ENTREPRENEURIAL PROFILE: William Haynes: Sabai Technology
After William Haynes was laid off during the financial crisis, he started Sabai Technology, a company based in Simpsonville, South Carolina, that develops and sells wireless routers and network equipment, with himself as the sole employee.
Initially, Haynes sold only to domestic customers until one of his customers, Strong VPN, opened the door to orders from companies in China. International sales took off after people involved in an Egyptian uprising discovered that Sabai Technology’s wireless routers could send and receive information that was blocked by government filters.
Haynes began working with the U.S. Commercial Service and U.S. Export Assistance Centers, which led him to advertise his products in Commercial News USA, a publication that goes to more than 400,000 readers in 178 countries.
Today, international sales account for 80 percent of Sabai Technology’s sales, and the company, which exports to 120 countries, has grown to 14 employees. Haynes uses superior customer service and speedy delivery to set his company apart from the competition, most of which are much larger businesses.[i]
[i] Jenny Munro, “World Beats Path to Powers’ Door,” Greenville News, January 18, 2009, p. 1E; “Sabai Technolocy,” CNN iReport, September 30, 2013, http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1041791.