly boutique services that are more expensive than the MIW.