Not too many companies can claim Microsoft Corp. and Research In Motion Ltd. as their most loyal customers.
Vancouver’s Constructive Media Inc. can.
It can also make another claim that is equally rare in the technology industry: 12 consecutive years of profitable growth, sprung from only $250,000 in equity financing.
Geoff Mair founded Constructive in 1997 at the age of 27 after a brief stint with a Seattle-based web-development firm.
He witnessed the success of the Seattle firm and thought he could tackle the fledgling market for Internet services on his own.
“The web was new enough that if you knew anything about it you could get a contract,” said Mair.
“We didn’t have to be niche at the time.”
Constructive scored early successes doing a broad range of web-development services for Microsoft, Sierra Wireless Inc. and other, larger, established technology players.
Steady contracts with such players helped the company survive and thrive as other dot-coms imploded at the turn of the decade.
“We had a very successful services business that was profitable,” said Mair. “But we always said we were going to look for product opportunities because that’s what makes a scalable business.”
Recognizing from Constructive’s relationship with Microsoft the importance of managing vendor relationships, Mair and his team began developing partner management software.
Today, the company designs private networks that are used by technology vendors to manage their channel partner network.
In addition, the company has launched a free and open social network called Partnerpedia, on which individuals and businesses can build and manage partnerships.
Think if it as a LinkedIn or Facebook for businesses that rely heavily on relationships with resellers, suppliers, distributors, vendors and other businesses. •
