Building a Small IT Consulting Business Based on Linux (Video)

When you call your business Penguin Computer & Telephone Solutions, it's obvious that Linux is your favorite operating system. Company owner Frank Sflanga, Jr. happily works on Windows, Mac and whatever else you want or have around, but he is a Linux person at heart; in fact, he's a founder and leading member of The Southwest Florida GNU/Linux Users Group. But the point of this interview, which some will want to label an ad (although it's not), is to show how Frank started his one-man consulting business and made it successful so that other Slashdot readers can follow in his footsteps and become self-employed -- if they are so inclined. You might want to note that most of Frank's clients were not familiar with Linux when he first started working with them, and most are not particularly interested in software licensing matters as long as Frank keeps their stuff working. You might also want to note that Ft. Myers, FL, where Frank is located, is not exactly famous as a hotbed of leading-edge technology, which means that even if you live someplace similar, where business owners ask "What's a Linux?" you might be able to make a decent living running a Linux-based IT consulting business.

Comments

ugh, 30 second commercial & 17 minute video

[schneidafunk]

Forget it, back to work.

Confused . . .

[Kimomaru]

Why does he not call it GNU/Linux? Stallman would be cross . . .

Re:This is a losing proposition.

[GameboyRMH]

Unless that business is in hosting, supercomputing, science, robotics, software development, or some other little cottage industry.

Re:This is a losing proposition.

[dskoll]

I run a very profitable company that started out as a Linux consulting shop.

I started my company back in 1999 when Linux really wasn't on business's radar. The keys to success were:

• Promote Linux where it makes sense. I set up plenty of firewalls, file servers, mail servers, web servers, etc. for my small business clients.
• But don't be religious. I certainly didn't waste my breath trying to convert them away from Windows on the desktop.
• But on the third had, do have some religion. There's no way I would have installed a Windows server for anyone. I would have politely declined their business, stating that my specialty is Linux. No-one ever actually asked me to do that... I made it clear up front I was a Linux guy willing to coexist with Windows machines, but not actually work on them.
• Keep your ears open and figure out what your clients want. Back in 2000, one of my clients wanted mail filtering, from which was born MIMEDefang and eventually my commercial anti-spam company that has a dozen or so employees (and, btw, that runs completely on Linux, including servers, desktops, phone system, and even my Nokia N900.)

For me, it has been a terrific 14 year ride with a great future ahead. Not a losing proposition by a long shot.

Re:Everything he mentions could happen on Linux

[geek]

Package updates break things on Linux as often as they do on any other platform.

Citation needed. I can't remember the last 'apt-get upgrade' that broke something on my system. Not sure it's ever even happened to me.

Adobe needs updates on Linux too.

Cool. Linux can do that..... silently. In the background without the user ever knowing. No nagging popups or user interaction required. Not like pushing shit out with SCCM in windows and all the fucking annoyances that includes, plus the asshole you have to hire to package shit manually for it.

The difference is that the users are scared to touch anything, so they don't.

Which is why windows systems are often so much more out of date than a Linux system that will take updates in the background without them ever knowing it.

Instead of users buying software and doing their own work, they hire him to administer free software - I am OK with that, but I hate the myth that Linux "just works". There is a reason, that even with all the free software that exists, the software companies are still in business.

Software companies are still in business for a wide range of reasons. Many of them incorporate free software. This goes nowhere to further your point.

Re:Everything he mentions could happen on Linux

[K. S. Kyosuke]

Not everything with an Adobe badge is a steaming pile of shit.

No, not everything, just all their software. Some of the specs are quite good...now if only their software actually implemented the specs, that would be peachy.

Re: This is a losing proposition.

[JonJ]

They fired him, and we refuse to support a linux environment

Ah, incompetent, I see.

Re: This is a losing proposition.

[munwin99]

$50k for "just some files and a website" - WTF?
Where and how do you spend $50,000 on a file server and web server?
Lets me guess, Windows + SharePoint + SQL Server....