Business Magazine | BABM | Coverstory lMr. Harper Attains Wealth Through Years of Entrepreneurship

When it comes to Internet marketing that creates round-the-clock sales opportunities, Bill Harper is fluent in the language of organic search results and optimized content. He understands the importance of keeping your website original and up-to-date so that search engines consider your content relevant. This allows your potential clients to find you at the top of their search, in front of your competitors, at the exact moment they need your products or services.

As an owner and CEO of Socius Marketing, one of the fastest-growing Internet marketing companies, it is safe to say that Bill Harper has his finger on the pulse of what makes or breaks a high-tech business in this 21st century landscape. [Disclosure: Socius handles Internet marketing for BABM.]

With widely diversified business interests, he can switch gears at the drop of a hat and talk about the handful of other companies he’s involved with and what makes them successful. Some of these include: natural health supplements (Växa International), real estate for six large apartment communities (Rath/Harper and Associates), industrial shelving (Ace Industrial Equipment), a new venture in longer-lasting brakes and rotors (Power Brake), and staff leasing services (Professional Employer Plans).

What Makes An Entrepreneur?

In Bill’s case, working for large corporations after serving in the U.S. Air Force made it clear: “When I saw executives put their lives into a business and then get booted out, or forced into early retirement, I knew I didn’t want to put my future in the hands of other people.”

Over the years, Bill has learned that it’s all about hard work and never giving up. He has seen too many people work and work some more, get tired, and give up too quickly. “I see business people discussing their ideas to death but they never take the initiative. I’ve noticed that people try to plan for problems they foresee without realizing that these obstacles will change before they reach that point.” With strong perseverance, Bill’s determination has paid off, and the end results have always been good.

Laying The Groundwork

Upon entering the military in the 1960’s, Bill’s aptitude test results led him to the computer technology division in the Air Force. Afterward, he secured a job selling computers with Sperry Rand.

Bill remembers when the administrative department of a local community college bought a new computer: The machinery was so cumbersome that the roof had to be removed so the computer could be deposited inside by crane. Over time, he witnessed the evolution of technology: “I saw the size of computers start to diminish while memory storage went up in capacity.”

Working for Sperry meant that his territory included a vast stretch of Florida - everything between Naples and Pensacola – and put him in touch with many successful entrepreneurs. Because of this, Bill had the opportunity to observe how other successful entrepreneurs ran their businesses.

Bill absorbed all the knowledge he could: “I get excited about seeing what’s under every rock. I learned how those companies made their profits, and I knew that one day I’d have a business of my own.”

After fifteen years with Sperry, Bill decided that it was time to move forward: “I wanted to call my own shots.”

Betcha Can’t Start Just One

Bill Harper’s no upstart with a case of entrepreneurial ADD. This enterprising dynamo is a 73-year-old lion in the Tampa business community with more than three decades of experience building, developing and selling companies. Case in point: In 1976, Bill started Associated Building Services, a professional custodial company that serviced commercial buildings. It expanded to over 500 employees before it was sold in 1983.

Harper and his partners then started Staff Management Systems, one of the nation’s first employee leasing companies. The professional employer organization, or PEO, grew to service over $250 million in annual payroll and was acquired by ADP, a Fortune 500 company, in 1997.

With the help of Bill’s son and a close business associate, they built yet another PEO company. Within seven years, Professional Employer Plans was servicing well over $300 million in annual payroll and was successfully sold in 2007 to Oasis Outsourcing Holdings, Inc., the nation’s largest privately-held PEO.

A Lesson Worth Sharing

“I’ll never forget the occasion when we lost a very important customer,” Bill said about tackling challenges that inevitably plague every business owner.

“My operations manager was upset that a client wanted to go with someone else [for staff leasing services]. He didn’t want to help the client make a smooth transition — and all of those human resource details can be confusing. Losing this client was going to hurt our bottom line. I sat in my office for a while, trying to figure out how to handle it.”

Bill’s Conclusion:
- This customer didn’t sign up for a lifetime with our company.
- We made profits off this customer for the three years they were with us.
- If we do a good job during their transition, maybe they’ll come back to us one day.

Then he and his operations manager paid a visit to the president of the company that they were losing. Bill described their meeting: “We thanked him for his business these last few years and I assured him that we’d do everything we could to make it an easy transition.”

The president didn’t know what to say. They still parted ways, but within six months the company called upon SMS again, saying, “We made a mistake. We need your help.”

For Bill, it’s simple: Provide a good service, be honest, and follow up. The philosophy of performing well because your customers trust and believe in your services is crucial. “If you don’t carry out your promises, then you set yourself up to have dissatisfied customers and potentially lose their business. A lackadaisical company can’t solve anyone’s problems.”

Building Relationships Builds Business

Since Bill’s favorite marketing strategy is based on relationship building, he prefers scouting out new opportunities that lean toward a residual angle. “Some companies sell products to clients and then never see them again,” he said. “You want to market your services and products so you build long-term relationships with your customers.”

That’s one reason he’s chairman and CEO of Växa International, specializing in homeopathic and herbal health formulas. He heard about a troubled supplement company and did some homework. He decided that there was room for him to jump into the $30 billion nutritional industry, especially as health care attitudes in the United States were shifting more toward holistic wellness and preventative medicine.

“If people like the product, they reorder,” he said. Through online sales and supplying thousands of “mom and pop” retail supplement stores nationwide, Växa continues to deliver the goods.

He’s a big fan of Växa himself, with a drawer full of remedies within arm’s reach: “I’m as healthy as a horse.” He mentioned having recently played 36 holes of golf — walking all the way — on Jack Nicklaus’ Muirfield Village course. He attributes his stamina in part to his interest in holistic wellness habits.

Not In This Alone

Bill emphasizes that his many business partners, employees, family members, and community connections have helped him become the successful leader he is today: “You don’t make yourself - people make you.”

In Bill’s office, empathy is everything. “I treat my employees the way I’d want to be treated,” he said. “I’m sympathetic to tough situations, and I know my employees will remember my extra effort when theirextra effort is needed.”

And when it comes to community, Bill’s philosophy remains the same. He spends considerable time and resources giving back to charitable causes, largely through golf tournaments and his involvement with key organizations such as Rotary. “We started Rotary’s Camp Florida Golf Tournament fifteen years ago,” he said of the fundraiser, which supports an 18-acre camp in Brandon that provides a fun break for sick children and their families.

Additionally, Bill is one of the founding members and sponsors of the Skanska Moffitt Classic. The Tenth Annual Tournament will tee off this September, and proceeds will benefit cancer research at H. Lee Moffit Cancer Center & Research Institute.

As a 32nd degree Mason, Bill also contributes to other humanitarian causes dear to his heart. These include charitable resources funded by the Masonic Lodges that financially cover all the expenses of families admitted into burn clinics and hospitals for crippled children.

Going Full Circle

From witnessing the birth of the computer age during his early days in the Air Force, to his current interest in Internet marketing, Bill’s experience makes him a well-rounded entrepreneur.

His perennially savvy business instincts picked up on Chris Behan, who once handled Internet marketing for Växa. Bill recognized the value in the search engine marketing that Chris successfully performed for the supplement company. He encouraged Chris to do some research — are there any other companies out there specializing in this strategy? Is there an opportunity for us to market it?

There was — and they did. By focusing on obtaining organic search listings over other approaches like pay-per-click marketing, Chris developed a unique method to optimize websites and gain a strong Web presence. Together, with additional partners, Bill and Chris created Socius Marketing.

They started working with smaller businesses, and today they’re approaching 250 clients, which include some of the most prestigious companies in the Southeast. Bill believes that Socius may have more potential than anything else he has ever been involved with.

In the world of Bill Harper, there’s never a dull moment: “I love to come to work. There’s always some excitement, something happens every day. Nothing gives me a greater thrill than selling my services to new customers, seeing the businesses succeed, and keeping my employees happy.”