GeekWire Studios met with Rick Crabbe, CEO/Founder about his company, posted in August 2022. We sat down recently to learn the latest from his Portable Consultants, which streamlines sourcing and managing data, voice, and monitoring services for multi-site businesses. This consolidation saves time, reduces costs, and simplifies scaling efforts.
GeekWire Studios (GWS): When we last spoke, MMA GOAT and current One Championship fighter Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson announced his role as investor and brand ambassador for Portable Consultants. How have things changed since then?
Rick Crabbe (Rick): It is incredibly exciting to reflect how much we have accomplished since that time. I can’t say I have ever been part of something like this before. To say my team is incredible doesn’t do them justice. You can’t train folks to spend every day trying to get better at what they do, while truly caring about the end customer experience. You just can’t. But we have it, and it is a special synergy all should experience in their career.
Reflecting on our accomplishments since then is incredibly exciting. I’ve never experienced anything like this before. My team is beyond incredible—they are dedicated to continuous improvement and truly care about the customer experience. This special synergy is something everyone should experience in their career.
GWS: How does Portable Consultants streamline telecom sourcing for multi-site enterprises?
Rick: Portable Consultants aims to modernize the telecom industry for enterprise businesses. Our proprietary platform simplifies sourcing data connectivity for multi-site companies, countering the outdated “bigger is better” mindset. While major providers like AT&T and Comcast are essential, they often don’t cover all needs. Our analytics show that for every 100 client locations, an average of 52 different carrier networks are required to meet their requirements. Portable Consultants bridges the gap between telco providers’ network priorities and businesses’ need for optimal networks, benefiting both customers and carriers.
GWS: What does the process look like for your customer? Does Portable Consultants make introductions to the carriers?
Rick: Great questions. We’re not agent brokers, who represent many carriers and earn commissions for matching businesses with vendors. Instead, we’re considered a carrier reseller—the “Easy Button” for enterprise data and voice services. We simplify sourcing and managing telecom needs for businesses, providing the best networks per location without vendor management headaches. Our clients benefit from dedicated support and significantly lower operational costs. We also ensure consistency, avoiding the common issue of varying fees and taxes from different providers.
GWS: As more companies have distributed workforces and offices, I can imagine that there is a growing need for your services.
Rick: The more sites a business has, the more value we provide. By onboarding PC, our MSA, our clients get to leverage the best networks available by location. We typically lower OPEX for data/voice significantly. In a lot of cases, we find huge inconsistencies with all providers when it relates to surcharges/misc fees. We’re truly focused on creating the best solution for each unique situation: one dedicated sales, projects, invoice, 24/7/365 support, and portal.
GWS: Does Portable Consultants own a network?
Rick: In our industry, there are facilities-based and non-facilities-based resellers. Facilities-based resellers have infrastructure in the middle, capturing more margin but adding layers, devices, single points of failure, and security risks. While valuable in some cases, this approach has tradeoffs.
Portable Consultants is a non-facilities-based reseller, offering customers an easy way to source from all carrier networks without managing each separately. This approach is more agile, reduces troubleshooting layers, and benefits both our customers and support team
GWS: What’s the secret sauce? How does Portable Consultants make it more affordable vs retail carrier groups?
Rick: I don’t know if it’s a secret sauce. We’re upfront with our clients; they always know exactly what we charge. We only buy from carriers where they are onnet or the best option. Retailers often bundle expensive, offnet services, offering low promotional pricing that later skyrockets. Managing these changes is difficult. Surcharges and fees vary widely, from 3-15% of the MRC.
GWS: Do you have insights to share with our readers who are navigating the world of resellers?
Rick: I’ve primarily worked on the facilities-based side of the industry, where unique solutions can be packaged. Many start as non-facilities-based but transition to facilities-based to boost margins or customize solutions. It’s crucial for resellers to show growth and technological savvy. A stagnant reseller, regardless of facilities, can pose problems. Our growth strengthens our position with carriers, especially those challenging to work with. Recently, a client faced a 300% rate hike with their facilities-based reseller, prompting concern. While such hikes are rare, a growing reseller can often negotiate with vendors to mitigate such issues.
GWS: Last question, where does the Playbook Connect portal come into this?
Rick: Playbook Connect serves many roles for our clients. Currently, it offers a comprehensive view of their services, with continuous updates as our client base expands. This platform is poised to revolutionize our industry. While we’re discreet about our roadmap, I can reveal that it’s unprecedented and will greatly benefit enterprise businesses with six or more locations, and even smaller ones in some instances. Hinting at its future, it will evolve to become more intelligent and beneficial over the next few years, all with the sole purpose of delivering value to our clients.
GWS: Thanks Rick, that’s exciting! It seems Playbook Connect is set to revolutionize your industry by continually enhancing its offerings to provide maximum value to clients. Looking forward to seeing its evolution.
To learn more about Portable Consultants: www.portableconsultants.com. 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.
