For the past five years, my team at Infusion Software has been driving hard to become the leader of CRM software for small business. We are motivated by a desire to liberate and empower small business owners and their employees so that they can enjoy doing business again, delight their customers and better serve their families and communities.

See, what many people don’t realize is that small business owners feel trapped by their businesses. They can’t take a vacation, go on a date with their spouse or attend their kid’s soccer game without feeling extreme pressure from the business. They obsess over the business, fretting about payroll, competitors, employees and the terrible thought of what would happen if they weren’t around to man the ship.

For all the pressures shouldered by the business owner, the employees aren’t enjoying a walk in the park, either. Frequently, they’re over-worked, under-appreciated and stuck doing menial tasks that prevent them from really contributing to the business, which results in low job satisfaction.

I should know. I’ve been there. In the early days of Infusion Software and other businesses I’ve run, I felt these pressures and frustrations. Our founder recognized the plight of the small business owner and founded Infusion Software 6 years ago to provide automation software for small businesses. Ironically, it wasn’t until we really began using our own software a few years ago that everything turned around for us.

Today, our software gives the small business owner and its employees what is needed to escape the rat race  - marketing and automation. That’s how we liberate small businesses, by helping them grow their companies quickly and profitably by automating their marketing, sales and customer service.

We have a lofty ambition at Infusion - to take this software to small businesses everywhere and give them the marketing and automation they need to grow their businesses quickly and profitably, all the while maintaining their sanity and an enjoyable quality of life.

The scope of what we’re doing is enormous. Millions and millions of small businesses need this software. For a long time, we felt like we were on an island, trying to pull this off on a wing and a prayer. Then, about a year ago, we began to attract some serious players and capital to help us on our mission.

Last month, we announced two significant achievements: we added Pat Sullivan to our Board (Read Press Release) and we added Michael Gerber as our spokesperson (Read Press Release). These two developments are huge!

Pat Sullivan knows what we’ve set out to do, and he’s done something very similar. Twenty years ago, the world needed contact management software. Pat recognized that, created a product called Act! and sold over 5 million copies to sales people and small businesses everywhere. A few years later, Pat created SalesLogix for small and medium sized businesses. That product has also been wildly successful with the company going public several years ago. Pat sold both companies a few years ago, but needless to say, he understands the software needs of small businesses.

Michael Gerber’s role with our company is equally important. Michael knows what small businesses need to be successful. Inc. Magazine called him the #1 small business guru in the world. He wrote the E-Myth, a book that underscores the importance of systems and marketing in the success of a small business. Of course, that’s exactly what we do at Infusion Software, so the fit is truly “hand in glove”.

I’m in awe of the contributions of Pat Sullivan and Michael Gerber to the small business world. I respect the heck out of both of them because they have dramatically improved the lives of hundreds of thousands, even millions of small business owners and their employees.

Infusion Software will do the same thing over the next several years and I am thrilled to have the help and guidance of Pat and Michael along the way.