Alex Mordey, director of managed services at Advancery Limited talks to BQ about his business and why he recommends Digital Enterprise and Digital Knowledge Exchange.
What is it the company does?
Advancery is a managed service provider (MSP) focusing on providing consultancy, design and support for on-premises IT, virtualisation, cloud and hybrid cloud environments throughout the UK.
Describe your role in no more than 100 words
As director of managed services, I am responsible for developing and growing Advancery’s IT support, cloud, managed backup and consultancy services business. I Ensure that our dedicated team of consultants, engineers and sales staff continue to deliver a first-class managed service to new and existing customers.
How did you come to do the work that you do?
I have worked in the IT service industry since 1997. I am a highly qualified and skilled person with key expertise within information technology, systems development and implementation. I have a demonstrable track record of success in meeting goals and expectations. I was nominated for multiple awards, including Bradford's prestigious Telegraph and Argus business awards in the category 'New Business of The Year' and previously 'Young Entrepreneur of the Year’.
I have a proven ability to meet deadlines in a pressurised environment while leading multi-disciplinary teams and have built a number of start-ups from inception to multi-million-pound turnover companies. I was a natural choice to help deliver Advancery’s ambitious plans.
What has been your biggest challenge in your current position?
Without a shadow of a doubt, finding ambitious and trustworthy staff who reflect not only the company’s ethos but my own grit and determination to provide the best service to help us grow.
Where do you see the company in five years’ time?
Our five-year plan is a fine balance between growth and maintaining service. I've seen many companies over the years grow at a phenomenal pace yet lose their own identity and service level. For Advancery, our growth strategy is more modestly set to grown to twice our current size and turnover. Not because we lack ambition, but because we want to retain the ability to provide world-class services to our clients.
Why did you take part in Digital Enterprise or Digital Knowledge Exchange?
We wanted to take advantage of funding available to allow us to invest in equipment to allow us to work more officially and provide lab and demo environments to clients, etc. This funding also allowed us to expand our workforce and take on additional staff in the form of apprentices.
What has the Digital Enterprise or Digital Knowledge Exchange done for your business?
The Digital Enterprise has enabled us to work more efficiently and focus on pushing into new territories. It has also enabled us to feel more confident and project a much bigger company image when tendering or presenting to blue-chip firms. Prior to this, we would have been sidelined as a small business and not able to compete.
What advice would you give to an aspiring business leader?
Know your product, service and market. Be confident you can make a difference and disrupt the status quo. Never give up. There are many pitfalls, disappointments and losses on the way to success, but remember that there is an enormous amount more respect for someone who tried and failed, than someone who never tried at all.
What do you wish someone had told you when you started out?
Actually, a couple of things. A business plan… I had one in my head, but it wasn’t enough, believe it or not, to open a business bank account to pay money in. I ended up filling in a 60+ page document for a bank to vet the business and in the meantime used my personal account to trade. In the end, this bank rejected our business and we ended up with another. It took four months. Not ideal. So, have a plan and go to the bank for a basic account before you start to trade.
Why would you recommend Digital Enterprise or the Digital Knowledge Exchange
Simple really. It’s a benefit to the business financially which enables you to grow via investment. Use it wisely. Our benefit was two-fold. We appeared to clients as well invested and it also enabled us to work more efficiently.
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