He speaks a lot about luck but the success of Andrew Gilbert's Node4 is as much to do with commitment and good ideas as it is about being in the right place at the right time
Gilbert has been building reputation, client numbers and confidence for seven years to reach the point where his company is on course for a £13.5m turnover this year and a "predictable, steady growth rate of around 40 to 50 per cent". Node4 offers a range of data storage and telephony services to companies as they outsource technology to cut costs.
"Business is strong," says Gilbert. "We're in a sector that's growing, and there's a lot of interest from investors and clients. Cloud computing, data centre solutions… however you brand it we're in the infancy of it and private equity is interested. They see it as a growth sector. It's not the right thing for my business but it puts a spotlight on the sector, which can only be good."
Gilbert says he doesn't need private equity because he's been "lucky" enough to win the support of banks. The reason banks like Node4 is because it has a proven business model – it's repetitive and predictable. It's what Gilbert describes as "sticky". He explains: "We're fortunate that we grew at the right pace and through the recession. That's strengthened our discussion with the banks."
That means growth for Node4. Gilbert has been able to secure a mortgage against properties in order to buy the freehold and expand the number of data centres across the country to four, which in turn helps win new business. But, he points out, it's taken a long time to reach this point.
Gilbert credits the "great bunch of people" around him for the smooth operation. "We all love the business – the whole culture. We're confident in the things we do and the way we do business. My biggest challenge today is trying to keep that culture from the early days. Handing the responsibility down the chain and instilling the values that have made it successful. I'm focused on how we keep that small-company mentality as we get bigger."
He says he's "fortunate" that he has a good management team to run the day-to-day operations as he focuses more on "strategy, direction, finding the next thing we're going to sell and how we'll take it to market". But it's sometimes lonely at the top, he concedes.
"Sometimes you go with your gut instinct. But I've got great people to throw ideas at. And I go to networking events – listen to their stories, what they've been through. It might not help you today but it sticks in your mind."
You never stop learning and pushing yourself, says Gilbert. "My knowledge is increasing. If you speak to me about finance, debt, private equity, cashflow and all those sorts of things, they wouldn't have been at the forefront of my mind at the start. Now the role is strategic, but it's still very exciting."
My inspiration…
Where I learn I read the Financial Times. I religiously look at bbc.co.uk and technology sites, such as theregister.co.uk, to see what's going off in the industry.
Best book Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh. It shows how culture is the most important part of running a business. Don't chase the money, it will come to you. I've made my team read it or listen to the audiobook.
Social media Facebook is a phenomenon. We're living in a world where everyone wants to know what everyone's doing.
Favourite brand Apple. I love the iPhone. They're by far the most innovative brand in the world.
British brand Bentley.
How I relax My biggest love is cycling. I try to do 50 or 60 miles three or four times a week.
Saying To make no decision is often worse than making the wrong decision.
