National Small Business Week 2019: How ClockShark streamlines processes for construction and field service SMBs

Intuit® is celebrating National Small Business Week 2019 (May 5–11, 2019) by recognizing a few SMBs within our own community that exemplify what it means to be a successful SMB contributing to the economy – and helping other SMBs in the process.

As the third and final post in our three-part series during this special week, we end with ClockShark, an app that has revolutionized time tracking and scheduling for construction and field service companies.

ClockShark’s small business story 

ClockShark was started by brothers Cliff Mitchell (CEO) and Joe Mitchell (CTO). It all began with Cliff, who managed a local construction and field service company in New Mexico and experienced the operational frustrations that come with running a small business.

Time tracking was a major issue for him, and even after investing in expensive software solutions, Cliff found that nothing was designed specifically for construction/field service businesses. He and Joe joined forces to develop an app that met – and exceeded – construction and field service requirements, which included integrating with QuickBooks® Online.

ClockShark (check out ClockShark’s App Card here) eliminates paper timesheets and manual scheduling and offers a GPS-enabled time clock, drag-and-drop scheduling, free Android and iOS apps, and quick reporting for accurate accounting and payroll. Additionally, every person in their support and success crew are certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors®.

ClockShark’s mission: Empower construction and field service SMBs 

As an SMB themselves, the ClockShark team is passionate about tailoring their solution to meet the unique time-tracking needs of their Construction and Field Service SMB customers.

Assembly Builders, a general contracting company located in San Francisco, Calif., is one of ClockShark’s customers. They juggle seven or eight projects at one time and need software that can help them track their different workers at different sites, eliminate paper timesheets, and save them time.

Watch their video testimonial below and listen to owner Dave Libby explain why they love ClockShark.

The road ahead for ClockShark

National Small Business Week 2019 highlights the hard work and dedication of SMBs across the nation, two things the ClockShark team is committed to every day. They’re producing a product that can help other SMBs succeed, and their love for their customers is prevalent in their development plans.

“Customer feedback drives the product roadmap,” says Cliff. “That starts with listening and being deliberate about collecting input, having an open channel of dialogue from our support people to our customers, and I also try to personally talk with a few customers each week, so I don’t lose touch with what customers are saying and feeling.”

Often, the questions revolve around technical issues, such as how to integrate with QuickBooks, how the sync works, and what data is imported. ClockShark’s goal is to simplify the process.

And to further emphasize their willingness to support their customers, Cliff has some thoughts for other SMBs on how to rise above the challenges of running a small business:

• Don’t lose sight of what brought you to become an entrepreneur. Find ways to focus on the parts of the business that you like to do and still adds value to your customers. That will keep the “internal combustion” going and help you weather the tough times.
• Keep a growth mindset. Look at your preconceived notions about your market or your business as something that can and will change in time. Look for ways to improve yourself as a leader and encourage your employees to do the same.
• Don’t stop. Never give up. We have a saying here that “sharks never stop swimming” – and it’s true. If we stop innovating at ClockShark, we might as well be chum in the water. This market doesn’t forgive software providers that don’t actively listen to and develop for small businesses.

No one wants to be “chum in the water.” Cliff’s advice is applicable for SMBs in every industry as they move forward. As to their own road ahead, Joe says their “lofty goal” is being the best time tracking and scheduling software solution for construction, field service and franchises.

Celebrating ClockShark along with QuickBooks apps chata.ai and G1VE during National Small Business Week 2019 has been an inspiring experience for us at Intuit®. Although the week is coming to an end, we urge you and your team to continue developing and implementing solutions that help other SMBs succeed all year long.