Client Spotlight: Thomas walked out of a job at Apple to form a startup - and it worked!
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Thomas Jones smiles rarely so it’s interesting when you learn how often he laughs. When you’re with Thomas, virtually or in person, you can easily detect that he loves what he is up to. Eventually you learn that the stern demeanor of the founder and managing director of RevenuePoint exists only at work. Thomas fills his time with friends, hosting football parties, and cooking photo-ready meals. He’s a light-hearted person despite the seriousness of the job he created for himself. Commonly he is seen with his four-legged friend Ruby; Ruby adheres to Thomas like a stamp to an envelope.
Thomas partnered up with me for marketing services in October. When I interviewed him for this piece, his camera was muted and he was clearly fumbling with something at his desk. Most interestingly - he was not distracted. His responses to my questions were on theme, robust, and meaningful. I like people like Thomas. People whose brains are doing many things at once and doing those many things very well somehow.
I only met Thomas recently and was shocked to learn he walked out of a job at Apple! He let me know he had always planned to get experience at a company and then create his own gig.
Thomas Jones, a white man with brown hair and a beard, poses outside wearing sunglasses in front of a municipal building. The gold watch he wears nicely compliments his blue sweater.
“I left Apple being good at translating business requirements into technical requirements. I always succeeded at earning approval from my leadership and I loved translating goals into technical requirements… and eventually into technical accomplishments,” Thomas explained. “A lot of people understand either the business or the technical side. I often understand both,” he continued.
This was happening in 2014 and Thomas was in his mid-20s. His parents were angry. “I couldn’t pay my cell phone bill that year.” Despite the immediate response, his parents were also supportive. As if they knew deep down that Thomas was the type to forge a new path. It started to “come together” after about a year.
Today, RevenuePoint brings its clients a personalized, white-glove service for implementing and using Salesforce. I asked Thomas why he started RevenuePoint and learned his company’s identity evolved.
“It started as a different company. I was Thomas Jones LLC as a consultant. We started by offering all-encompassing IT and networking services to small brands of 15-20 employees,” Thomas described. “Then we moved to ERP Systems and right before the pandemic, we added Salesforce-managed services to our roster,” he continued.
It gets interesting here. Since ERP required more physical, onsite visits, Thomas’s newly-offered Salesforce services quickly became the most lucrative for RevenuePoint. Supporting brands with their use of, or implementation of, Salesforce could all be done virtually. “Prior to COVID, one day a client wanted to integrate ERP with Salesforce. I had an epiphany then that would solidify my company’s relevancy during the pandemic,” Thomas recalls.
A maroon bowl containing rotini pasta doused in homemade red sauce sits on a cutting board next to a block of cheese, knife, and fresh herbs.
When we broached the topic of “visions for the future” Thomas shared he expects RevenuePoint will eventually offer services around the entire sales process. Right now, he works with companies that already know their target market. In the future he’d like to offer all aspects of the process - research, marketing, sales funneling, CRM, revenue management systems, and more. “I want to eventually work with companies who need RevenuePoint to design their entire sales process from the ground up - like we’re a Chief Revenue Officer - from marketing plans to invoicing.”
As a founder, Thomas stays organized thanks to reliable team members. He explains he and the team are often very busy, so he makes sure their systems are talking to each other. Even with a small team, Thomas explains automation is necessary. He quickly amends his statement - “maybe it’s even more important for us than a big company to have automation. We don’t have time to ‘figure things out.’”
Curious about starting your own company? “Being entrepreneurial can be lonely at times. You don’t always have guidance or direction. A mentor or business group could offer counsel,” Thomas suggests. “I also recommend you establish some form of routine. I’m my own boss and I can technically take a nap right now. But I theme my days and work harder,” he clarifies.
I personally am trying themed days myself - thanks, Thomas! - and I’m rather pleased with my productivity!
- Frank
