Adam Hammock understood security technology, but when he left government work to start iS3 Tech Services, he knew he needed help mastering business basics. He found that guidance at the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center (UGA SBDC).
Nearly a decade later, the partnership has grown in step with the Lawrenceville-based company, supporting iS3’s expansion in operations, sales, and staffing. The firm now delivers advanced security services used to protect mission-critical facilities across industries that include data centers, health care, government, and public utilities.
Hammock was 24 years old and working for the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office when he decided to launch iS3 Tech, a security integration company specializing in access control, video surveillance, intrusion detection, network infrastructure, and weapons detection systems. The Athens native enjoyed managing technology for the county jail’s complex security system and wanted to do something more.
Two years later, an Athens banker suggested Hammock contact the UGA SBDC. By 2017, iS3 had grown to 10 employees and was generating a little over $1 million in revenue. So, he contacted the UGA SBDC’s Gwinnett office.
“Early on, I was essentially the technician doing the work,” he said. “A coworker at the Gwinnett County jail recommended I read Michael Gerber’s ‘The E-Myth,’ which talks about how business owners often start as technicians before learning to become managers and eventually leaders. The SBDC helped accelerate that transition for me.”
Hammock learned the fundamentals of running and scaling a business with the UGA SBDC.
“They taught me to think of a business as a three-legged stool,” he said. “The legs are sales, operations and finance, and leadership is the seat that holds everything together. If one leg is weak, the whole thing becomes unstable. That stuck with me.”
As his business grew, Hammock needed more guidance in managing cash flow and operations. He returned to the Gwinnett office and began working with consultant John Stowell.
“Cash flow management is the nature of Adam’s business,” Stowell said. “They often quote hundreds if not thousands of components that go into a building’s security system for an installation that may take months to complete. Cost estimates that aren’t adjusted along the way could potentially narrow their profit.”
Stowell walked Hammock through a competitive business development benchmarking of other security integrators in the region. They looked at overall profitability to help his team set a goal for sales revenues and stabilize the profitability of iS3.
As Hammock and his team learned to improve the real time costing of projects, they adjusted sales commissions to more accurately reflect each project’s profitability.
“John was able to pull benchmarks in our industry that gave us the direction we needed to change our compensation plan for the better,” Hammock said. “He’s helped us with tightening up our cash flow forecasting, and our sales compensation benchmarks are now more strategic.
“Cash flow can sink a profitable company. You can be profitable on paper and still struggle to make payroll if you don’t forecast your cash properly.”
Today, iS3 employs 33 people. Annual sales revenues are approaching the company’s goal of $10 million. The company’s projects increasingly support clients in industries such as data centers, health care, power utilities and manufacturing—environments where physical security and secure network infrastructure are tightly intertwined. And its market area has expanded from South Georgia to throughout the state and the Southeast.
“We’re willing to travel and service anywhere,” Hammock said.
He and Stowell continue to work together on annual growth planning and marketing, and they do a periodic analysis of iS3’s sales compensation and cash flow. When the company recently decided to look at weapons detection systems—often deployed in health care, education, and other high-risk environments—Stowell pointed out potential litigation exposures.
“John held me accountable to understanding the insurance and policy implications in this area,” he said.
Hammock’s work with the UGA SBDC has led him to recommend its services to other small businesses, particularly technology-driven startups in which he holds an ownership share.
“Technical expertise might start a company, but leadership and financial discipline are what allow it to scale. I encourage CEOs to work with the UGA SBDC and take advantage of the business acumen of its consultants, like John. He’s been a good sounding board for me and, in a way, serves as an advisory board member to my companies.”
