John Rubin is a good son. Seven years ago he was a management consultant working out of Ann Arbor while his mother ran an independent bookstore in Chicago. Rubin regularly advised her on how to modernize her 30-year-old business.
It wasn't long, however, before Rubin realized that a number of other small bookstores needed similar advice on how to take advantage of new technologies, such as online sales. The CFL went off over his head and he started Above the Tree Line.
"They were all out there all alone and you can use technology to link them together," Rubin says.
The idea is to give the broad range of independent booksellers and other retailers the same economies of scale as major chains. Above the Tree Line's software helps these little firms streamline their inventory and create other efficiencies.
People didn’t beat down Rubin's door at first. He spent his first four years as the company's sole employee. But recently business at the Ann Arbor-based firm is really starting to take off. Revenue has doubled in the last year and the company added Borders as a client 18 months ago. This led Above the Tree Line to hire five people in the last two years, so it now employs eight people and one intern.
"It's been an incremental spreading of the word, expanding the customer base and the services we offer," Rubin says.
Above the Tree Line expects to grow its revenue 100 percent annually for the next two years. If it hits those goals, they anticipate adding another 5-6 people. Can't wait to join them? Right now, they're looking for 1-2 new program developers.
Source: John Rubin, president and CEO of Above the Tree Line
Writer: Jon Zemke
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