PPB January 2015

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66 • PPB • JANUARY 2015 GROW
On The Up And Up
BOUNDLESS NETWORK (D)
Austin, Texas
Jason Black, Co-founder and former CEO
• Founded: 2005
• 2014 Inc. 5000 Ranking: 4785
• Three-Year Growth Rate: 49%
• 2013 Revenue: $56.8 million
• Number of Employees: 60 (25 new jobs added within
the past three years)
• Previous Years On Inc. 5000 list: Four (2010 No. 797,
2011 No. 1311, 2012 No. 2551, 2013 No. 3806)
Technology: A Winning Way
For People To Do Business
Boundless Network was founded
in 2005 as an organization designed
to improve how organizations buy
and manage brand merchandise.
Co-founder and former CEO
Jason Black wanted to work with
technology to create a profitable
sales model for salespeople in the
promotional products industry.
Boundless offers organizations con-
sultative brand experts combined
with a technology platform that
moves products quickly and saves money. “One of our biggest chal-
lenges is that the industry isn’t very responsive to change,” says Black.
In 2014, the company hit Inc.’s 5000 Honor Roll, with its fifth
year on the listing. During the past three years, the revenue has grown
49 percent, from $38.1 million in 2010 to $56.8 million in 2013. In
2010, it was ranked No. 797, one of the top 1,000 companies with a
379 percent growth rate.
Strategy For Growth
“Innovation and people are our driving force,” says Black. “We
continue to invest in our technology platform to drive innovation into
the industry. That’s been our theme for the past 10 years. That doesn’t
mean it has all been perfect, but we take the good with the bad.”
Creating Differentiation
Boundless Network offers GroupBuy, a web-based application that
allows multiple buyers in various locations to purchase a product as a
buying group, allowing for bulk discount.
Black believes the business delivers more value than traditional
distributorships largely because of technology. “We aren’t afraid of
technology,” says Black. “The millennials in the industry look forward,
not backward—they value our company, and we have a product the
customer wants.”
Sustaining Growth
Boundless Network continues to think outside the box, says Black.
“There isn’t a magic number we are trying to hit. Our focus is on
innovation and culture.”
What’s Ahead In 2015
“The company will continue to be opportunistic, identifying part-
ners outside of the traditional promotional products industry to elevate
our value proposition and align ourselves with potential partners,” says
Black. “Innovation comes in all shapes and sizes and we will continue
to create innovations for the consumer.
Pamela Fields Webb is a writer and public relations and marketing
consultant. Currently she contributes to various publications in the promo-
tional products industry including Re:Boot digital magazine. She is the
former editor of PPAI’s Promotional Consultant digital magazine and
Promotional Consultant Today e-newsletter.
How Does A Company Make The List?
COMPANIES LISTED ON THE INC. 5000 are determined and ranked according to a percent-
age of revenue growth over a three-year period, with eligible companies submitting their
information for consideration. To be considered for the 2014 list, companies had to have
generated revenue by March 31, 2010, and generated a minimum of $100,000 in 2010 and a
minimum of $2 million in 2013. Companies must also be privately held, for-profit, based in
the U.S. and independent (not a subsidiary or division of another company). See the full 2014
list at this link: