CAPTURING THE BUSINESS BUCKS
Linux Format’s newly appointed business editor, Desire Athow of TechRadar Pro fame, caught up with Framework CEO Nirav Patel to see how setting its sights on the business market can help cement Framework’s foundation. LXF: Framework is launching a B2B program called
Framework for Business, what’s that about?
Nirav Patel: For the last two years, we’ve been piloting Framework Laptop deployments with a range of small and mid-sized businesses looking for better, longer-lasting computers. We’ve taken learnings from those partnerships into the public launch of Framework for Business, which gives businesses more context around how to evaluate, purchase and maintain Framework Laptops, and also provides a direct line to our Business team.
LXF: The trial was only the 13-inch model – is that remaining the case?
NP: We’re making both the Framework Laptop 13 and the Framework Laptop 16 available to purchase for business customers, as well as the Chromebook Edition and refurbished products.
LXF: Do these differ from your consumer units?
NP: Unlike many other notebook OEMs, we build a single product line that works well for consumer, SMB and enterprise customers. We develop and test our products to commercial notebook standards, which are stricter than what is typically used for consumers.
LXF: What were the biggest obstacles when creating the scheme?
NP: We designed the hardware from the outset to be excellent for a broad range of users and use cases. When starting to work with businesses, we found that the product itself was already a great fit, and what we needed to develop was infrastructure around volume deployments, business purchasing and support. We have been able to build this out over the last couple of years, which puts us in a good position to now be able to open the Business programme to more customers.
LXF: Why would businesses buy from Framework? What’s your USP?
NP: Much like for consumers, we are finding that for businesses, the unique draw of a Framework Laptop is in enabling deeper ownership and greater product longevity. Businesses have a strong desire to be able to fix problems directly on the spot and be able to get their employee base up and running again. Especially for small businesses, what we’ve found