Ted Broman never worries much when a client defaults on payment or an employee makes a mistake.
After all, he's seen worse. Much, much worse.
In 2001, Floppy Copy was a prosperous company founded in 1987 to duplicate discs for companies like U.S. Robotics, 3Com, Palm and FranklinCovey. But that year, Palm Computing left Utah, taking with it nearly 90 percent of Floppy Copy's business.
The company floundered for several years, bleeding cash and trying to stay in business with just 5 percent of former revenues. That's when the owner pleaded with Broman, who was running another software company, to step in as a sales rep and rescue the company, now renamed IntegraCore.
As Broman surveyed the disaster before him, he realized the company would run out of cash within months and informed the company's owner. The owner handed the company's financial and sales reins to Broman and let him loose.
Broman improved the company's cash management and expanded IntegraCore's capabilities into shipping and logistics, investing heavily in new software to make this strategy feasible. As the company gained strength, Broman committed more of himself to it, and in mid-2006 he purchased the company outright.
Broman has achieved incredible growth for his company, even in the midst of challenging economic times. Deciding that the most recent recession was part of a larger cycle, he focused IntegraCore on "counter-cyclical" products like alternative education, health care and income-related products, as well as non-durable commodities.
That decision not only helped IntegraCore weather the storm, but also led to a 300 percent increase in revenue and a 500 percent increase in profits in 2009.