2 months ago
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Innovate Arkansas' mission is to benefit the state and its economy with job creation, opportunities for college graduates; creating higher paying jobs. Created in 2007, they already have business owners singing their praises.
SumoText is a Little Rock based online software company that enables business owners to target clients who sign up for text message alerts. You can text everything from taking a survey, entering a contest to getting coupons, all at the clients' fingertips.
The only client fee is standard text messaging rates and they can 'opt out' at any time with a reply text.
President of SumoText Tim Miller says it's a 95% read rate compared to other means of advertising.
He explains how it works, "If I say text IA for Innovate Arkansas to 74700, you will be joining Innovate Arkansas' mobile VIP club and they will send you alerts."
But as a newly founded small business, they are dealing with expected hurdles.
He adds, "It's like a double whammy because the economy has hurt a lot of people and a lot of the smaller businesses we work with, a lot of them are not in business anymore."
Shortly after start-up, Miller became a member of Innovate Arkansas; they focus on new technology based businesses. Innovate Arkansas is currently working with more than 80-companies. The concept: mentor small businesses, help them grow, find investors and create high paying jobs.
"It's easy to feel like it's us against the world and just having someone out there. It's just nice, it feels good," Miller adds.
With guidance along the way, Miller and 14 employees are working hard to stay afloat, and with a technology savvy business that allows business owners to reach out for repeat customers, they expect mobile marketing to catch on.
Miller concludes, "We're steadily growing, but I think we'll actually break even soon. We're still not profitable, but we can see it in our sights. Probably this quarter will be our first profitable quarter."
The 2007 legislature created Innovate Arkansas. It's funded by taxpayer dollars to help raise the income of Arkansans through innovation and new industry development.
They don't help with financing, but they can help recommend courses of action.
Innovate Arkansas on Today's THV
