Forty Under 40: John M. James

John James wrote his first computer program when he was 6 years old.

Yeah, he was that kid.

His self-deprecating way of describing his teen years is that he wasn’t a lot of fun at parties.

Today, the Benton native is that guy, leading a mammoth e-commerce company with the aw-shucks persona of a nerdy (his word) doctor.

“I don’t know that people believe that [persona] anymore since we’ve raised all this money,” he joked.

The doctor image is warranted. James intended to be a family physician and had just finished a residency in Fayetteville when he opted to pursue a love of entrepreneurship.

He had already built and sold several businesses based on search engine marketing when he started Acumen in January 2009 with five employees.

The company today boasts 230 employees and has raised $98 million in venture capital — 90 percent of the amount raised in the entire state the last 10 years.

James said the company’s revenue will likely hit nine figures next year, if not sooner. With Country Outfitter as the bell-cow of a portfolio of e-commerce sites in a variety of industries, building a billion-dollar empire, and doing it in Fayetteville, is not without merit.

“When that is your guide, there’s 100 different ways you can go, and we’re not really married to a way of getting there,” he said. “This is a random walk made around good decisions and being opportunistic.”