I recently had the opportunity to ask Brian Jamison of OpenSourcery a few questions about his business and how it got its start.

When did you start your business?

OpenSourcery began in early 2004. CEO Brian Jamison saw the opportunity to invest in technology that could help small businesses, entrepreneurs and nonprofits take advantage of open source software. Open source software (OSS) has had a powerful web influence for years, but we wanted to make it viable for and available to smaller organizations.

OpenSourcery started with the three founders: CEO Brian Jamison; resident code wizard Josh Partlow; and systems administrator/operations guru Kris Amundsun. Today we’re a growing company that employs a team of software engineers, a project manager, three sales engineers, an internal marketing director and an office administrator.

What are your goals?

Our primary business goal is to deploy world-class software and custom web applications that allow our clients to get more from their technology investment. We free our clients from licensing fees and predatory relationships.

One of our overarching goals is to help small businesses and nonprofits regain control over their online content without the fear of damaging their site’s look or functionality.

We also spread the word about the philosophy behind OSS. Many people have misconceptions about what “open source” means. That is changing every day, but closed source providers put a lot of money and effort into perpetuating those misconceptions.

Why did you chose one business entity over another?

We chose the LLC primarily because we don’t intend to sell the company or take on equity partners. The LLC also has a low operational overhead and favorable tax and liability profile. I’d avoid a partnership entity at all costs.

What are your marketing plans?

OpenSourcery is in the midst of creating a more comprehensive marketing strategy. So far, we’ve succeeded primarily through word of mouth. But we now feel that our products and services need to be visible to a much broader spectrum of the community.

Portland is home to many software companies, so it’s important to articulate OpenSourcery’s unique expertise. Potential clients need to know that we’re incredibly well-integrated, agile and transparent. To that end we foster relationships with some of the groups that make Portland great: small business incubators, nonprofit groups and sustainable industry clusters. We’re also active in Portland’s technology community. Members of our team regularly speak at conferences such as InnoTech, WebVisions, and OSCON. Our plan is to avoid traditional marketing and focus on being known and trusted in the communities we serve.

What is the best part about running your own business?

Getting to choose the people I work with. I am really proud of my whole team, and our clients are terrific.

What is the worst?

Firing.

What advice would you give others who are thinking about starting?

Choose something you’re completely passionate about, because it is a hard thing to do, and in the hard times you’ll need that passion. Don’t wait. Embrace mistakes Befriend your competition. Stay focused.