Solving Problems with C4 Communications

For C4 Communications founder and president Colomobo DiSalvatore III, success is all about problem solving. “We try to go into our clients, we try to add value, and help solve problems,” DiSalvatore told the CBIA BizCast. “And we know that if we do that, that we will be rewarded over time.” C4 Communications is a telecommunications company specializing in helping small and midsize companies evaluate, select, implement, and manage telecommunications solutions. DiSalvatore said he sort of “fell into” the telecommunications industry and founded the company in 2001. “Between the ages of 16 and 24, which is when I started the company, I had 10 different jobs,” he said. “I was effectively unemployable. So I had to come up with my own company.” DiSalvatore credits his father for instilling an entrepreneurial spirit and for teaching him lessons about business ownership. “He also made this point of trying to find a business where you can make some sort of residual or some sort of royalty income,” he said. “I’m really grateful for that advice.” For nearly 10 years, DiSalvatore ran the company by himself with some help from his sister-in-law. He said he’s grateful for that experience, because he was able to work from home and be there for his growing family. “My wife, Amy and I, we had six children in that period of time, so we have a large family,” DiSalvatore said. “I really captured a lot of moments in my kids that I may not have captured otherwise.” DiSalvatore also said that time period also taught him the importance of finding a work-life balance. “Work can very much dominate if you’re a hard worker and if you’re possibly a workaholic,” he said. “I had to be really intentional at a point to turn off the work and to stop working to make sure that I didn’t sneak down into the basement or sneak into my office when it’s time to be with the kids.” Eventually, as the company grew, DiSalvatore began to bring on more people. But he kept the company virtual and tried to instill that balance as a core value. He said when the pandemic hit, it was actually an asset to be a virtual company. Because the team was already remote, they didn’t miss a beat and were able help their clients pivot quickly. “As everybody was trying to set their employees and their teams to be able to work from home, we were actually positioned well to help them do that,” DiSalvatore said. C4 Communications is now a team of about nine people, and DiSalvatore said he had to shift his mindset as a leader and give people freedom to grow. “I had to learn that there were people out there that could actually deliver excellence, and they could even do it differently than the way that I did it,” he said. He said he loves getting positive unsolicited feedback from clients about his team. “When I get a comment like that, I’m just reminded of what an amazing group of people that have been willing to come work for me.” DiSalvatore said they have clients all over the country, but he loves growing and doing business here in Connecticut. “Relationships matter in Connecticut,” he said. “Your reputation matters.” “People care about meeting face to face and having a personal relationship with who they do business with. “And because we like to operate like that, I think Connecticut’s a great place for us to continue to do business and to grow this business.” Related Links: C4 Comunications Website: https://www.c4communications.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/c4-communications-llc/ Colombo DiSalvatore’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colombo-disalvatore-iii-1502139/ CBIA Website: https://www.cbia.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cbia/