In the dystopian novel "Fahrenheit 451," Ray Bradbury describes a world where firefighters start blazes instead of ending them, burning books and libraries because reading is outlawed.
The novel was named for the temperature at which paper burns, and a local technology company has adopted the number for a much more positive outcome: helping businesses to go paperless.
CEO and co-founder Mark Johnson of Minneapolis-based
Four51, says that the company isn't a typical startup, since it's been in business for 12 years and has seen continuous growth through some very tricky economic periods.
Four51's signature application, CommerceTools, launched in 1999 and provides a way for product distributors and suppliers to connect with their buyers. The software is used throughout the U.S., as well as in 40 countries.
A newer app, FanTools, lets customers create and publish promotional content. It's similar to the wildly popular Groupon, but unlike that service, merchants with FanTools don't have to pay service fees. The app guides a business owner through the process of marketing in the same way that Turbo Tax or Quicken help businesses navigate tax or financial data.
With the unveiling of its newest offering, the company expects to grow rapidly as a result. After a plateau during the recession, the firm hired nine people last year, and expects to bring on close to 20 new employees this year, adding to its current roster of 41.
"Our focus for this year will be on maintaining our growth rate," says Johnson. "We're confident that we'll see success with this new product, and we'll roll it out to other cities in the near future."
Source: Mark Johnson, Four51
Writer: Elizabeth Millard