Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Melchiorre.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
In high school, I started my own small business, and it evolved into something bigger. I seal coated blacktop driveways in high school and college. It was mainly repeat business because most people like to do that once a year. I did that for quite a few years, and then I started getting into residential outdoor decks and maintaining those. We would power wash the deck to clean it, then sealcoat it with wood protectant. In total, I dedicated 8 years to my businesses. I was fortunate to have great clients, including over 200 repeat clients.
I learned a lot. The actual work itself wasn’t anything mind blowing; it’s more what I learned about customer service. We have customer relationship management solutions now like Sage and Salesforce, but back then we didn’t have that technology. I did it the old-fashioned way with a Rolodex. I hand wrote all of the information: their names, addresses, and the price of the work. That taught me how to stay organized, provide good customer service, and manage myself well. It meant a lot to take care of my clients and know I was doing my job well.
I also gained marketing experience. I would create flyers, and I paid marketing agencies for placement in coupon books that would get distributed in the suburbs where I worked. I had business cards and shirts with my logo as well. Looking back on it, that whole experience was pretty cool. I had some clients who I worked with for 5 to 8 years. That’s how I got started as an entrepreneur.
Later, after I finished college, I started working for a company that sold Avaya telecom solutions. I established myself as a top performer and became part of the company’s president/s club. It was through telecom work that I met Kevin Rubin, our current president and COO. We launched Converged Communication Systems together in 2003 and then Stratosphere Networks in 2010.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
For the most part, we’ve been very fortunate and have experienced a lot of success. On the other hand, it hasn’t always been a smooth road. Looking at the big picture, we’ve grown every year, but there have always been challenges along the way. During that first year after we launched, we weren’t really sure if it was going to work out. I had a backup plan to go back to my deck business, but there was that uncertainty for a while when I didn’t know if I was going to be able to make enough money to pay my bills.
Another challenging time was when the company started growing faster and adding more employees. I felt stressed and anxious. There were quite a few years when I was waking up at 3 in the morning – not because I wanted to but as a result of anxiety and stress – and getting to work by 3:45 a.m. It was good that we were growing, of course, but it was also difficult because we didn’t have a whole management team in place yet. It was all on Kevin and me. There were 5 years of just crazy, sleepless nights and feeling overwhelmed by the workload.
So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Stratosphere Networks story. Tell us more about the business.
We strive to be the technology partner that everyone – including current and prospective clients and employees – wants to work with. Our team delivers comprehensive IT managed services: Backup and disaster recovery, cloud consulting, managed cybersecurity, proactive network monitoring, remote and on-site support, and more.
We mostly serve small and medium businesses in the Chicagoland area that recognize that partnering with us is a much better solution in terms of value and cost than an in-house IT team. What sets us apart and what we’re proud of is that we’re one of the only IT service providers out there with a fully staffed network operations center, or NOC, based in the Chicago area.
Some clients who have toured our NOC compare it to NASA’s Mission Control Center. Not too many people are aware that they have an IT managed service provider with that kind of resource right in their backyard.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
We’ve mostly had good luck. This is a great industry to be in. That, in combination with the good fortune of some of our key staff members and great clients, has helped us grow and succeed.
Additionally, Chicago is an awesome market to do business in. There’s a ton of demand for Chicago IT support. While it’s a big city, it feels almost small in some ways. We’ve found that a lot of people know each other, and it’s a great place to build a solid network. Our team has established lots of connections and successfully spread brand awareness for our company. Referrals have become a huge part of our business, since so many people are connected and pass along recommendations to others who need IT services. In cities like Los Angeles and New York, it would take longer for us to get to this point and build a network this strong.
Contact Info:
- Address: Steve Melchiorre
- Website: www.stratospherenetworks.com
- Phone: 877-599-3999
- Email: sales@stratospherenetworks.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/stratospherenetworks
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StratosphereNetworksMSP
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/stratospherenet
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/stratosphere-networks-evanston-2
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stratosphere-networks-llc
Image Credit:
The photo with computer screens: Taken by Jimmy Tan Photography
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