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My successes.

Jason Brower is no stranger to opportunity, nor is he a stranger to hard work.  While being completely satisfied at his high-tech software engineering job where he worked alongside chemists, physicists, and electrical engineers to produce anti-counterfeiting devices, he wasn’t fulfilled.   While clocking his normal 40 hours a week for his employer, he was moonlighting on a project that would later become Oceanside Software Corporation.  He jokes, “I should have bought stock in 5-hour energy – I was living on that stuff.”

What sparked his idea was a seemingly innocuous conversation at a restaurant with a sales rep who was boasting about how much money he was making selling Point of Sale systems.  That was the summer of 2009.  Jason was intrigued and thought this might be his next big thing; after all, it fits squarely within his love of engineering and software. 40,000 lines of code later, Oceanside Software Corporation was born.

Oceanside Software provides complete end-to-end point-of-sale solutions for quick-service and table-service restaurants. They provide everything from hardware and software to merchant credit card and gift card processing.

Oceanside POS ® offers a fast and efficient way to place orders and accept payments in a fast-paced restaurant line such as franchise customer Burrito Jimmy

When asked what advice they would give another entrepreneur, Jason said, “Pick something you absolutely love, something you can imagine yourself doing 120 hours a week for 5 years straight and not get sick of. You have to have a strong passion for what you want to grow.  Don’t do it for the money.”  He added, “If the reason you want to start the business is that you want to be your own boss, then you need more reasons. Be willing to put your heart and soul and risk everything. It is a gamble and a risk. You’ll fight through every obstacle.  You’ll be 2 days from running out of money. But, you’ll find a way to do it. I feel like I’m a very logical person but I also know that I have to believe in foolish miracles.”

On July 8th, 2012, Jason announced on the 3rd birthday of Oceanside, that he is turning Oceanside POS ® into a community-driven Open Source Project. Four days later, Peter Simendi from Connect Africa became the first project contributor to the world’s first Open Source Restaurant POS System. 

It looks like Jason is not only well onto his next big thing but he is enabling the next big thing for other entrepreneurs too.

How SCORE helped.

When Jason was starting Oceanside, he didn’t head to SCORE right away for help.  That would come later.  He’d earlier attended an entrepreneurship training program at the Institute for Social and Economic Development ( ISED) so he felt he could write a business plan. 

After gaining customers and additional traction, Oceanside Software started to become noticed by potential suitors.  Not having much experience with equity and acquisitions, Jason decided to seek some help from SCORE.  He had the good fortune to receive nonbiased advice from a SCORE counsellor who had worked for IBM previously.   He got more than he bargained for.  He was also encouraged to apply for and was subsequently accepted to the “Getting Down to Business” program created by Capital One Bank, in alliance with SCORE.  This program ensures that small business owners have access to information, resources, mentors, and financing to help them grow and succeed.

“In May of 2012, Oceanside Software was one of 15 businesses accepted into Capital One's ‘Getting Down to Business 2012’ program. We are excited to be part of a program that focuses on businesses with under $1,000,000 in revenue. Thank you to Joyce and all members of SCORE and Capital One,” commented Jason.