GeekWire Studios recently sat down with Rick Crabbe, CEO/Founder of Portable Consultants, powered by Playbook Connect, and former Working Geek, to see what the big buzz is surrounding his new venture.
GeekWire Studios (GWS): For readers who may not yet be familiar with Portable Consultants, how would you describe your services?
Rick Crabbe: Portable Consultants provides an easy way to source and manage data, voice, and monitoring services all in one place. Multi-site businesses used to rely on procuring and managing their telecom services from multiple providers. This can be time-consuming, expensive, and a nightmare for companies looking to scale. Portable Consultants offers a solution to this problem.
GWS: Was there an “aha” moment where you realized that you had an opportunity to simplify a previously frustrating process for businesses?
RC: In my over twenty-year career, I have had two major “aha” moments. The first being early in my telecom career chasing a larger multi-state data and voice opportunity. The client candidly said, “Listen, Rick. I plan on giving you some of our locations that you bid on, but many other carriers will also get bits and pieces of this deal.” He was frustrated there weren’t any carrier solutions that focused on providing clients with an unbiased approach to help identify services that best fit their individual needs. He continued, “If there was a hybrid, multi-carrier solution that existed on a single contract, invoice, and had 24/7 customer support at a decent price – I’d buy 100% of my services from them.”
GWS: And that conversation sparked the idea that would eventually become Portable Consultants?
RC: Yup.
GWS: What about your Saas platform, Playbook Connect? How would you describe it, and how did it come about?
RC: That idea came from my second “aha” moment in 2015. A key client had a multi-location data services project that was both domestic and international. I was asked to evaluate their services and carrier infrastructure costs. I offered to support and execute changes that were more affordable and provide a better user experience. The company, as I quickly found, overlooked the importance of collecting and organizing data that is critical to future business decisions. This was a recurring theme in companies I worked with over the next several years – projecting future success from current data!
GWS: And you saw this as an opportunity?
RC: I did. Coming from a telecom background, with little to no developer experience, the idea and dream was shelved. I had spoken about it with a few but nothing came of it, until one day when I had lunch with my friend and past client, our CTO, Kurt Dicus. As fate or timing would have it, we both were in a place to take action. I laid out the problem and explained that I believed there to be a solution in the form of a platform that could aggregate various systems allowing enterprise businesses to source data and voice services with a full 360 view. Critical data and tribal knowledge would no longer be liabilities to business. He just got it and immediately loved the idea, and that led to building Playbook Connect.
GWS: Did you have a capital raise?
RC: We initially began to raise capital in order to fuel our growth as an early-stage company. We ended up landing a few great deals early on, which lessened our need for capital and allowed us to really focus on the value of the investors’ confidence in what we are doing. Fast forward, and we recently closed a “strategic” round of funding, further validating that others see and believe in our company’s vision.
GWS: Any notable investors you can share?
RC: I can share one name we are very excited about – a UFC and One Championship multi-time world champion mixed martial artist, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. Teaming up with Demetrious opened up the opportunity to market our brand to his network of millions of fans and followers, both in MMA as well as in the gaming industry. He checks all the boxes: the best at his craft, super humble, has integrity, is disciplined, and is just an all-around great human. We are excited to have our brand attached to and represented by the best of the best.
GWS: Wow, that’s incredible! What about competitors – do you have any?
RC: When sourcing options for data/voice, multiple different options exist today. There are carriers’ sales teams (direct), agent brokers (indirect), resellers that operate infrastructure in the middle, and non-infrastructure resellers.
GWS: And which one are you?
RC: We’re a non-infrastructure reseller, which allows us the ability to truly honor our commitment to customers and offer an unbiased approach to solutions. To our knowledge, there is nothing as all-encompassing as our platform that exists today.
GWS: It sounds like a great option for businesses looking to bundle, simplify, and manage their data and voice services.
RC: We think so.
GWS: What about Portable Consultants gives you the most pride?
RC: I often share this story, but I think it’s fitting for the question. Several years ago, I had lunch with a client who had just returned from an extensive stay in Japan. I asked him if there was one thing he learned about Japan that you can’t just learn by reading online, only by experience. His response was, “Oh, that’s easy. The pride that they take in their craft. Whether you’re a CEO, janitor, or fast-food restaurant cashier, the people genuinely want to be the absolute best they can be. If something spills at a restaurant, it is quickly cleaned without fuss. If there’s an error on your order, you can tell the person genuinely feels terrible about the mistake – to the point where it becomes part of the experience.” I just remember hearing that example and saying aloud, “I want to be like that, I want to build a team that thinks that way,” and I truly feel like I’ve cultivated a team and culture that embodies that same sentiment.
GWS: If folks want to learn more about Portable Consultants and the Playbook Connect platform, where should they go?
RC: Our website, www.portableconsultants.com, is a great place to start. You can also reach out with questions, inquiries, or to set up a demo via email at [email protected], or by phone at 833-764-3157.
