In 2004, Thomas Brenneke started his entrepreneurial journey, straight out of college. His company, Portland-based Network Redux (@networkredux) is a Web Hosting and data service provider that develops, deploys and manages Web Hosting environments for Internet projects both large and small.
What is now a large company, hosting websites for 1,300 clients in 40 countries, started out as a truly self-funded, bootstrapped dream. Since the launch, Thomas has worked with Dell for products and services and has grown his company through the most financially trying years by leveraging the expertise and guidance of the Dell Financial Service (DFS) team.
“I started this company with my own money and have invested a lot of time and hard work into this, the whole team has,” Thomas said. “I never wanted to explore outside funding as I wanted to maintain control over what we’ve built.”
It was for this reason that Thomas had to work a little harder to find trusted partners that would provide him with the resources he needed to grow during a time when banks were unwilling to loan money.
Dell Financial Services worked with Thomas from the beginning, not only to provide him better financing and the means to buy what he needed to keep growing, but also by playing the role of a financial advisor.
“Dell was our extended CFO. We would not be here today had it not been for Dell Financial Services looking at our P&L and balance sheets, coaching us on customers contracts, and telling us what they needed to see from us to confirm our financial health,” said Thomas.
When the Dell Innovators Credit Fund launched on June 7, Dell’s level of commitment to Thomas and his team increased even more as he was selected to be one of Dell’s first Founders Club members. As a result, Thomas now receives the same level of concierge support in other areas of his business in addition to finances.
“The Founders Club puts our small business on the same level as a much larger company,” Thomas said. “As we grow with Dell, our customer base is also growing and the opportunities increase.”
Here’s to celebrating entrepreneurs today, and every day, and looking forward to Dell’s continued commitment to entrepreneurial success for years to come.
