Tech Rage IT
Taking a business to the ‘next level’ of revenues and success is the goal of all growth-minded small business owners. Finding the assistance and resources to help accomplish these aspirations is another matter entirely -that is, unless they are Erica Martinez-Rose and Matt Rose, founders and owners of Tech Rage IT, an information technology managed services provider (MSP). They had the good sense to turn to the UCF Business Incubator and the Florida Small Business Development Center at UCF (FSBDC at UCF) and their joint program: the UCF Incubator Board of Advisors.
Tech Rage IT isn’t your ordinary MSP. With relentless enthusiasm, they proactively shield their clients from IT problems and – with 24/7 unbeatable responsiveness – they quickly resolve any issues that may arise. Tech Rage IT’s differentiator is its emphasis on customer service and blocking the aggravation that so often comes with technology. “We prevent Tech Rage” is their slogan and making IT “Rage Free” is their credo. “We understand your IT frustration and how important it is that we get it fixed fast,” says Matt Rose, Tech Rage’s Director of Technology Services. “Ours is a customer service first focus. We make that central for our entire team.”
Being customer-centric made Tech Rage IT successful in serving small-to-medium business clients, but the firm wanted to further leverage its competitive advantage and accelerate its growth. “We reached out to the FSBDC because we felt like we were lacking in internal accountability, like we needed to be challenged,” recalls Erica Martinez-Rose, CEO of Tech Rage IT. “And since we started, it has dramatically changed how our leadership team interacts. Now we have that accountability partner that we needed.”
Led by Jill McLaughlin, an FSBDC consultant, and comprised of a team of other FSBDC consultants with expertise in diverse functional areas, the Board of Advisors provided Tech Rage IT with no-cost consulting related to the company’s business development, financial management, and general leadership development. Together, they developed and applied multiple important business strategies and tools, including a digital marketing plan, a sales plan, a financial dashboard with key performance indicators, and Tech Rage’s executive team undertook hands-on leadership training and financial mentoring.
“A lot of the services that have been made available to us have been invaluable,” Erica explains, “starting with the financial coaching and leadership training for the team.” An outcome of particular note is the book that Matt wrote and published after brainstorming with the FSBDC team entitled ‘Kiss Tech Rage Goodbye’. A guide for business owners, COOs and CFOs, it addresses the 8 common pitfalls one can fall into when making IT decisions and how to overcome them. It’s been very well received in the marketplace.
As was hoped, all of this hard work has manifested in impressive results. “Over the last 12 months, our business has seen dramatic growth and improvement from working with the FSBDC,” concludes Erica. “Despite a global pandemic, our company ended last year with 58% revenue growth. We also had the opportunity to grow our team. And we’ve been recognized as a top technology company and business of the year. 2021 has been really successful for us too. I am thankful for the opportunity to be part of the FSBDC’s Incubator Board of Advisors program and would recommend the FSBDC to any business owner needing accountability or a sounding board to take their business to the next level.”
For more information about Tech Rage IT, please visit https://www.techrageit.com/.
