Foxface Systems - Camas, Washington, USA

Company Description: Foxface Systems delivers a compliance software platform to Affordable Housing Providers for their applicants and residents during the move-in and recertification. Our software licensing and delivery model caters to companies that provide management services for the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program and other housing platforms. 

Foxface Systems – Alicia Vennes

Alicia Vennes was a property manager in Portland, Oregon for 15 years and ended her career in property management after becoming Portland’s first Single Family Property Manager of the Year and being nominated as one of Portland’s Most Influential Women. She holds a bachelor's degree in Business & Leadership and is the CEO of Stars Staffing Group, LLC. and FoxFace Systems, Inc. 

What is the problem that your company is trying to solve or the opportunity you are trying to seize?
When an applicant or tenant of affordable housing is looking for a home, they must first get through a background screening then work through the affordable housing compliance process. The compliance process is made up of 37 questions, all asking about income and assets, and is currently done by hand on paper. FoxFace Systems, Inc. aims at reforming this archaic system. We have created an online version that asks one question at a time until the form is completed. The system fills out the form, gathers necessary documentation and verification and compiles all household information into one file to be printed and audited by property managers and state governing agencies. This allows for a more streamlined process for affordable housing compliance documentation.

Additionally, when buildings sit empty, building owners face loss revenue and/or hundreds of thousands of dollars in upward adjustments. FoxFace Systems, Inc. allows for property managers to move their residents in quicker, allowing for a reduced financial risk to building owners.

What is the biggest obstacle to growth?
Right now, the biggest obstacle to growth that FoxFace is facing is creating a polished product to go to market. Creating technology is very expensive. We have found a way to create an MVP, but the product will not be what FoxFace Systems, Inc. aims at becoming until we are able to partner with a strong developer. In order to develop FoxFace in its first phase, our team is seeking funding. Funding would produce a beautiful and functioning program. 

How has COVID and the economic downturn changed your strategy, if at all?
Covid-19 is the reason why FoxFace Systems, Inc. exists. At the start of the pandemic, a client of ours commented on how she was worried about leasing buildings. Pre-Covid, people lined up in the street to obtain affordable housing. They met face to face with property managers and anyone who needed to provide a third party verification for them. Covid-19 forced property managers to rethink the lease up process. FoxFace was born from the pain that property managers felt when trying to lease buildings without an in-person meeting.

What do you know now that you wish you knew two to five years ago about entrepreneurship?
I wish I knew so many things before becoming an entrepreneur, but the only way to figure that out is to just start. If I had to choose, I’d say the following: 1) Entrepreneurship can be lonely. Unless you already came from a place where business ownership is the norm, you will find yourself trying to find peers who think and act the way you do. This will be a struggle for some time as you will be connected to every part of your business and you will have little time to nurture relationships. Learn to take time to do this. 2) Dig a deep and wide network. Playing all of the roles in your life will take knowledge from so many people. Having an extensive network will allow for some relief, education and friendship. 3) Rest is not meant to make you feel guilty. Entrepreneurship is hard and impossible without proper self-care. Schedule the time to rest and learn to keep those dates. 4) Struggling to meet payroll means that your company is growing. This is a good problem to have, but it is always the most concerning. Plan for this struggle accordingly.