EBQ: Celebrating Our 20-Year Journey with CEO & Co-Founder Tim Edwards
Brent Walrath
This year, EBQ celebrates 20 years in business: a milestone built on persistence, adaptation, and resilience. To mark this momentous milestone, we sat down with EBQ’s cofounder and CEO, Tim Edwards, to discuss his journey and vision for the future.
What started as an undergraduate project became a specialized revenue operations firm focused on blending strategy with precise execution.
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The Beginning: From Capstone Project to First Customers
The concept of EBQ originated from Tim’s desire to get the most out of his college experience despite his personal circumstances.
So, he pitched an alternative to his professor: instead of interning for free, he’d help start a company as his capstone project. His professor agreed, and the first iteration of the business was born.
Since Tim’s degree was in International Relations, his company (FirstRev) focused on helping overseas companies create business plans to enter the US markets strategically. Initially, he would help his clients scope out their product, perform competitive analysis, analyze price elasticity, and scope out the current market environment. From there, he’d build out their sales and marketing ideal customer profiles (ICPs) to enhance his clients’ go-to-market strategy.
The work paid off. Many companies saw value in FirstRev’s plans, which helped him land his first customers. Startups would use these detailed business plans to secure Series A or seed funding.
Evolving to EBQ
As Tim worked with more businesses, one issue became persistent: most companies simply did not have the manpower to execute his proposed plans. Sensing an opportunity, Tim wanted to pivot his career from developing plans to executing strategies by bringing experts in.
That conversation sparked the beginning of EBQ: Edwards, Bontrager, Quickstart.
The early days were lean. Tim had $2,000 in the bank, and his team worked out of his one-bedroom apartment. Their goal was ambitious yet simple: to support the entire sales and marketing lifecycle — starting with business development and cold outreach.
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The First 10 Years: Establishment
The first decade in business was spent building a complete, end-to-end sales and marketing support.
“By 2008, I had run out of friends to hire and needed to start hiring from the general workforce. I knew I needed a better office to attract outsiders,” said Tim.
By the time EBQ had moved into their new-and-improved office, the Great Recession hit — causing EBQ’s biggest client to declare bankruptcy.
This experience required a new level of discipline in expenses and operations, but it reinforced his commitment to EBQ and their customers.
A few years later, Tim started experimenting with business diversification through acquisitions. While these investments proved fruitful, EBQ consistently outperformed everything else.
The Next 10 Years: Expansion
“In 2020, the COVID-19 Recession hit, and we lost a significant percentage of customers within two days. I was forced again to think about whether I should fold or go all in. So, I sold my ranch, kept people on projects for free, and decided to keep growing and solidifying our services,” said Tim.
While EBQ had spent their first 10 years in business establishing their core offering, they spent the next decade perfecting their five service offerings: CRM, data, marketing, appointment setting, and sales.
When reflecting on his 20-year success, Tim says that his biggest and most rewarding milestone has been expanding EBQ’s leadership team.
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What’s Next?
As EBQ enters their third decade, Tim is committed to focusing on what EBQ does best: driving revenue growth through expert execution and specialized support. After all, EBQ’s story is ultimately about showing up, staying focused, and doing the work — especially when it’s hard.
And that mindset is what will carry the company into the next chapter.
About the Author:
As VP of Marketing at EBQ, Brent has led over 500 lead generation projects at EBQ, specializing in methodical execution and implementing best practices. With 14+ years of experience, including serving as Chief Revenue Officer, he has refined sales fundamentals and optimized processes for diverse industries, driving success in a dynamic market.