The Struggle to Survive Was Brutal

The programming I did on my way up isnt what gives me my personal satisfaction, says Gene Bonett, founder, president, and CEO of Xperia, a software development and consulting firm in Allentown, Pennsylvania. My personal satisfaction comes from being someone who started a software development company that now employs 42 people.

Its fulfilling to fly to Europe to visit our clients . I get a lot of satisfaction out of having owners of major companies call me and say, ˜We think your software is top shelf. I like knowing that the packages weve created have helped a lot of companies understand what MIS and IT are all about.

Though he likes where he is today, Gene acknowledges that the struggle to survive as a business owner was brutalif Id known what I was in for, I never would have gotten started, he says. But since his incorporation day, Gene has shepherded his firms softwarewhich targets the apparel and footwear industries-from green-screen on the mainframe to business-to-business applications on the midrange computer, using IBMs WebSphere product.