LAS VEGAS — If three of the industry-notable CUSOs could go back in time and apply what they know now to what was happening during the pitch-and-launch phase, the lessons would be aplenty.

Speaking at an interactive session during NACUSO's annual conference last week were Mike Atkins, CEO of Open Technology Solutions; Kirk Drake, CEO of Ongoing Operations LLC; and Paroon Chadha, vice president and co-founder of Passageways. Each shared some of the lessons they learned in building their CUSOs.

When asked what the most challenging business issue to starting and running a CUSO was and how that issue was addressed, both Chadha and Drake agreed that bringing on board the right people was critical. Atkins said the biggest challenge was closing the deal, meaning convincing chief information officers that the solution being offered will make their lives better. While it continues to be an issue, Atkins said more credit unions are buying into the benefits.