By the time he was 12, he started to
notice a gap in the information technology market that he thought he
could fill. So he incorporated a business. His first customers were
family and friends who needed Web sites and basic computing solutions.
"That really started propelling the
company," Shazad said.
As word got out about a teen running a
computer company, Shazad's business was mentioned in technical business
journals as well as a Dallas Morning News article about teens who
founded computer firms. There also were interviews on radio and
television, including on MTV.
That did it
"After that, things started taking off,"
Shazad said. "We got some press coverage, and that brought in a lot of
new business and allowed us to expand our opportunities."
He soon realized he needed more time to
guide his company, so Shazad withdrew from Hebron High School, signed
up for a correspondence high school program through Texas Tech and
hired a private tutor.
The company has little overhead. There
are no offices or warehouses. His employees telecommute.
"We heavily utilize collaboration
software and a lot of our own solutions," Shazad said. "It allows us to
work very efficiently, remotely."
When the dot-com bust was followed by
Sept. 11, everyone was affected, Shazad said. But with little overhead,
it's easier to make adjustments and retain profitability, he added.
"We're able to manage costs very
effectively," he said. "That's something a lot of dot-com companies
weren't able to do and didn't do."
GlobalTek employs 16 full-time and
contract employees. At any given time, Shazad said, the firm is
handling five or six clients.
I wish I had that problem
Finding a way to handle more business is
a problem that other firms in this field wish they had. Darren Blanton,
general partner in venture capital fund Vortex Partners, said the
market for companies like GlobalTek is extremely competitive, and many
are desperate for customers.
"It's an uphill battle to sell anything
right now, even if you're a major corporation," Blanton said. "It is
absolutely the most nonconducive environment for start-ups that has
ever been."
But for Amin Jiwani, a partner in
TouchWorld Telecom Group, the competition didn't measure up when he was
seeking a firm to design his merchandise Web site.
"There were three companies, and Shazad
was one of them," Jiwani said. "He delivered our first Web site, and it
was so satisfactory that we gave him another one."
Jiwani said Shazad's age was never a
factor.
"On the phone, you can never imagine that
you are dealing with a 15-year-old," he said. "He is very mature."
Shazad is anticipating more earnings.
"Last year, we had between five and six
figures of revenue," he said. "This year we've continued to accelerate
our contracting, so we should have seven figures."
