What do you currently do?
I am the Operations Director at Advanced Digital Dynamics (ADD) Ltd, a data destruction and computer hardware specialist
What is your inspiration in the business?
It gives me enormous satisfaction to drive the business forward, achieve results and create jobs for people. The company has grown consistently through the recession; in the last six years we have grown from three employees to 20 and I am very proud of that.
Who do you admire?
Alex Ferguson. He is an inspiring example of how to stay in a job and continue to grow and be successful year after year. Someone like that has to have any business person’s respect.
Looking back are there things you would have done differently?
I stayed too long in an environment that was stifling me, the culture was too prescriptive and it hampered my creativity.
What defines your way of doing business?
My approach is very direct and transparent. Having integrity and values is extremely important, especially in the IT sector, which is sometimes tarnished by a lack of clarity.
What advice would you give to someone starting out?
You need to have a handle on money and have a firm understanding of how much things are going to cost at the outset. I also think people need to be realistic about how much work is involved in setting up a new business; they should expect to work 80 hours a week initially. You need to be positive and creative and whilst it is important to be strategic and think outside the box, you also need to know what is going on inside the box!
