Great Companies: How did you get your idea or concept for the business?
Semegne A. Tafesse: I worked at Teknion Furniture Systems, preparing office furniture catalogue data for two software companies. While working at Teknion, I studied Computer Science at the nearby university part-time. My background in Architecture, Computer Science and furniture product data gave me a new perspective to build a business model to deliver furniture data on the cloud and integrate it into ERP applications and CAD applications. This integration helps me to bring better services to the office furniture. The integration of configuring a product with CAD and ERP applications on the cloud-computing can work in any industry.
Great Companies: What are the various services provided by BiSemA Corporation
Semegne A. Tafesse:
Building an eCommerce site from the catalogue
Create space layout using AutoCAD, Revit and other CAD applications
Rendering
Augmented Reality
Configure to Order
Sales Quote
Export SIF
Generate Sales Order
Great Companies: What makes BiSemA Corporation different from hundreds of other similar service providers?
Semegne A. Tafesse:
There are no hundred companies for this type of SaaS service.
Currently, only two software companies exist in the office furniture industry.
These two companies are distributing data on DVDs and downloads.
The BiSemA SaaS services are like Netflix VIS to Blockbuster in the movies industry
There are more than ten better services that office furniture dealers will get by using BiSemA specification services
Great Companies: What were the struggles and challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?
Semegne A. Tafesse: Manufacturing companies are very interested in my new delivering office furniture data on the cloud. My main challenge is that my company is small compared to the furniture companies.
The other challenge is getting the office furniture catalogue data in XML and dwg. Getting these catalogues from a manufacturing company needs networking, and I am working on building a better network.
I need funds to hire a sales executive to send to manufacturing companies to introduce my eCommerce solution.
Great Companies: How do you plan to grow in the future? What does 5 years down the line look like for BiSemA Corporation?
Semegne A. Tafesse:
1) Partnering with ERP companies by integrating their application using API to my specification. This will make my solution stronger
2) Partnering with Investors to hire sales executives and send them to furniture manufacturing companies to get the product catalogue
3) Partnering with software companies to use their eCommerce ecosystem platform to distribute the BiSemA solution throughout the world
4) Reach the other manufacturing industry like a car, big machinery, and plane as the SaaS solution integrates specification + CAD + ERP on the cloud. There is no such solution on the market
Great Companies: If you had one piece of advice for someone just starting, what would it be?
Semegne A. Tafesse: Use discouragement, failure, and disappointment as driving forces, motivate yourself, and move forward, as they are freely available on your daily journey.
In that case, nothing stops you from accomplishing your goal.
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