Local Media and Tech Solutions Company Grows with Help from Florida SBDC at Pinellas County
WideScope Consulting & Contracting of Pinellas County
No one understands the definition of hard work quite like Hayes Fredrick Fountain III. After 10 plus years as a nuclear submarine officer and receiving a master’s degree in business, Fountain caught the entrepreneur bug while working in media for big-name companies such as BET and Turner Broadcasting. There, he was inspired to learn the ins and outs of entrepreneurship. WideScope Consulting & Contracting, a business focused on media and technology solutions, was official born.
Fountain set out with high hopes to create a killer service for both the commercial and government space. He walked into the Florida SBDC at Pinellas County Economic Development in April 2014 and never looked back. Since then, the growth of WideScope has been unstoppable.
“Dr. Johnson, Yolanda Cowart, and the entire SBDC team have been an integral part of the success of WideScope. I came in April of 2014 and had no idea of the registrations or certifications that were required in order to do business with the government as well as doing business in the commercial and local space. They have assisted me hand-in-hand with each and every certification from small business, service disable veteran small business to the 8A program with the SBA,” Fountain said.
WideScope Consulting & Contracting has now expanded to both Washington, D.C, and the San Diego market. Fountain credits much of this success to the aid of the Florida SBDC Network and team, as well as the Florida PTAC.
“I think our biggest success is trusting the process and not going back into corporate America but living my own dream,” Fountain said.
“I took every class that the SBDC had to offer from how to build a business plan all the way to marketing strategy. Each class that was available, I took each and every one of them. Both the online classes with the SBA as well as all the local classes available here in the office,” he added.
Fountain along with the Florida PTAC at Pinellas County Economic Development, is now working on evaluating acquisitions, acquisition strategies, and how to best leverage the 8A program. As his own business continues to grow, Fountain provides other small business owners with advice on how they can find success as well.
“I would give two pieces of advice; the first piece of advice is to have a plan. The second piece of advice is stick to the plan. Meet the SBDC and the SBA halfway. Do your part, due diligence to ensure you are well prepared for your business as well as the time it takes for it to ramp up and become profitable,” he said.
