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1
The World of a Multimedia Internet Development
Company
Presented by John Redmon
2
Introduction

• Introduction
• Introduction to Redmon Group
• Cool Projects
• Multimedia Products
• E-Business Products
• E-Learning Products
• My Start Humble Beginnings
• Want to Start A Company?
• Recommendations in the New Economy
• Demos

3
Introduction

• John Redmon, President of Redmon Group
• GMU graduate (BA MBA)
• Live work in Old Town
• Chairman of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce
• On target with achievement of life goals
• Love what I do
• Still a 17-year old at heart

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Introduction to Redmon Group

• Multimedia Internet Development Company
• Founded in 1990, Privately Owned, Profitable
• We developInteractive Multimedia
• - Interactive Museums
• - CD-ROM Titles
• - Kiosk Systems
• - Games
• E-Business Applications
• - Web Sites (B2B, B2C)
• - E-Commerce
• - Hosting Services
• E-Learning Technologies
• - Web-Based Training
• - Computer-Based Training
• - Online Reference Tools

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Cool Projects

• DEA Narco-Terrorism Traveling Exhibit for DEA
• Interactive Exhibits for ATF National Laboratory
• Work with Homeland Security
• Pope John Paul II Cultural Center
• Three Web Sites for Discovery Channel
• Lewis Clark Web Site for the Smithsonian
• Interactive exhibits for Gettysburg
• CommuterPage Web Site and Mobile Web Site for
  Arlington County
• Restaurant Web Sites for Sweetwater Tavern,
  Mikes American, Carlyle Grand Café, DC Coast,
  Ten Penh, and Landini Brothers
• E-Learning for AOL
• E-Learning for RIF
• E-Learning for the Patent Trademark Office
• Dietary Web Site www.dietfit.com
• National Guard Museum
• Good Samaritan Foundation Web Site for Art Monk
  and Charles Mann

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Multimedia Clients

• Redmon Group has developed Interactive Multimedia
  for
• - Alexandria Economic Development
• - American Red Cross
• - Body Shop
• - City of Fairfax
• - Drug Enforcement Administration
• - Discovery Channel
• - Fairfax County, Virginia
• - Fairfax Fair
• - GE
• - George Mason University
• - Gettysburg
• - HP
• - IBM
• - Monarch Pharmaceuticals
• - National Guard Museum
• - Pope John Paul II Cultural Center Museum
• - Smithsonian
• - Town of Warrenton, Virginia

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E-Business Clients

• Redmon Group has developed Web applications for
• - Alexandria Chamber of Commerce
• - Arlington County's Commuter Store
• - Arties Restaurant
• - Carlyle Grand Cafe
• - DC Coast Restaurant
• - DEA
• - Deloitte Consulting
• - Discovery Channel
• - Ford
• - Landini Brothers Restaurant
• - Lucent Technologies
• - Mikes American Grill
• - National Cancer Institute
• - Northern Virginia Regional Commission
• - PGI
• - Silverado Restaurant
• - Sweetwater Tavern
• - Ten Penh Restaurant

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E-Learning Clients

• Redmon Group has developed E-Learning for
• - America Online
• - Arthur Andersen
• - Bell Atlantic
• - Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Florida
• - CSC
• - Datatel
• - Defense Acquisition University
• - Eastman Chemical
• - Florida Power Light
• - Land Rover
• - Litton/PRC
• - Lucent Technologies
• - MCI
• - National Institutes of Health
• - PBS The Business Channel
• - Reading is Fundamental (RIF)
• - Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
• - U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

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Capabilities Services

• Our services include
• - 3D animation development
• - Audio narration
• - Database design
• - Graphic design
• - Instructional design
• - Marketing support
• - Music composition
• - Programming
• - Project management
• - Video digitization
• - Web development
• - Web hosting
• We Host 15 Web sites and e-commerce sites
• - 12 Dedicated Servers
• - Dual T-1s
• - Security with Firewall

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Staff

• Total staff 20
• Development staff 16
• Project Managers 4
• What does the company expect?
• 2000 work hours per year
• 1600 billable hours per year
• Each staff member averages 12 to 15 projects per
  year
• How do we find staff?
• www.washingtonjobs.com
• www.monster.com
• Referrals
• I interview first

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My Start

• Always thought I would start a business
• Did not get accepted at UVA
• Accepted into George Mason
• Tough times during Sophomore year at Mason
• Had to re-build myself
• Full-time at GMU and full-time job
• Took bus a lot to Old Town
• Graduated after 5 years and decided to get my MBA

12
My Start

• Worked full-time at Mayflower Hotel while in MBA
  program
• Learned how to first work with computers
• Developed a computer program in final class which
  gave me my start
• Professor asked me to consult with him on a
  project for the United Nations

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My Start

• Started my company out of my apartment living
  room
• Caught the wave learned Windows
• First clients were Wal-Mart, NIH, IBM, and
  Discovery Channel
• My girlfriend joined me full-time
• Had to get an office more professional and our
  cats were jumping on clients
• Grown the company to a good size and we are
  profitable

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The Way It Was

• Where have all the foosball tables gone?
• What does your company do again?
• You mean Im not going to make 6 digits by the
  age of 25?
• You mean I wont get a car if I work here 2
  years?
• You can breathe. Do you want a job?
• I have the most seniority here even though Ive
  only been here 6 months.

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Getting a Job in These Times

• No more sense of entitlement you have to pay
  your dues.
• Many lay-offs these last two years so competition
  for jobs is tight.
• Not all jobs are fun.
• Companies may not be as willing to spend for
  training.

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Getting a Job in These Times

• Dont go for just a paycheck - go for a career.
• Develop personal Web site.
• Research the company before you send resume.
• Do not fax your resume. Do not send from current
  employer. Do not use current employers phone
  for an interview.
• Write a professional cover letter. Make it
  specific to that job.
• Write a clear objective in your resume that
  states what you will do for an employer.
• Only list software that you really know.
• Dont list too many jobs. This could appear as
  job-hopping.
• If they dont respond, then be persistent.
• Keep all replies professional.

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Interviewing Questions

• Ask the following of an employer
• Why does the company exist?
• Where is the company going?
• What are the core values of the company?
• Whats in it for me if I go above and beyond?
• How many work hours are considered normal?
• What type of person does the company value?
• What is a trait that the company frowns upon?

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Starting A Company

• Why are you starting a business?
• To create your own job
• To retire early
• To be your own boss
• To make a difference
• To achieve a life goal
• To sell it
• Why shouldnt you start a business?
• You have too much to lose
• You are risk averse
• You like set hours
• You do not like pressure
• You see the glass half empty

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Starting A Company

• Challenges of starting a company
• Finding clients work
• Getting paid on time
• Hiring and retaining staff
• Financial and legal issues
• Delegating
• The odds are against small business
• Only 20 of businesses survive after 5 years
• Only 4 survive after 10 years

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Starting A Company

• Determine an exit strategy before you start
• Pay your dues
• Dont quit your day job or college, and dont
  burn bridges
• Learn the benefits costs of different types of
  funding
• Boot-strapping
• Total control
• Difficult to grow or to react to cash crunches
• Loans from family friends
• People you trust the most
• What if business fails?

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Starting A Company

• Bank loans
• Dont have to give up equity.
• Must be proven with collateral.
• Partnerships
• Sharing of funding.
• Dont have high success rate.
• Venture capital
• Quick source of money.
• Must give up equity.

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Wheres The Glory?

• When a staff member tells you that this is the
  best job that they ever had.
• Creating products that make a difference.
• When the mailman delivers the BIG CHECK.
• When potential clients call you because they have
  heard of your work.
• When people think that your staff size is 100.
• When you become debt-free.
• Going to Office Depot is a night on the town.
• When you have publicity in magazines media.
• When you are no longer working IN your company.
  You are working ON it.

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Finding Business

• Build your companys portfolio by doing work for
  free or for barter
• Check out opportunities with the Fed
• Universities may have opportunities
• When you receive RFPs, you need to make a bid/no
  bid decision
• Washington Business Journal is my favorite
  business newspaper

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Staff

• As a business owner, I look for two things
• Are they making money for me?
• Are they making my life easier?
• Let people know what is expected of them.
• 2000 works hours, 1600 billable
• Invest in your people
• Identify your core staff and future leaders
• Realize that you cannot please everyone
• Identify what is important to them

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Staff

• How we allocate staff to projects
• Monday morning meetings
• Salaries
• Based on what clients are willing to pay
• Use 40 rule
• Benefits
• Be creative
• We combined sick vacation together
• Review process
• 6 month reviews
• Review budget based on financial performance of
  company

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The Numbers

• You have to know the score
• Develop a method of tracking your staff time.
  This will help to
• Track hours on TM projects
• Ensure that you are within budget on fixed-price
  contracts
• Use numbers for future proposal efforts
• Know how your business is doing
• Plant calculators throughout your house

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Demonstration

• Demo Time