Marcia Pledger: Jacksonville-based Training on Wheels tech company shares lessons from the pandemic

With a start-up technology training business, Vinzanne Leysath quickly got comfortable working as a subcontractor for a big training company. She didn’t have to market or hustle for new business.

But two years after launching Training on Wheels in Jacksonville, the pandemic hit. And it didn’t take long for her to lose her main client who accounted for 80 percent of her revenues.

She realized that she was basically out of business for the first time since she started her information technology operation.  

“For two years all I had to do was show up and train people," she said. "I gave it my all to make training interesting, but I didn’t even have to turn on a camera because I wanted to focus on learning… not me. I trained more than 5,000 people in two years.”

But like so many other companies nationwide, the company she worked for suddenly lost contracts and decided to drop employees and subcontractors like Leysath's business.

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Leysath said she spent several months trying to find new niches. For instance, she created and marketed a course for ages kindergarten to 12th grade, because too many kids are tech savvy but not computer savvy. Only a couple of customers signed on. She even offered a free seminar for teachers on how to train online.

"I tried. I failed. And I tried again," she said. "But at the end of the day, I always had the heart to keep pushing."

Finally, she started focusing on marketing more, and between word of mouth, social media and former clients reaching out to her, the business started growing.

Pandemic prompted start-ups

In one of the worst economic downturns in modern history, startup business activity grew nationwide a year after the pandemic began, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Business startups grew from 3.5 million in 2019 to 4.4 million in 2020, a 24 percent increase.

Leysath is among those start-ups. I reached out to her to get a local glimpse at those statistics. Just because a lot of businesses started during the pandemic doesn't mean it was easy. Some businesses were started because owners couldn't find a job. That's definitely the case with Leysath.

Her passion for the technology industry is what fueled her in down times.

"I've always been in love with technology because you can do so much with so little," she said.

Leysath said the pandemic made her focus on her desire to put her 15 years of experience as a trainer and college lecturer to work for herself. Besides degrees in accounting and management, she has several professional certifications in Microsoft Office.

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"The blessing is that it allowed me to identify who I am and who I want to serve," she said. "The key is my heart is in serving. This company aligns with my heart. I get to serve people every day and improve their skills — not just any skill but a transferable skill."

One of the biggest reasons that the company started growing a year after the pandemic is because she, and other trainers, travel to different companies. She also attributes company growth to an' ability to meet people where they are, whether they've never been on a computer before or have worked on computers for a long time.

Focus on business to business

Leysath said the biggest change in the last year has been a focus on mid-to-large businesses, ranging from manufacturers to an airline charter company.

"What makes us different is that we travel to companies and train people on-site," she said. "People learn better when they’re comfortable, and they’re comfortable at their place of business."

Clients believe there's much more to her success.

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Cristine Kirk, president, and CEO of Malone AirCharter, said Leysath runs a professional company that she was able to easily find online.

"My staff needed to learn additional computer skills and Training on Wheels was the perfect fit.," she said. "They have a very organized itinerary that clearly explained the course objective. Ms. Leysath went above and beyond and came to our office to work with our staff in their environment so they would be able to learn from the computer stations they were used to. I highly recommend Training on Wheels to anyone looking to advance their computer skills."

Validation by clients is most important, but Leysath said that being named among the 2021 tech leaders of the year by the Jacksonville Business Journal was a huge reminder that perseverance pays off.

Linda D. Woodard, who runs LDW Group LLC, a Jacksonville-based company that trains career development professionals, said she turned to Leysath for help with reaching people online. Her company develops programs for organizations that assist dislocated workers, career changers, youth aging out of foster care, re-entry youth and adults, and unemployed people with limited work experiences.

"Training On Wheels is my go-to company for all of my technology needs," Woodard said. "From training on Canva and PowerPoint presentations to creating pivot tables on Excel spreadsheets, they do it all."

Leysath said she's no different from most people who had to pivot due to the pandemic.

"We all get comfortable at some point in life," she said. "But I've learned that you have to try different things in order to grow."

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville-based tech-training company shares lessons from pandemic