Some companies offer simple website design--and then there's
Burbank-based LM Computer Services, a
company that throws away the cookie cutter to show clients what real
individuality looks like. Founder Lazaro Mesa chats about sites,
speaking technical language as well as business-speak, and what it feels
like to be a hero.
Why do you feel there's a need for what you provide?
A Web site has become as important as having a business card. It is
another way the business owner can have their customer visit their place
of work without leaving their home. Your Web site is able to go into a
person's home, office, coffee shop, etc. It does what a television does
at a fraction of the cost.
Small and big businesses need to let their customers know what services
or products they provide. Therefore, they need a Web site to market
their business. A website is a very efficient and cost-effective
communication channel between the companies and their customers. In
fact, the website can reach far beyond their customers, because the
Internet is global and not just in one city, state, or country.
How does LM Services differ from competitors?
I believe it is our customer service. Many technical companies are just
that: technical. That's where the IT industry fails the business world.
The biggest problem our industry faces, and one of the biggest reasons
why I started this company, is that IT speaks IT and business speaks
business. We have made it easy for a business person to speak with us
because we don't talk to the client in technical terms. Instead, we find
out what the client's needs are and then we speak with them in terms
that they can understand. The more a client understands, the stronger
our relationship becomes.
What types of technology related difficulties do you think small
businesses in particular are facing right now?
It is different for every business, but the one I see the most is
inventory. Many businesses still have a person who has been working for
the company from almost the beginning. This one person knows everything
in stock. They have their own inventory system in their head. So they
rely on this person for all of their inventory information. If they were
to leave, the company would be in serious trouble.
What kinds of challenges are there for your business?
I'd say large companies that sell cookie cutter Web sites. They have the
money to run ads on TV and radio all the time. What happens is that most
business owners know very little to nothing about Web sites or the
Internet, so they buy one of these cheap Web sites and when I say cheap,
I don't just mean the prices of the Web sites.
In a short time, the business owner realizes that they cannot customize
their site at all. What many of them only find out later is that there's
at least a thousand more sites that look just like theirs and for a
company that has spent years on making themselves stand out from their
competitors, it is a shame that they would be viewed like any other
company on the Internet.
What do you like best about what you do?
I like it when we are able to fix a problem for a company and then have
that company hold us in such high regard. They look at you as if you are
some kind of hero. It is a great feeling. I like where it has brought
us, and I look forward to where it will take us next!
do you know a local company we should cover? Let us know about it.
Send your local profile candidates to emillard@computeruser.com.
