Mark Halpin, CEO of CloudCoCo tells BQ why about his business and why he recommends Digital Enterprise to other businesses.
What is it the company does?
CloudCoCo. Unlike everyone else.
We make cloud transformation, managed IT services and connectivity simple, quick, secure and effective for businesses, government and the health care organisations – fuss-free and world class.
How? We stripped away the painfully slow processes, replacing them with customer-friendly, responsive, modern solutions. Experience tells us that organisations need a cloud services partner focussing on their needs without the arduous complexity insisted on by traditional service providers. This is what we have created.
No fuss, no delays and no hurdles. Just outstanding cloud solutions. The future starts now.
Describe your role in no more than 100 words
I believe my most important job as CEO is to facilitate your access to my talented team, at all times... and to remind everybody that the ‘impossible’ is in fact usually possible.
How did you come to do the work that you do?
I grew up in the managed IT industry and was fortunate Peter Wilkinson (founder of Freeserve amongst other things) decided to give a very shy ambitious lad a chance. Hopefully, I repaid that faith and after 15 years helping a whole range of firms with data centre, cloud, voice, network and hardware solutions I decided that life is too short not to take a chance and build something aligned to my own passions and beliefs.
What has been your biggest challenge in your current position?
My biggest current challenges have been more around the amount of learning that a founder and business owner needs to quickly soak in. Fortunately, I believe in having far more talented people in and around me who are better at doing things than I am. Without the trust in my loyal and talented team then I don’t think I would have got very far.
Where do you see the company in five years’ time?
I see us in five years' time having a large impressive base of partners and clients who are engaged and happy with our way of working collaboratively with them. I took the stance that the next generation of managed IT provider does not need to own any assets and blinker their advice to clients because they are cognizant of their own balance sheet.
I would like to look back in five years' time, proud of how we helped firms from every sector transform digitally and know that we invested in the next generation of local talent in Yorkshire, who deserved a chance to grow and be part of this very exciting next decade for northern-based firms.
Why did you take part in Digital Enterprise or Digital Knowledge Exchange?
I was recommended to review the Digital Enterprise and Digital Knowledge Exchange by people who had seen the work we were doing. I take that as a compliment that we were recommended to be part of such an exciting showcase for the work that is happening and to an organisation that is promoting it so proactively.
What has the Digital Enterprise or Digital Knowledge Exchange done for your business?
Nothing as yet but in the early days of engaging, they have been proactive, straight-talking and honest. Those characteristics resonate extremely well with the way in which we want to become well known.
What advice would you give to an aspiring business leader?
I would suggest that they concentrate on simply solving problems. I would recommend that nothing happens without a sale and that they should be very proud of having the balls to try in this very complex world we live in. Succeed or fail, I believe aspiring business leaders should always realise that they will become more interesting people from the experience and have a story and lessons that they can utilise for the rest of their life. Life is for stretching yourself so I admire anybody that takes such a bold step to set their new venture up from scratch.
What do you wish someone had told you when you started out?
I wish someone had told me of all the great organisations there are within Yorkshire that are there to support both the finance and numbers side of things as well as the mentoring, networking, promotion and help.
I also wish someone had told me to do it much sooner.
Why would you recommend Digital Enterprise or the Digital Knowledge Exchange?
For the very nature of what it stands for. Regional promotion, development and support of businesses that are aiming to grow and help their clients.
If you liked this post, please share with your friends and followers. If you are interested in digital, why not check out the Digital Enterprise Top 100, a major initiative to identify those companies that are setting an example for others to follow within the world of digital transformation.