Kevin K. is a small business owner of a company. He exceeds in software development and customer service. He is part of a successful family-owned business. Over the past 25 years, Kevin K. has been instrumental in developing The KCL CADalog. It is the only existing computer program of its kind and serves those who design restaurant and industrial kitchens.
What does your company do?
We create software for businesses that use Computer Aided Design (CAD) to create/modify commercial kitchens. Commercial kitchens include restaurants and large kitchen facilities such as school cafeterias, jail kitchens and hospital kitchens/cafeterias.
What is your work environment like?
I have worked out of a home office for over a decade. I have multiple computers & printers in my office. The internet allows me to remotely connect to customers around the world. The flexibility of being able to work and participate in family activities during business hours will be something that I remember for years.
What does a normal day at work look like?
A normal day for me begins with checking online the status of all business and charge accounts. Then I review what meetings are schedule for the day. Next I move on to processing email from the night before. The day continues with responding to tech support calls and emails as they come in. In between I process the data received from customers to include in weekly updates we post online for our software. Most days I also schedule time to work with our developers on future development for our software.
What role does your family play at work?
As I mentioned earlier, my father and I started the business 25 years ago. Since I have children my parents do most of the business conference travel to allow me to stay home. My wife has become more active in the business and saves me time from much of the accounting and subscription renewal work. A family business can be trying at times (like not letting the business day ever end) but knowing you are working with family adds a level of trust and support that cannot be equaled.
What makes your job unique?
My job is unique because my father and I created a new business 25 years ago for a market that did not exist. We are the only company in the United States that offers this product and services for commercial kitchen designers.
What background education is required for this job?
When you create your own business it would be best to have a business background/education. In my case, I had a background in computers and computer programming. My father had a background in designing commercial kitchens. We put our skills together to create our business. A lot of my knowledge has been developed/gained as I have done my work over the years.
What is it about your job that makes you continue to work it?
Our software helps thousands of people become more productive in their job. Knowing that we make a difference helps me push harder to continue to offer better service.
What do you like about your job?
I enjoy the variety of tasks and services that I work on each day.
What in your job is difficult?
Prioritizing the order of my work related assignments.
Did you have any previous jobs? If so, what were they like?
My past jobs were part-time jobs that included data processing for an insurance agent and computer programming for a small business.
What do you miss from your old job?
The daily interaction with other employees. Being just a worker. Not the owner.
What are you glad you do not have to work with anymore?
The responsibility of starting and finishing at set times.
What advice would you give to young people who want to own a business?
Start a business for a product or service that you enjoy. If you enjoy work then it becomes fun not work.