At first, he undertook the programming project as a spare-time hobby. Then, he shared the program with friends around the world and asked them to try it out and give him feedback. Their responses were overwhelmingly positive, and many of them urged Shawn to market his software.

In September 2006, Shawn started SVK Software Corporation with some seed money from his mother. The cost difference between his software and more expensive alternatives got his software immediate attention. He offered potential buyers a free trial period to overcome any scepticism that his software was not as sophisticated as his competitors' and his networking efforts through global contacts and friends garnered him his first customers.

“I was thrilled when I discovered I could attend an international trade show with support from the government of Ontario,” Shawn enthused. “I located the contact information for the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade's Trade Branch and gave them a call. Mauricio called me back the next day.”

Mauricio Ospina is a trade consultant specializing in the technology sector and helps companies like SVK access and expand into international markets. Mauricio invited Shawn to join a group of companies attending the ITEC trade show in Michigan in 2007.

“Shawn was an enthusiastic participant at the show,” said Mauricio. “He closed a few sales and made new contacts so the show was a success for him. My only advice to him was he needed to tighten up his marketing materials and become more focused in his sales approach."

While at the show, Shawn heard another Canadian exhibitor talk about the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program that provides a range of technical and business oriented advisory services along with potential financial support to Canadian small - and medium-sized businesses.

“I applied and received a financial contribution that will help me develop a more sophisticated protocol and the next generation of products,” said Shawn. “Equally valuable was advice I received that helped me capitalize my market potential. As an IT person I had little marketing experience. Inez Blackburn from Market Techniques and Innovations and a marketing professor at the University of Toronto, played a pivotal role in developing my market strategy. I learned to focus my goals and objectives on SVK's capabilities and market opportunities.”

“Shawn has a great product with tremendous market potential.” said Inez. “But no one will buy from you if they don't know you exist.”

Armed with a new, targeted brochure and marketing acumen, Shawn attended the recent Internet Telephony Conference & Expo in Miami, again as part of the Ontario pavilion. There, he and other exhibitors all had an opportunity to make a one-minute pitch during a business reception attended by 100 to 400 executives and had meetings with major distributors. During the conference, he also attended a networking breakfast arranged by Mauricio where he met a representative from Smart Networking Solutions, a VoIP hardware provider.

“At the show, I formed a partnership with Smart Networking Solutions, who now sell my software along with their hardware. My new contact also introduced me to Epygi Technologies, a leading provider of SMB to SME telephone systems, which led to another lucrative partnership,” says Shawn.

Besides the two partnerships, Shawn closed sales that equalled 30 per cent of his sales in 2008, making this the most lucrative trade show he has attended. His company is growing and this summer he is planning to hire two new employees.

SVK Software now offers a suite of related products including mobile hotspot applications that help authenticate and bill laptop users and ITTV internet protocol applications. And his proud mom? As co-founder, she now enjoys a co-Director title.