Quick jump into business pays off well for Tuscaloosa businessman
May 20, 2001
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TUSCALOOSA - It took prodding by three mentors and drastic school budget
cuts to convince him to give it a go, but 10 years later, Jay Biggs couldn’t
be happier about his decision to open up a computer business.
Tuscaloosa Computer Systems, now known as Tuscom, started out in an old
Chinese grocery store on McFarland Boulevard. Biggs was selling home
computers, woefully dusting off his now defunct Commodore Amiga computers.
Now, a decade later, he serves more than 400 individuals and businesses in
the Tuscaloosa area. But Biggs would have never considered turning his
computer-tinkering hobby into a career if 1990s’ proration hadn’t made
teaching positions so scarce.
While discussing his difficulties in finding a job during his senior year at
the University of Alabama, several friends expressed disbelief that Biggs
wouldn’t be putting his technical talents to work. Those friends, Tuscaloosa
businessmen Rusty Quarles and James Taylor, had so much faith in Biggs’
future that they partnered with him to start the business. After a chat with
another friend John Pradat, then a commercial loan officer at AmSouth Bank,
he was well on his way.
"I sat down and discussed my business plan with them," Biggs said. "I didn’t
have any money and I wasn’t an important person, but they took time to help
me. They all saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself."
At the age of 20, his college degree only 2 weeks old, Biggs found himself a
CEO. The connections he made by selling PCs soon enabled him to begin
setting up networks for area businesses. By the end of his second year, he
had met all the goals in his five-year plan. Today, the company generates
seven-digit annual revenues.
"We literally took off like a rocket," Biggs said. "There’s not anyone in
Tuscaloosa who hasn’t been touched by one of our systems in some way. I’m
living proof that you can have nothing and make something of yourself."
Biggs credits his success to sage advice and market research. He spent his
last six months in college researching other computer companies and
developing his business plan. Tuscaloosa Computer Systems was the first
local business to become Microsoft certified, at a time when Bill Gates’
company was not a popular option. His niche, providing personal service,
turned out to be a simple, yet effective one.
"When I got started, your only choices were to order a computer over the
Internet, or buy it from a large chain store," he said. "Either way, you
weren’t getting personal attention. I wanted to give the customer something
they weren’t getting: Someone who knows them and knows Tuscaloosa, and what
they expect here.
"Everybody here knows each other. If you do a good job, then they tell
someone else, so good service is very important in building a client base."
He continued to stand beside his individualized service philosophy after his
clientele branched out into corporations.
The Fitts Agency is one of those long-term customers. Financial advisor
Dianne Sappington said the company took a chance on young Biggs 10 years ago
because he was the only firm in town that could fix their aging Unix system.
Sappington said they have yet to be disappointed by the company.
"We couldn’t live without Jay and the boys," she said. "They’re competent,
courteous and concerned. Something that’s a major problem for us is minor
for them, but they don’t ever treat us like it is. They always treat us with
respect."
Sappington said Tuscom’s quick response time is another factor in its
long-term business relationship with the Fitts Agency.
"They’re always Johnny-on-the-Spot when we need them," she said. "When your
computer’s down in this day and age, your whole business might have to shut
down. The quick service that they give is important."
Like the computers, Tuscom has had to do a lot of changing over the years.
The company recently changed its logo and shortened its business name. The
company has also had to change the way it communicates with its clients.
"I used to spend most of my time educating the client as to what the
computers can do," Biggs said. "Just about everyone has a computer now, but
they aren’t using them to do a fraction of what they could be. We spend a
couple hours with them when they first get it so they don’t have a box that
just collects dust."
Biggs and his employees must attend a lot of sessions around the nation to
stay up-to-date on the latest trends. They trade off travel time and cross
train each other when they return.
Biggs still puts in the same nearly triple digit weekly hours he worked when
he was just getting the company off the ground. The hard work has paid off.
He was able to buy out his partners in 1999 and move to a downtown office
last year.
John Pradat recognized Biggs’ earnestness and said he is impressed with the
progress Pradat has made.
"A lot of people who have the ability he has think they’re too smart to work
hard, but he is an extremely hard worker," Pradat said. "He has done quite
well and I’m really proud of him."
Biggs attributes his work ethic to his grandmothers who lived during the
Great Depression.
"They integrated the hard work that was necessary in that culture into my
upbringing," he said. "I heard about the hardships they went through and
learned that I have to earn my own way.
"You have to commit to what you’re doing. If you love what you do and you
dedicate yourself to it, you’ll be successful."