Case Study: Philip Drown Companies

Case Study: Philip Drown Companies

By Jongeun Rhee

Philip Drown Companies
http://www.pdcos.com
7 Brook Street

Morris, Minnesota 56267
Office: (320) 585-5104
Fax: (320) 585-5160
Philip D. Drown II, President, philip@pdcos.com

Philip Drown, a former US Marine, started business in 1999 by doing two small professional writing assignments for the "Prairie Renaissance Project" (PRP): a local community development initiative. After he wrote these reports, the initiative members appreciated his work and developed a relationship with PDC. This high appreciation from the initiative led him to a larger contract doing project management for the PRP over the following three years. In 2003, the Drowns opened an office together on Main Street and expanded into new business opportunities with a focus on community development. To the question of motive of starting a business, Philip Drown notes “I believe every job requires the same character traits to do it well: conscientiousness, commitment to excellence, interest in the needs of the client, and willingness to work hard.”

PDC offers services in project management, program evaluation, grant proposals, grant reporting, and business planning. One of Philip Drown’s areas of business expertise is writing for grant projects. This includes searching for appropriate grants, getting the grants and managing projects. These tasks are difficult and require long-term commitment. However, he has successfully completed each project with his tenacity and integrity.

Through the Prairie Renaissance Project, Mr. Drown worked on many projects, such as one that involved acquiring a grant from the Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning (MNDCFL) for Service-Learning. He also worked on a project that led to high-speed Internet access at a local Senior Citizens Center and is currently working on a proposal to the National Civic League (NCL) for the City of Morris to enter the “2004 All-America City Award” competition.

The way that Philip Drown approaches every project is to be deeply involved with clients whether the organization is for profit or nonprofit. Philip Drown meets and listens to his clients and takes note of their ideas. He thereby identifies the nature of his clients’ business, what they want and where they want to go. It is very important for him to understand his clients’ ideas because often times they are not sure how to reach their goal. Once Mr. Drown understands his clients’ ideas, he gathers information to understand the background and value of the projects. The need that the proposal is addressing must be well-articulated in the proposal. This is because grantors want to know that a project reinforces the overall direction of an organization and they may need to be convinced that the case for the project is compelling. Then, Philip Drown formulates his plan and works with his clients.

Philip Drown also needs to make a detailed long-term plan of managing projects in a timely manner as well as presenting a financing plan that pins down all the expenses associated with the project. Throughout the process, he helps clients take their projects to completion regardless of their impediments and ensures that the end results are what the clients had in mind.

According to “marketingsherpa.com” the small consulting business is one of the fastest growing segments in the market. PDC has many positive factors that help it compete with other small and large consulting companies. Writing is a very demanding and subtle skill. Philip Drown has a special gift in writing: “My writing and communication abilities are unique, according to those that have contracted me. I make sure my work is not only clear and creative, but in the spirit of the project, reflecting the client’s own voice and personality.”

Based on testimonials, PDC’s success is not only due to Drown’s writing but also to his deep commitment to his clients’ business. PDC’s clients value his work ethic, integrity, tenacity, patience, and his ability to be a careful listener. Philip Drown checks back regularly with his clients and uses their feedback thoughout the projects. His work is always far above the clients’ expectations. “People sense that I am genuinely interested in their purposes and I will go far and beyond in order to make sure their interests are met. People respond to that and tell me that they don’t always see that from many other consultants that they worked with.” His commitment of clients’ satisfaction differentiates PDC from others comparing to research findings; Kennedy Information Research Group (KIRG) reports that only 4% of clients claim to be very satisfied with their consulting experience.

PDC has encountered some challenges. Most small businesses are faced with their own set of marketing and financing difficulties, which require a different approach to that of larger companies. For PDC, its rural location sometimes presents difficulties to managing a consulting business. PDC attempts to reach broader markets but it is difficult to be in a rural area without advertising. The biggest challenge for doing business is the learning curve. Philip Drown usually gains new knowledge from books and the Internet. He is willing to learn more about technology and management to expand his business. Drown is also interested in taking classes over the Internet that relate to certain software. Many researches have reported difficulties in small business, PDC also has some difficulties due to lack of marketing and finance. Although PDC has met some challenges they have developed expertise by utilizing technologies.

The Internet is a new opportunity for most businesses to improve their effectiveness in costs and time. Small companies in particular can benefit from the reach and flexibility the Internet brings to their business activities. PDC also takes advantage of this new technology for its business. The Drowns understand the Internet and their own website’s potential to facilitate their operation and to expand markets. The Drowns use the Internet for information gathering, communication with clients, education, acquisition, and promotion. Philip Drown said, “I mainly use it (the Internet) for research and communications. I use it to gather information and data, communicate with clients, and present the basics of my business on the Web.”

From the start, PDC has used the Internet for its business tools. The Internet is the most effective tool for Philip Drown’s business process of searching information and grants. To understand clients and the background and value of projects, Philip Drown researches background data using the Internet. “I use it (the Internet) to understand my clients better. If they have a website, I can go to their website, and understand them better. I use it to search out and understand at a state-wide level different granting organizations.” Although PDC is in a rural location, the Internet enables them to reach greater sources of information without boundaries.

For PDC, email frequently replaces phone and fax as the main form of client communication and document delivery. Email is also a cost and time effective means for sending messages to clients, keeping them informed, transmitting drafts of writings and exchanging important information. “It (Email) is often better than phone conversations because e-mail enables me to clearly articulate my thoughts to the client and gives the client the opportunity to process his/her answers before responding. Further, it allows me to pass along documents for review and expedites the process of projects.” The Internet allows the Drowns to serve clients across greater distances, therefore working closely with them and staying in constant communication.

Rural location inhibits Drown’s from continuing learning opportunities. However, he efficiently uses the Internet for gaining new knowledge of technology as well as management. “The Internet is probably my greatest educational tool,” he notes. He has been constantly learning new concepts and exploring new frontiers in business by using the Internet. The Internet allows him to access the experience and expertise of others and to learn from their experiences from various fields.

In the rural setting, few sources are available for office supplies and technological support. However, PDC simply solved this unavailability by purchasing office supplies and communicating with technical support via the Internet. “Quite a lot of suppliers are on the Internet and ship directly. And I also communicate with technical support for different pieces of equipment that I have here in my office.” he said.

Considering the nature of his business, consulting and writing, Philip Drown uses his website as a brochure. He believes that having a website is very important for small businesses as well as non-profit organizations. Philip Drown has actually suggested that his clients have their own website. The most important benefit of a web presence is that the website makes it possible to access his business from anywhere. The Drowns also do not have to mail pamphlets to give potential clients information about PDC; he just gives them his website address. Most potential clients want to know about him before they start to work with. “If I hand my card to somebody, I always point out the website”.

The PDC website, which Philip Drown created himself with software and “how-to” books, is simple, clear and intentionally not flashy. The website has a clear description of exactly what kind of services PDC provides. The website is direct and concise--consistent with company’s goals. The mission statement and testimonials, which reinforce PDC’s business characteristics, are very specific in describing what sets PDC apart from similar consulting and writing companies. Those good referrals from clients are also the major asset of PDC. Considering the nature of consulting business, he believes that the website needs little updating. “I tried to make it simple. The nature of my business isn’t flashy, so I just laid out the basics of what I wanted to communicate. My website is minimal and does not require much updating”.

Philip Drown believes the website will produce more profits in the future, even though the website has had little effect on creating new clients so far. As his business is expanding he is willing to invest more in his website such as advertising on the “Google” search portal. Philip Drown views the potential of the website: “I am a very new business – only a little more than three years old. We have slowly had an increase in clients. I think the website will have more value over the next 5 years.”

Finally, Philip Drown has taken the biggest recommendation to small businesses in terms of using the Internet as a business tool: it is high-speed broadband. He had high-speed access installed in April of this year. Philip Drown always needs to communicate with his clients such as sending and receiving large documents over email. Philip Drown was able to utilize broadband and the Internet to shorten the execution time of web searches and communications, thereby increasing productivity. Since high-speed broadband enables simultaneous Internet access through several terminals within the company, it is very effective in PDC. The process of electronic communications and purchase orders is expedited through the Internet, especially considering his rural location. The saving in time is considerable compared to dial-up access. It provides a faster and more reliable connection with internal as well as external business management. “So it makes it more efficient. Some things that I sent out to clients using dial-up might take 10 or 15 minutes to get out of my email account or not at all.”

Philip Drown Companies has been a successful business due to his writing ability and good sense of how the project fits into his clients, businesses. However, his excellence on work alone does not explain PDC’s success. His deep commitment to his clients’ businesses is also a major factor. Due to his excellent completion of work for clients, PDC has gained a positive word of mouth reputation, which is a valuable asset in expanding his business.

In Philip Drown Companies, the Internet has been used for information research, communication with clients, education, purchasing orders, and internal sharing of information using a network. Philip Drown also understands the Internet’s potential including how the Internet can assist him in his business operations and how the website can promote his business. This use of technology enables PDC to overcome challenges caused by lack of finances and the company’s rural location.

As PDC grows, it will also reach broader markets than the Morris, Minnesota area. As the company’s mission indicates, Philip Drown Companies will continue to provide service to guarantee the complete satisfaction of its clients.