When buyers connect, you win.
It has been said that one of the best ways to understand another person’s point of view is to walk a mile in his or her shoes. Needless to say, walking in the shoes of a distributor owner in the promotional products industry can be quite the experience! Fortunately, I have “walked” and am currently “walking” in your shoes, so I have a strong appreciation for the daily grind that comes with building and maintaining a successful promotional products company. The reason for this introduction is to plant the seed of exploring a partnership with Boundless. We believe we have a phenomenal organization with a powerful vision. We believe that progressive-minded distributorships that want to “run fast” see value in a partnership with Boundless. Over the past nine months, we have completed five partnerships. Each distributor principal (and team) is enjoying more money, lower stress levels and the power of a company committed to technology, professional development and a dynamic culture. Boundless Network is unlike any other distributorship in the industry. The Boundless business model was developed to challenge the old-school, entrenched mindset that permeates this industry. Through our continued investment in technology, our professionals have a significant competitive advantage to retain, acquire and develop their long-term customer relationships. Said another way, our technology does two things: i) it leverages professionals’ time by eliminating non-revenue-producing activities, and ii) provides competitive advantages to customers that drive greater revenue and higher earnings. To date, we have experienced great success. Externally, within industry circles, we have established a solid, professional brand that represents the future—the next-generation distributorship model. Internally, our sales organization continues to grow and become more successful as new patented technology solutions are released by our technology team. The company currently has more than 180 professionals and offices throughout the nation, and we are proud of the nearly 100% retention of our team. As the old adage says, “it takes money to make money,” and with our professional capital we will continue to be bullish on identifying like-minded distributorships that fit our culture and see the value of our business model. Our formula is simple: we believe that one plus one is greater than two, and that top 1%, dynamic, entrepreneurial, progressive-minded and growth-oriented distributorships who want to run fast are ideal for a partnership with Boundless Network. If you have an interest in hearing more about our business model, previewing some of our technology or talking about the structure of our past partnerships, we would embrace the opportunity to share our vision with you. Read on to find out more about Boundless Network, including an overview of our business model and a a snapshot of our most recent partnerships. Don’t forget to check out the videos on our site--find out what makes us tick and what is driving so many top-performing professionals to get on the Boundless bus. I pride myself on being an open book; if you have any questions, comments, or would like more details, please feel free to contact me directly at 512.879.4401 or by e-mail at
[email protected]. Carpe Diem,
Jason Black Founder and President, Boundless Network
To learn more about Boundless Network, please visit boundlessnetwork.com.
About Boundless Network | Overview FOUNDED GROWTH RATE GROWTH FACTORS
COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES
KEY TECHNOLOGY
April 2005 2006 - 675%, 2007 - 94%, 2008 - 174% Ability to attract the top 1% of salespeople who are frustrated with status quo distributor solutions and are seeking value from their distributor partner. Initiative in partnering with progressive-minded distributorship owners that recognize the value of leveraging the Boundless platform to significantly increase their short-term and long-term earnings potential. Creating a new paradigm in the promotional industry through continued investments in technology, providing significant strategic selling advantages and efficiencies that build a more profitable distributorship model. Our clients have access to a Web-based portal for managing promotional spend, including tools for tracking orders, searching for products, enterprise reporting and sharing brand assets. Customers also benefit from GroupBuy technology, a business platform for buyers to collaborate to leverage group purchasing power and control branding. Our comprehensive technology platform enables our sales professionals to fully devote their time and energy to their customers’ needs, integrating back office, vendor and communications systems to provide a seamless sales platform, including automated order management, intelligent product sourcing, integrated proposal management and industry-leading customer relationship management.
CULTURE
KEY MANAGEMENT
OUR LOCATIONS
“Good to Great” mentality characterized by collaboration, forward thinking, and a work hard/play hard ethic, all vital in creating a best-of-class distributor model. Jason Black, Founder/President Sherman Atkinson, CEO Henrik Johansson, COO Tom Rizzi, SVP Sales
Minneapolis San Francisco
Headquarters: 200 E. 6th Street, Ste 300 Austin, Texas 78701 p: 512.472.9200 f: 512.472.9204
Boston
Milwaukee Chicago
Denver San Diego
Oklahoma City Phoenix
Ft. Worth
Dallas Austin Houston
San Antonio
2009 PLANS
Three key initiatives include: (i) Identifying strategic partnerships with progressive distributorships to expand sales footprint, (ii) continuing to develop industry-changing technology, and (iii) maintaining an award winning culture.
FINANCIAL PARTNERS
Boundless Network has partnered with leading investment firms Austin Ventures and Silverton Partners.
BOARD MEMBERS
Bill Wood | Silverton Partners Jason Black | Boundless Network Tom Ball | Austin Ventures Chris Edelen | Former EVP, Norwood Doug Martin | Former President, Primerica/Tupperware David Hood | Trux To learn more about Boundless Network, please visit boundlessnetwork.com.
When buyers connect, you win.
About Boundless Network | Testimonials WHAT THE INDUSTRY IS SAYING.... “Boundless is a change agent. They are committed to providing the technology, tools and virtual platform to enable sales professionals to be effective marketing representatives. Boundless has sophisticated financial partners, seasoned leadership and an unlimited opportunity to scale their operating foundation." - Frank P. Krasovec | Founder, Norwood "It is rare to see a visionary company like Boundless consolidate an industry by adding value and improving efficiency and sales effectiveness. The passion of Jason Black is the glue that binds the people to the vision. Boundless uses a unique sharing model that benefits both team and individual. It is rare to find an organization with the unique skills and competitive leverage of Boundless.” - Bill Fields | Former CEO, Wal-mart Stores Division “There are many different distributor models evolving in the industry. Boundless has one of the most cutting edge models that leverages technology to create a new level of partnership between suppliers and distributors all the way through to the end user. The company and business model have proven to be successful. As a leading supplier in the promotional products industry, Norwood appreciates our relationship with Boundless.” - Paul Lage | CEO, Norwood “Boundless Network has been a strategic partner of SanMar’s since its inception, and we have worked closely with the Boundless management team for over 10 years. In that time we have known them to be dedicated professionals and true partners. They continue to be industry leaders while working with some of America’s most respected companies. We look forward to continued growth and partnership with Boundless.” - Marty Lott | CEO, Sanmar “Boundless Network has quickly flown onto our radar at Counselor over the past couple of years. The company has made some aggressive moves in acquiring other distributors and is one of the fastest-growing firms in the market today. It will be interesting to watch how Boundless continues to impact the industry.” - Andy Cohen | Editor, Counselor Magazine “The approach that Boundless has taken to provide infrastructure in order to create efficiencies of scale for its sales professionals is really cutting edge. The management at Boundless has dedicated themselves to creating an environment of success. It is exciting to be a part of this team.” - David Grobison | VP Sales, Leeds
WHAT OUR SALES PROFESSIONALS ARE SAYING... “The Boundless model is unlike any other distributorship. Working with Boundless has far exceeded my expectations. I’m excited about my growth potential.” - Charmaine Poteet | Regional Director, Ft. Worth - 7 years in the industry
“I came to Boundless doing $800k in sales. In less than 36 months I have hit a $2.4MM run rate. This type of growth is directly related to the Boundless infrastructure and the value proposition I am able to offer my clients. I expect to hit a $5MM run rate by 2010.” - Noel Garcia | Regional Director, Austin - 10 years in the industry “When I started with Boundless, most of my contacts were at the buyer level. Through Boundless’ professional development courses and technology platform I have been able to reposition my business offering to more VP level contacts. I’m more strategic, my accounts are more predictable and my business has seen tremendous growth.” - Amber George | Regional Director, Dallas - 8 years in the industry
To learn more about Boundless Network, please visit boundlessnetwork.com. When buyers connect, you win.
About Boundless Network | Partnership Study FOOTPRINT MARKETING Footprint Marketing, a Dallas-based distributorship with sales between $3.5MM and $4.0MM, joined Boundless Network in September of 2007. In 2004 and 2005, Footprint Marketing was named among the top 10 fastest growing distributorships in the industry by ASI. What did Footprint see in Boundless Network?
WHY BOUNDLESS? Clay Hughey and Jason Walker, Footprint Marketing
After leading one of the top 10 fastest growing distributorships in the industry for the previous two years, Footprint President Clay Hughey and Vice President Jason Walker recognized that Boundless could provide their salespeople with the best industry tools, technology and resources to exponentially grow their business.
“Footprint was a successful growing distributorship that had differentiated ourselves from our competition. But that wasn’t enough; we wanted more,” Clay said. “Being self-funded, it was clear we couldn't build what we wanted and needed to build in order to reach our goals. Boundless had already built solid financial backing and leadership, and continues to build things that we had only dreamed of. It would have been years before we could have gotten to where they are right now.”
TECHNOLOGY “Boundless is evolving the promotional products industry. We were looking for something completely different than the traditional offering, and Boundless provided that,” Jason said. “They have technology that will revolutionize how some of our clients buy their promotional products. That, combined with the tools they have created to improve a salesperson's efficiency, will allow us to work smarter and sell more without having to work more. An example of this is the sourcing engine they have built, allowing us to source products from an engine that gets smarter as we use it, write proposals with minimal effort, and share ideas with a community of over 50 professionals.”
CAPITAL, LEADERSHIP AND CULTURE “Boundless Network is the most progressive distributorship in the industry. It has powerful financial partners, a professional management team, and strategic leadership with a clear vision of what will enable our salespeople to excel,” said Clay. “I am convinced Boundless has the brightest leadership team in the entire industry. We were blown away not only by the vision they have for the future but also the plan they have built in order to reach those goals. It is very evident they will meet and exceed their stated goals.”
GROWTH AND VISION “Partnering with Boundless has allowed us to focus on exponential growth going into 2008,” Clay explained. “We are excited about the years to come; the support we’ve received thus far has saved us time and helped us define a future that looks extremely bright. The tools they have built and the support we receive will enable us to reach sales levels we could have never reached before.”
When buyers connect, you win.
About Boundless Network | Partnership Study HIGHWIRE PROMOTIONS Highwire Promotions, an award winning California distributor formerly with Adventures in Advertising (AIA), joined Boundless Network in October 2007. Larry Rogers and Cheryl Cohen of Highwire joined Boundless as Vice President-Managing Directors of the branch, along with the distributor’s three support staff members who also joined the regional office.
Larry Rogers and Cheryl Cohen Highwire Promotions
“We are committed to offering sales professionals in California a better way. We have experienced both having our own company and joining a franchise system that forgot who was important,” Larry said. “Both Cheryl and I have a vision which parallels that of the Boundless Network. That’s why we got on the bus, and WOW what a ride it has been.”
WHY BOUNDLESS? With 22 years of experience in the promotional products industry between them, Larry Rogers and Cheryl Cohen found themselves in a unique position in 2007. They were seeking a progressive distributor partner who could help them take their business to the next level. “We have looked throughout the industry to find a company that had a true vision for the future,” said Cheryl. “While we were looking for a distributorship time and time again, we ran into the standard business model that offered nothing innovative or exciting. While the competition is trying just to update their systems, Boundless has been spending the past two years developing technology that surpasses anything else in the industry.”
TECHNOLOGY “Boundless has the financial capital and commitment to build technology that will provide us competitive advantages that far surpass our competition and will enable us to make more money,” Larry said. “I continue to be impressed with their long-term vision of building the best business platform for the promotional products industry. Their CRM program, which is fully integrated into their order entry process, allows sales professionals to put an order in and not touch it again. They’ve also introduced a customer-facing technology that allows the salesperson to communicate with and sell to their customer using several platforms. This means more sales in less time. The cost per sale goes down and profits go up.”
CAPITAL, LEADERSHIP AND CULTURE “Boundless is a company like no other in this industry; the management team is made up of visionaries that believe in a fun-loving, collaborative culture,” Larry continued. “This type of management breeds the right kind of culture—the kind on which great companies are built. The collaborative “wiki environment” is present every day. The clay in the middle of the table is constantly changing, and the people around the table all take a part in molding it.”
GROWTH AND VISION “Boundless gets it. Their business model, along with their financial backing, positions the company for huge growth,” Cheryl said. “The promotional industry is about to be introduced to the power of Boundless Network! At Boundless, it is the sales professionals’ business that is equally as important as the parent company. The management team has been instrumental in helping us strategize, envision and execute ways to meet our goals.
When buyers connect, you win.
About Boundless Network | Partnership Study THERESA ROBERTS, INC. (TRI)
Theresa Roberts, Theresa Roberts, Inc.
April 2008, Boundless Network announced the acquisition of Phoenix-based Theresa Roberts, Inc. (TRI). This news is the beginning of a valuable partnership that unites TRI's proven track record with Boundless Network's patented technology platform to enable sales professionals to significantly grow their businesses. Theresa Roberts founded her company in 1995, after successfully working with some of the top distributors in the advertising specialty industry. With headquarters in Phoenix, her company grew over the next 13 years into a market leader by focusing on large programs, custom design and employee safety and recognition programs.
WHY BOUNDLESS? "Boundless Network represents an opportunity to return to the business we love," said Theresa Roberts, owner. "I believe Boundless has the tools and technology that our sales professionals need to take their accounts to the next level. I'm excited to watch the team's productivity, sales and earnings increase. We expect to see immediate results.“
GROWTH AND VISION "TRI recognizes that demonstrating value is the foundation to long-term success in this industry. As a result, Theresa Roberts and team have established an enormously successful business and highly regarded brand," said Boundless Network CEO Jason Black. "We are excited to see TRI sales professionals utilize our technology platform within their customer relationships. I believe Boundless is positioned for enormous growth in the Phoenix area. This is a big win for both parties." As an ASI Multimillion-Dollar Distributor Roundtable Honoree in 2006 and 2007, TRI represents a key part of Boundless Network's acquisition strategy of identifying top promotional products distributors with revenues between $2 million and $10 million. In 2008, the company's aggressive nationwide expansion underscores a commitment to grow Boundless Network into the largest, most professional distributor in the industry.
When buyers connect, you win.
