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Father and Son Buy an IT Services Business Together

This profile features one young man's unique experience of working as an apprentice for his father while his father was employed as an IT Director -- proving that through creativity and prayer, God can provide opportunities for fathers to work with sons.  He and his father later went on to buy their own IT services company.

Name:

Michael Fowl

Family Description:

My family consists of my father, mother, two sisters, and a brother.

Business Name:

Telstar Communications, Inc

Business Description:

TelStar Communications is a customer-driven and results-oriented telecommunications, information technology, and security solutions company. TelStar is ready to assist with all phases of planning, design, installation, and maintenance of the above.

Location:

Muncie, IN

Formal education/training:

I have been home educated from the beginning.  Currently, I am working on a bachelor's degree through "accelerated distance learning".  I have some minor technology-related certifications.

Prior work experience:

• Farmhand
• Operated vending machine business
• Operated small online retail business
• IT technician

Forming the Idea:

This is a story that starts when I was much younger. In 1986, my parents chose to homeschool my older sister.  Eventually, God showed them that homeschooling is not primarily about academics, but is really a way of life.  They begin to see that if they were faithful to disciple their children, God would take care of the academics. My father began to think of ways he could determine my career interests. When I was around 12 years old, he started teaching me basics about computers and databases. I worked on some small, fun projects like building an Access database to track statistics for farm animals. He soon found that I was very interested in computer-related subjects.

 

Later, God started giving my dad the vision for preparing me to work in the Information Technology (IT) field. We talked about many ideas and options, among them were things like college at home and acquiring the knowledge and skills I needed through apprenticeship. At the time, my dad was working as the IT Director for a company in Muncie, IN called Gate City Steel, Inc. He approached his boss with the proposition that I come to the office with him and work one day each week. I would learn valuable skills and the company would benefit from my work. He further explained the vision he had to apprentice not just myself, but other young men as well. While I was not quite sure what to think, this was one of the defining moments in my life where the hand of God was discipling me through my father. My Dad's boss, surprisingly, gave an enthusiastic "ok", and thus started my first "on the job" learning opportunity. My dad started teaching me about the role modern IT professionals play in business. I spent most of my high school years learning about helpdesk support, server and network setup, application development with multiple programmers, and automating business/production line processes, to name a few. My dad was there guiding me as I faced upset coworkers/customers, and encountered "office politics" for the first time. It was a learning opportunity I would not replace with any other.

How you got started:

Working alongside my father gave me the core knowledge and experience necessary to be an IT worker for Gate City Steel, Inc. and other companies in the future. In December 2003, God opened the door for my father to purchase Telstar Communications, Inc., a small IT and telecommunications services company. After much prayer and thought, we both said goodbye to Gate City Steel, Inc. and moved into the IT and telecommunications services business where, by working together,our family has been able to continue the "Deuteronomy 6" vision that God gave my father.

What was it like in the beginning:

We had to learn quite a bit about the telecommunications business and all the government requirements for running a small business.

What stage the business is at now:

Telstar Communications, Inc. has roughly 500 customers with 2 full time employees and 7 part time employees/independent contractors (family members included). We are trying to figure out better ways to market our services for continued growth.

The biggest challenge you’ve faced:

Maintaining positive cash flow, effective marketing, and keeping up with technology changes.

Key steps that made the difference:

My Dad and family prayerfully considered the opportunity of purchasing Telstar, and made sure we diligently counted the cost (finances, family involvement, etc.), before making the decision.

Lessons Learned:

One of my Dad's favorite verses comes to mind: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105).  To truly appreciate this verse, you have to put it in its context.  In the time of David a lamp was something that gave off about enough light to see one step in front of you. As the Lord directs our steps and lights the path for the next step, He in turn is providing a “light unto my path.”  This is the way of life that our family has learned in part as home education and entrepreneurship. It is a life lived “one-step” at a time. God is continuing to reveal Himself to our family and to reveal His plan for my life.

The best advice you received:

“Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee" Exodus 20:12

What your work and family life was like before:

See Forming the Idea above.

What your work and family life is like now:

I'm currently employed at two companies. I have continued to work with my dad and the rest of the family at Telstar as a software developer and hardware technician. The second company I work for is both a retail and not-for-profit operation. I currently serve as Director of IT. My team is responsible for supporting every technology the company uses including: helpdesk support, servers, application development, web development, information security, communications, data storage and backups, etc. By working two part-time jobs, I have time for family activities and am currently pursuing further education.