From Vision to Reality: Building a 20-Year Business Blueprint

Twenty years ago, Keith Schoolcraft sketched out an organizational chart for his fledgling IT services company. Taking a Friday afternoon to map his vision for A Couple of Gurus, he created a blueprint for what he wanted the business to become five years down the road. Years later, Keith accidentally rediscovered this document and was stunned by how closely reality had followed his initial plan. That simple exercise hadn't just been wishful thinking—it had fundamentally shaped his decision-making and guided the company's evolution into the successful enterprise it is today.

Keith's approach to scaling reflects a methodical mindset that permeates everything from hiring practices to process documentation. While early growth decisions were reactive—adding staff when workload pain became unbearable—the company eventually developed sophisticated metrics to anticipate staffing needs before they became urgent. Today, A Couple of Gurus uses KPIs like workstations-to-engineers ratios to make proactive hiring decisions, supplemented by an internship program that creates a pre-vetted talent pipeline.

As the company expanded, Keith discovered that processes that worked perfectly for small teams often failed at scale. Creating comprehensive knowledge management systems became critical, leading to the implementation of an enterprise wiki in 2004 that continues capturing essential organizational knowledge today. Keith's "salt shaker principle"—inspired by high-end restaurants where items always return to their designated positions—provides a framework for maintaining standards across the organization while successfully delegating responsibility.

Now serving clients nationwide with team members distributed across multiple states, A Couple of Gurus stands at the exciting intersection of established IT services and emerging AI capabilities. Keith sees this technological evolution as the next frontier, presenting opportunities to help clients leverage new tools strategically rather than fearfully. His journey offers valuable lessons for founders in any industry: create a clear vision, build scalable processes, embrace delegation, and never stop learning from the community around you.