Twenty years ago, I started The Palner Group, Inc. with the goal of providing technology consulting as a service. 2000 feels like a century ago (I’ve not thought about the millennium bug for some time now) and I’m using this anniversary to reflect on having this company for two decades.
The Palner Group, Inc. isn’t my first business. A few years earlier I had started a nutritional supplement sales company (Vitastorm) with a great friend of mine, Rick Pallisso.
I really didn’t know anything about business and Rick was awesome– an amazing business partner. With Vitastorm, I had written the online sales and CRM “system” (access db, but again… 90’s). Once the technical challenges were ironed out, I realized that the technical side was best suited for me and approached Rick with the idea of starting another business.
He was all on board and The Palner Group, Inc. was born (PALisso and PosNER = PALNER).
Within a year, we both went through some personal “growth” and as the business had only lost money (and Rick wasn’t really working with it) I “bought him out” and became a group of 1.
A few years later, when my dog Forrest died, I re-branded as Team Forrest for a bit. Over the last few years, I’ve let that fade away.
He spoke with tears of fifteen years how his dog and he traveled about. His dog up and died he up and died. After twenty years he still grieves. - Neil Diamond (Mr. Bojangles)
I kept my client list small, mostly working as a contract worker for a main client. In the first five years I moved away from Windows, and started a love affair with Linux and Open Source Software.
During my work with VoIP.com, I was introduced to openser and asterisk; and both software projects reignited my love of telephony. Of course, this isn’t a reflection of my love of Kamailio… for that there’s a separate post and video.
My first goals with Palner, was to obtain a client in the Fortune 500… and once that was achieved, I wanted one in the top 100. To complete that goal, I partnered with LOD Communications in 2007. Most of the work from Palner is now billed through LOD. It’s been a great partnership.
I’ve learned to keep setting goals… after a top 100, my goal was a Fortune 25 (once that was hit, I stopped Fortune goals).
My ultimate goal was to become part of the Kamailio management team, and that dream came true last December.
New goals are more project orientated.
I continue to learn, try to focus on making myself healthy, and most of all, do my best to maintain an extreme level of gratitude.
I’m incredibly lucky to have had a business for 20 years, and incredibly lucky to continue to work with clients that more times than not… become friends.
Thank you for everyone that helped me do this for the last 20 years.