Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Bratton.
Alex, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always had a mixed interest in technology and business. My deep software passion emerged when I started programming at age 10. My dad, an engineer, brought home one of the first computers (an Apple II) and I was hooked. At the age of 14, I started my first business dong technology consulting for my high school.
I was also fortunate to join Junior Achievement in High School, in which we started a company and ran it with mentors from the business community. At the University of Illinois, I studied computer engineering. This mix of study, along with my active leadership in the Association for Computing Machinery, was the perfect mix to satisfy my interest in seeing technology applied in more meaningful ways.
Early in my career, I worked at a software consulting company and eventually created their web/ eBusiness practice from the ground up. Outside of that experience, I’ve been a serial entrepreneur. I’ve founded 12 companies to date — some have been very successful, while others have been great learning experiences of what not to do. I founded Lextech, for which I’m the CEO & Chief Geek today, 17 years ago.
In thinking about how I got to where I am today, I have to mention the amazing support network I’ve had. The most important being my wife, Michelle. Aside from the emotional support in each of my ventures, she served as the head of Lextech’s HR and accounting for the first 8 years we were in business.
Another vital network has been other business leaders. I’ve been a very active member in Vistage in the past, and today participate in YPO. Each of these have shaped the future of my businesses.
Has it been a smooth road?
Every day brings a new challenge, some painful and some wonderful. I’ve survived failed businesses, partners wanting to head in different directions, economic downturns, technology implosions, and financial crises.
One story stands out in particular. I ran a company whose primary customers were the .coms. When the .com crash hit, the company wasn’t nimble enough to adapt to new market realities. We weren’t set up to rapidly change with the marketplace. That’s something I took to heart and learned from.
My current business, Lextech, has pivoted our focus dramatically 5 times over 17 years.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Lextech story. Tell us more about the business.
Lextech helps the enterprise create mobile app ecosystems and employee experiences that empower employees to do their jobs better. This results in significant, measurable business results for those companies. We do this by providing mobile strategy consulting, app design, and development services.
I’m most proud that as a small business from the Midwest, we are changing the world for the megacorps. I’m proud of the impact we have on large brands that are household names. We help our clients realize they have to do something different than just handing a tool to someone. They have to improve the experience. The work we do empowers and energizes an organization’s internal employees.
Today we’re working across many verticals, with a special focus on major retailers, airlines, and pharma. What sets Lextech apart? It’s our proven, strategic process. We think, then act, so clients can be confident they will get results.
Where do you see your industry going over the next 5-10 years? Any big shifts, changes, trends, etc?
Over the next 5 years, I think we’ll see shifts to focus on the strategic value of technology vs. being so laser-focused on the technology itself. “Mobile” will disappear from our vocabulary because everything will be mobile, making saying it redundant. Apps will find their ways from our phones to our watches to our homes to our cars — such that every device will be an app platform.
I’ve started seeing some organizations wake up to the fact all their apps and tools have to work together with a common experience. In a few years, I think it will be the norm for companies to have an ecosystem of solutions that focus on the customer or employee.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1165 N. Clark Street Suite 700 Chicago, Illinois
- Website: https://lextech.com/
- Email: Alexb@lextech.com
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexbratton
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexbratton/
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