About the Company

Dusseau and Company is a product development firm founded by Mark Dusseau, which focuses on helping diverse and underrepresented founders succeed. The company takes a scientific approach to product development, beginning with research and ideation. They specialize in building cloud-based applications using platforms like AWS and Google Cloud, and they aim to provide founders with modern, user-friendly prototypes. The company has worked with clients such as Chevron, J.P. Morgan Chase, and the University of Washington, showcasing its strong industry presence.

One of the company’s primary goals is to empower underdogs—people with big ideas but limited resources. By providing access to high-quality development and strategy services, Dusseau and Company helps these founders create disruptive technology. Their work often extends beyond technical support, providing mentorship and fostering long-term relationships with clients, contributing to the success of minority-owned businesses.

Their proudest accomplishments include aiding diverse founders in securing funding and achieving impressive valuations for their businesses. Dusseau and Company is committed to inclusivity, working with clients who are diverse in thought, culture, and identity, contributing to their mission to democratize access to technology and innovation.

Idea Behind Company

Mark Dusseau’s inspiration for the company stems from both his personal and professional background. Having grown up in foster care, he developed a strong sense of empathy and a desire to help others, particularly those from underserved communities. These experiences shaped his approach to entrepreneurship, instilling in him a passion for helping people who face challenges in navigating the business world. His early life inspired him to create a company that embodies empathy and service.

Professionally, Dusseau’s experience as a data scientist working with technology consulting firms also played a pivotal role in shaping his vision for Dusseau and Company. In 2017, he joined a state advisory board to help minority-owned businesses win state contracts. This position exposed him to the challenges many small businesses face in leveraging technology to compete in their industries. The lack of access to affordable, expert engineers motivated him to start his own firm, focused on offering affordable yet high-quality development services to small businesses.

Mark’s vision was to bring both art and science into product development. He wanted to assist small businesses in realizing their potential by offering expertise they couldn’t afford elsewhere. His goal was not to dominate the market but to empower diverse founders to build the future they envisioned.

Creating the Company

The company’s first project came through a referral, where Dusseau and his team helped build a life-coaching app for a professor. The app required complex features such as real-time communication and payment functionalities, and the team charged $10K for the initial ideation phase. The project, despite challenges, provided essential learning experiences for the fledgling company, especially regarding how to structure pricing, staffing, and product development processes.

Their process involved deep market research, customer interviews, and creating detailed prototypes before moving into development. They used tools like Sketch for prototyping and held collaborative working sessions to ensure the final product met the client’s vision. After completing the ideation and prototyping phases, the company moved to development, charging $130 an hour for the work.

By breaking the project into phases and maintaining transparency with the client, Dusseau and Company was able to successfully deliver the minimum viable product (MVP) in just two months. This project laid the foundation for the company’s approach to future projects, helping diverse founders bring their ideas to life while staying budget-conscious.

Launching the Business

Launching Dusseau and Company was a stressful but rewarding experience for Dusseau. He created a business plan in 2017 but realized quickly that the market was saturated. His focus, however, remained on helping diverse founders rather than dominating the industry. He left a six-figure job and used $20K of personal savings to bootstrap the business, a decision he made after purchasing a home to mitigate financial risks.

Dusseau built a simple website using WordPress, created capability statements, and began networking within his circle. He also experimented with various lead generation platforms like UpWork and Google Ads, but ultimately found that referrals were the most effective way to acquire clients. In the early days, he mimicked a corporate structure, which led to unnecessary expenses. Over time, however, Dusseau streamlined the business, focusing on lean processes and high-quality service delivery.

The personal brand Dusseau had cultivated during his corporate career was instrumental in getting his first few clients. He learned valuable lessons from the launch, including the importance of not over-investing in things like business cards and expensive marketing, but rather focusing on building a strong service offering and client relationships.

Earnings
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Today, Dusseau and Company generates approximately $420K in annual revenue, with clients spending an average of $150K per year. They work primarily with long-term cash/equity clients, and their business is profitable. In 2021, the company earned nearly half a million dollars in revenue and is projected to grow by 20% in 2022. This steady growth has allowed Dusseau and his team to reinvest in the business, focusing on expanding their offerings and improving internal tools.

Looking to the future, Dusseau and Company plans to explore opportunities in the government sector while continuing to develop in-house tools for exclusive use by their clients. The company operates with a strong emphasis on efficiency, with clearly defined goals and processes that are constantly reevaluated to ensure alignment with their mission.