Q: Why would I hire MyCOi ?
A: Small business is cyclical. You never know for sure whether that new order from that Fortune 500 company is just one of many more to come or a one time opportunity. We can help you ramp up for the transition period while you determine whether you need to put on permanent staff.
Similarly, some tasks don’t need to be done every day until a company gains a certain size. We can provide experienced professionals for highly specific projects and you just pay for the one time project (or for the few hours a month you need the services), rather than carry full-time overhead every day all year.
Q: Why would I call MyCOi instead of sourcing the same services through an independent contractor, specialty firm, or consultant?
A: MyCOi is a one-stop shop that provides a complete portfolio of project support specifically tailored for entrepreneurs, small businesses or more mature firms transitioning from one level to the next.
Most independent-contractors, specialty firms and consultants serve a single discipline. That means you as the busy entrepreneur have to spend your valuable time sourcing new individuals or firms every time you have a different need in another department or area. Plus you have to compare bids, check references, explain your entire business model and industry to each provider all over again, not to mention go through vendors by trial and error until you find a fit.
At MyCOi we’ve already done all that for you. We are committed to your total and complete satisfaction, so we’ve spent a lot of time checking out all our service providers to ensure that they meet our high standards. We’ve put all the experts under one roof and one guarantee. You just have to explain your company, products, and industry to us once – we’ll then make sure that knowledge is transferred to the experts who do the work on your project.
Plus, part of the MyCOi value-added is experience translating your project requirements into technical specifications for the actual people who do the work. We speak small business needs and technical specifications.
Q: How do I know you won’t just “keep the meter running” to increase your billing?
A: At MyCOi, our preferred approach is to bill on a defined deliverable project basis. That way you know up front what our work will cost you. There is no risk of the meter running out of control. Your costs only increase if you increase the project scope after we’ve begun work. And if you do increase scope, we’ll both sign off and the increased scope and associated change in cost.
Alternatively, we can provide services on retainer or by subscription. In either case, we agree up front how many hours or how much work will be provided for what cost. Again, no surprises.
Q: My business is still small and we have a tight budget. How can I afford MyCOi?
A: If you are a small business and have a tight budget, we can help. We provide big company experience at small company rates. With MyCOi, you only pay for the expertise when you need it; you don’t need to carry the overhead of extra employees in departments or with special knowledge or skills that you don’t need every day. Just think of us as your “corporate office” that can provide specialty services when and only when you need them.
Q: Aren’t you really just consultants in disguise?
A: While our value-added does included providing expert advice and we will “consult” if asked, at MyCOi we truly consider ourselves to be the “un-consultants”. Our mission is to actually roll up our sleeves and do exactly the work that you hire us to do at your direction. We have no interest in pretending to be any smarter than you or in selling you solutions that are “in vogue” or that you don’t need. We just want to provide extra “band-width” for your company while you are in transition.
Q: We aren’t a start up. Even though the original entrepreneur retired (or sold the business) we need the types of services you describe. Can we still use MyCOi?
A: Sure. MyCOi will work for any firm that needs transitional support services. While we find that it is often an entrepreneur or small business owner who need to “expand” or “contract” their “corporate office”, we also work with companies that have been around for generations, but like the concept of only maintaining their own staff in the areas they need most.
Q: Tell me about the MyCOi people that I’ll be entrusting with my project?
A: Our people typically have been educated at highly respected institutions such as the Ivy League and other top institutions of higher learning. Many have masters and doctorates, in addition to baccalaureate degrees.
Past employment includes many Fortune 50 - 500 companies, as well as small and mid-sized firms. Almost all of our service providers have started and run at least one business of their own. It is precisely this combination of education, big company experience and entrepreneurial spirit and back ground that make our people uniquely positioned to provide assistance to firms in growth and transition.
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