By Elizabeth Cloutman

Photo by Monique Schoenfeld, Town Crier

Home is where the heart is - and the job, too

Business Profile

Steve Schmidt is able to run a $1.7 million global business, eJobShop, without ever leaving the comfort of his Los Altos Hills home. He has no sales force or marketing staff. He has never met or even conversed on the telephone with the more than 2,100 independent contractors who provide specialized Java code development for his customers.

“It’s (eJobShop) a virtual company I can run from home,” Schmidt said, “With the combination of the Internet and e-mail, I can communicate just as well with a guy in Moscow as I can with a guy in San Jose.”

Schmidt’s company provides Java programming and platform testing of pre-existing Java codes on a variety of browser, OS and hardware configurations for customers.

Java is a computer programming language used for a variety of applications from cell phones and microwave ovens to the background information on Web pages, Schmidt explained. For example, Java programs can extract information from the databases available on Web pages like Yahoo Maps or Amazon.com. and send it to the user.

Schmidt acts as a matchmaker between eJobShop’s customers and his program developers. Both locate him through his business Web site and communicate with him by e-mail. The customer provides Schmidt with programming specifications and within hours, he locates developers with corresponding programming skills, who offer bids for the job. Work begins only after both parties sign a contract. The developer sends Schmidt the completed program and coding via e-mail as a Java file, and he forwards it to the customer. Schmidt charges 10 percent to 20 percent of the bid price to make the arrangements.

Schmidt can vouch for his program developers’ technical and communication skills. Potential contractors must pass basic Java assessment tests. “I get an unbiased look at their technical skills,” he said. “There’s a very high correlation between their test scores and their performance.” Because business is conducted in English, developers must also have good written English skills. Schmidt will e-mail potential contractors “to check to see how quick they respond.” This helps him assess whether they’ll work well within an e-mail business environment, where rapid response is key.

Schmidt’s business idea essentially emerged three years ago out of frustration with his job at the time. His position as vice president of marketing for Microtech Systems required extensive traveling, which left too little time to spend with his wife and two young children. The Stanford-educated mechanical engineer decided to take 15 months off to enjoy his family and reassess his life.

He saw promise in conducting business through the Internet. After researching various possibilities, he developed eJobShop. Schmidt thinks he clearly made the right choice. His business grossed $1.7 million while his operating expenses were just $15,500 last year. Best of all, his office is just down the hall from his children’s bedrooms.

For more information, logon to: www.eJobShop.com.