Innovative business software solution

Everything is at the easySYS AG with its founder and CEO Jeremias Meier, has been trimmed for growth. Having just moved from the cramped Toggenburg region to the more cosmopolitan Lake Zurich, the company is already expanding almost daily. A second floor is now needed to make room for the start-up, which was founded a good two years ago and is gearing up to conquer the entire German-speaking market.

You have now been on the market with your product for two years. Mr. Meier, tell us: What was the actual birth of your company?

Jeremias Meier: The idea for the product came about quite a bit earlier. About eight years ago, we were in the process of setting up our first company. We experienced firsthand what it means to be overwhelmed by the administrative burden. We were a small company with three or four people and we were growing. Then we realized: Oops, we don't even know who our customers are anymore. We worked and worked and realized that financially there was little left, we even forgot to send invoices. So we needed business software and we looked around on the market to see what solutions were available.

You'd think there'd be ten a penny of them.

Yes. But especially for the segment of very small companies - we were just four people - there is very little. Either the solutions are not affordable or not user-friendly enough. In addition, we wanted to work from home and on the road, not just in the office. Sure, there were solutions for that, too, but not in our price range. So we said to ourselves: We're programmers and we'll develop our own solution.

So once again the saying is true: make a virtue out of necessity.

Yes, and we realized: We are not alone with our need. So we developed an initial solution. Even then, we said to ourselves: the software must be browser-based, usable via the Internet, and not require a separate server or additional software installation. You simply have to be able to work with it. We showed the solution to our circle of acquaintances with the result that everyone wanted to have it. Then we decided to turn it into a real product. It was a time of trial and error and experimentation, during which we learned a lot about how to develop and market such a solution as opposed to traditional business software.

So you had enough freedom to make mistakes without it hurting the new company yet.

That's one way of putting it. But we needed new financial resources for the next growth step. That comes from our business model alone. We sell subscriptions and want to offer a small business owner a complete worry-free package. All of this has to be pre-financed, because this is a mass business. We founded the new company easySYS AG - that was in December 2013. Then we really started to step on the gas. There were five of us at the time and we stepped up investments in all areas.

How did you do your first financing? Did you already have investors at that time?

For easySYS, yes. We actually founded the company together with the investors. These were Business Angelswho supported us not only with money, but with their know-how. We deliberately looked for such people.

How did you go about the search? Was there a lot of vitamin B involved?

Also. But there are organized investors in Switzerland. However, the scene is relatively small. Especially for our project, the search was not that easy. You need a certain understanding of our business. We spent about a year making contacts. I must have given a presentation once a week during this phase. We didn't just want money, we wanted to find people to help us build the business. Through our network, we finally got to know the right people who already had a track record in the industry. That gives us a certain credibility.

What arguments did you ultimately use to convince the investors?

I think we were able to show them, in addition to the great market potential, that we really generate value with the money invested. That was already visible after the first round of financing. It was important for the investors that we are a young, motivated team of founders. They want to see that you can work with such a team and build a foundation of trust.

Money is one thing, people are another. I read that you want to increase the number of your employees to 40 to 50 by the end of 2015. Where are you going to get these people despite the shortage of skilled workers?

Of course, it depends on which people you need. In the area of software development, the connection with the HSR works quite well in the meantime. But when it comes to real specialists, things look different. We really have to look everywhere we can. We now have an almost full-time position that deals exclusively with recruitment.

Actually, it's a huge "fly in the ointment" for a start-up to do employer branding in addition to marketing.

Yes. Competition is tough as nails. And we are not in a position to pay the highest wages. In return, we can offer our people unique things: With us, you can make a real contribution to the company's growth and success and focus on a single product for a single customer group. Each individual is given a great deal of responsibility.

You have a clear growth strategy and are focusing on expansion. How are you approaching this in concrete terms?

With our business model, we are sailing more like a speedboat than a tanker. We have already been able to win customers from Germany and Austria. But Switzerland remains the primary market. For us, the most important thing is to grow with a good product. We currently have a high rate of customers who come to us simply because of recommendations. That is the best advertising. Of course, we want to attract more people to our website, where the software can be tested for 30 days free of charge. You can simply log in via the website and get started right away - a significant advantage compared to conventional products. Up to now, we have only done online advertising. Now we want to do offline as well. And of course we want to improve the product and promote product innovation.

Assuming that a small company is looking for more of a lean solution: How are you going to make the product more innovative? By bloating it with even more functionalities?

The danger certainly exists. Many software manufacturers have tried to differentiate themselves through the number of functions. However, I do not believe that this is the right way to go. When I think about how an invoice will be processed with easySYS in the future: I simply take a photo of it and the invoice is automatically posted. Behind this process is a large number of individual steps in text recognition, storage in the cloud, differentiation between debtor and creditor and, and, and ..... Our aim is to radically simplify such processes. This means a high development effort. But in the end, we turned ten steps into one. We are currently working on a new user interface. Our concern here is not what is missing from it, but what can be removed from it. In my opinion, this is the key to a good product.

How does the high tempo affect the mood in the team? Doesn't this lead to signs of wear and tear?

Maybe it's a question of age ... My people have the conviction that they are doing something meaningful. That spurs them on. But even though we are young, we have to make sure that we don't wear ourselves out. There are definitely employees who have to be slowed down at times.

So 80-hour weeks, over 100 percent commitment only to the company without free time and private life are not an issue for you?

Of course, we founders already work more on average than "normal" employees. I expect everyone to be there and do their job, but I don't expect anyone to work as much as I do. As a founder, however, you have to have an environment that can accept and support losses in free time. As an entrepreneur, I am sometimes confronted with anxieties that I don't want to drag my employees into. They should be able to work with motivation at all times.

And you yourself, where do you find your balance to being a pure entrepreneur?

I find my balance in the mountains. I go hiking, go on tours - and I have a dog who is happy when I go out with him. In the mountains I have the total contrast to what I do here, mostly without cell phone reception.

Final question: What goals have you set for yourself?

What is clear is that we want to continue to drive growth. When it comes to the product, we are interested in two topics in particular: firstly, simplifying the collaboration between the small business owner and his or her fiduciary, and secondly, how a small business does its bank reconciliation. So we don't just want to bolt customers, we want to simplify the life of a small business owner.

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easySYS AG

Founded by Jeremias Meier together with two partners, the Rapperswil-based company offers user-friendly business software for small businesses. All tools and programs are available online via a modern cloud solution and thus do not have to be installed on the companies' computers. With easySYS companies can manage offers, invoices and customer data and handle their accounting. The application received the Deutsche Telekom Innovation Award. For the latest round of financing, the young company was able to attract the Armada Investment Ltd. as well as the Redalpine Venture Partners AG win