When Deland Jessop joined the Toronto Police Service, it was difficult to become an officer because there were no Canadian application and testing materials on the market that would allow him to prepare for the exam.
By 2001, Mr. Jessop had left the force and was pursuing an MBA at the University of Western Ontario's Richard Ivey School of Business.
Sensing a business opportunity, Mr. Jessop drew on his policing experience and joined two classmates in developing the first Canadian website that would offer application and testing materials to prospective RCMP and Ontario police officers (policeprep.com).
Sales were slow at first, but through persistence and after dozens of rejections, Police Prep finally landed a major client, Conestoga College in Kitchener, Ont., in 2003. That deal led to many others, and today, Police Prep's revenue exceeds $1-million and the company has signed on 20 colleges in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Today, Mr. Jessop joins us live to discuss his company's breakthrough.
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Dianne Nice: Hi Deland. Thank you for joining us today to talk about your company, Police Prep, and how you closed your first deal with Conestoga College. How long were you with the Toronto Police Service and what made you decide to leave to pursue an MBA?
Deland Jessop: Hey Dianne, thanks for having me. I was with the Toronto Police Service for four years. I loved the job and worked with some great people. I don't know what made me apply to the MBA program, but when I was accepted at Ivey, I figured it was far too good of an opportunity to turn down. There are a number of things in life that I always wanted to do including policing, business, teaching and politics. You only live once and why not do it all? FYI, I completed teachers college recently, so I'll probably be teaching some day soon and after that I might have to run for office somewhere.
Ray D Eight from Toronto writes: This is a very interesting article and quite informative. It goes to show just how pervasive and equally beneficial web-based technologies have become when implemented to all sorts of businesses. And how critical online tools have become for entrepreneurs. Cool.
Deland Jessop: Ray, thanks for the comment. I think there is a lot of opportunity out there for individuals looking to start businesses on the Web. My advice would be to find some green space and plant a flag. Target an area that no one is servicing and try and own that area. Eventually you will get copycats coming in and trying to mimic you, but if you are established, provide a great service, you will have a good head start on the others.
Dianne Nice: Deland, you suffered many rejections before your company landed its first big deal. How did you stay positive?
Deland Jessop: It isn't easy, especially when your plans aren't working out according to your predictions. We knew we had a really good product, and had great feedback from our users, so we were confident. I think what helped the most was the fact that the three of us (Adam, Kalpesh and myself) got along so well and were a moral support group to each other. Be very careful about the business partners you choose, as you have to trust them completely and work well with them. I guess the three of us got really lucky finding each other.
Dianne Nice: What did you learn from those first rejections? Did they help you tailor your sales pitch?
Deland Jessop: We learned a lot from our meetings that we had. The instructors we met at the colleges helped guide our product development as we were pitching to them. We would always walk away with some suggestions for improvement after we demonstrated the product. The advice and updates continue to this day. Conestoga College was the first school we got on board with, and they demanded a very high standard for the program we helped develop with them. It felt almost intimidating meeting their expectations, but during the process we developed a very strong relationship with some of the instructors and with their help created a program that simply didn't exist before. This made future colleges more confident with us as a partner.
JC in Toronto asks: Can you tell us a bit more about your dealings with Conestoga College? How much negotiating was required on your part, and how did you finally close the deal?
Deland Jessop: As I mentioned in the last question, they held us to a very high standard and demanded an excellent program. Even after we launched the program, we were very closely monitored to make sure that the students were getting a good value. With negotiating, I think they saw that we would provide value, and were very co-operative with setting their expectations and pricing. It was very amicable and a great experience. The relationship we had from our prior meetings led to the deal being reached. I guess persistence on our part, and the realization on theirs that we would be a good fit led to the deal being closed.
Dianne Nice: Why do you think the other colleges signed on so quickly after Conestoga?
Deland Jessop: I guess it would be similar to any new product launch into a new industry. Before Conestoga we weren't quite a proven system. I think most of the colleges realized there was a missing piece in their curriculum, but having another college test the waters first made their decision much easier. Once we were tested, the colleges had feedback, and monitored and saw that the product was well received. Westervelt college actually ran studies on their students measuring their success and confidence rates on police testing before using us and after we were brought on board. They were happy with our results. Once proven, it becomes an easier sell.
Ron in Vancouver writes: What advice would you give to small business owners trying to get their ideas heard?
Deland Jessop: I guess the first piece of advice is make sure you have a good idea. The more original the better. If you are following in someone else's footsteps and just copying an existing idea, it will be difficult to get an audience. But if you have a truly unique idea that you know provides value, find out what specific target market would best reap that value, and set up meetings to demonstrate your offering. Do whatever you can to ease scepticism. Free trials, standing behind your product with money-back guarantees, are a good way to help legitimize yourself. Be very targeted in any marketing. Conserve any ad spend so that it only reaches your potential customers. I personally like the face to face time with potential customers, as relationships are important in business.
Dianne Nice: What's next for Police Prep?
Deland Jessop: Some of our projects are still a bit of a secret, but we plan on continuing to expand our line of vocational tests. We are constantly improving on our existing offerings and making sure that we have the best offering available to help people fulfill their dreams.
Dianne Nice: Deland, thank you again for talking with us today. You've offered our readers a lot of good advice on how to cope with the pitfalls of starting a new business. Is there anything you would like to add?
Deland Jessop: Thanks, Dianne. I think I'm an entrepreneur at heart, and would encourage anyone with a strong interest and a good idea to take a chance on their dreams. Although there are obvious risks with being an entrepreneur, you do have the potential to have greater control over your financial future. Canada really needs good ideas and risk takers to help build the future. Because this piece was primarily about our relationship with the colleges, I just wanted to conclude with a sincere thank you to all of the co-ordinators that we work with and who have helped us over the years.