Working for the future Get some advice, get started IN the latest of our features, in conjunction with Maidstone Council, to help young people discover
education, employment and training opportunities, we focus on starting a business. TAKING the plunge to start your own business can be a daunting prospect; even more so given sta- tistics show that many aspiring en- trepreneurs fail to turn their vision into a functional company. However, statistics also suggest that seeking and taking advice early enough increases your chances of success and survival. The message, then, is clear: get in touch, get advice and in the words of Walt Disney: “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
Do this and you will be in good company because Maidstone has one of the highest start-up rates in
Here to help you 01622 602 392
For more details on start-up serv- ices, support and funding visit Downs Mail’s information hub on
www.downsmail.co.uk
Getstarted@maidstone.gov.uk
www.getstartedmaidstone.co.uk
the county. Last year more than 1,000 people registered new busi- nesses across the borough; this is in addition to those who took the self- employment route and didn’t for- merly register as a company. So, you think you have what it takes to start your own business? Your market research and business plan will have to support your be- lief it can work and you might like the idea of being your own boss. This was one of the many things that attracted self-made Checka-
trade.com millionaire Kevin Byrne:
How I began my own business
We talk to Matt Parkinson, who set up VooServers Ltd, an IT services provider based in New Cut Road, at the age of 16.
What made you want to start your own business? From a very early age I always had an interest in being able to make my own way in life and be- fore I started secondary school I had already made some attempts at putting ideas into practice. When I was a teenager I devel- oped a keen interest in IT and the two naturally came together, in 2005, to form VooServers although in a very different form to what it is today. At the time it was a hobby alongside my sixth form studies de- signed to make a bit of money. The idea grew and grew over the
years to where we are today: em- ploying seven (soon to be eight) people and with locations in Maid- stone, Frankfurt and New York with an ever increasing thirst to grow bigger.
What was the most challenging part of getting off the ground? Starting the company when I was still at school often became a barrier to the company’s development in the early years, not only due to time constraints but the perception of me by potential customers. In the first few years I tried to steer clear of making my age known to anyone and most busi- ness was performed purely by phone or email but even now, hav- ing just turned 25, customers are often surprised at how long I have been running VooServers. In the past year I have actually found this has been an advantage because people like to introduce me to some high profile figures
who are keen to hear the story of how and when I started the com- pany and the journey I have taken.
What’s the best part about run- ning your own business and what drives you on?
I like being able to do something
I have a great passion for and knowing that every minute that I spend at work will benefit myself in the long run. A lot of people I know can’t wait for the weekend to come by midday on a Monday. I am the opposite and can’t wait to get back to work, although it does- n’t seem like work which is just as well as I spend a lot of time there!
Ma’s pizza inspiration
“Never think your idea is too small or too basic. Even the most basic of ideas can become a global product. “I always like to make reference to the ‘package saver’ or, as most people know it, the ‘pizza saver’, which is the plastic support in- side a pizza box.
“What most people would see as a relatively insignificant part of their Saturday night take- away was patented in 1985 and millions are now used every day.”
In next month’s edition:
A spotlight on residential and social care. What kind of jobs can you do in the care sector and what’s involved in the job on a day to day basis? We’ll be dispelling some common misconceptions.
18 Malling December 2014
What are your hopes for the com- pany during the next five years? VooServers is currently in the early stages of becoming a globally recognised brand in our industry, with us having launched locations in Frankfurt and New York in the past 18 months. We have seen significant growth since this expansion alongside con- tinued year-on-year growth from our primary location in Maidstone. We are continually looking for ways to grow, with our sights set on new lo- cations in the Asian, Pacific and African (APAC) region as well as setting up a dedicated website and internet market- ing team at our head office in Maidstone.
“I liked the thought of working half a day for myself – the other 12 hours I ate and slept!” he said. Still interested? Maidstone Coun- cil supports people with great busi- ness ideas. You can access free advice from local, regional and na- tional experts on a wide range of is- sues, from laying the groundwork through to setting the whole thing up, to bringing it all together. Here’s another light bulb thought, by Thomas A Edison: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that don’t work.”
Geo Media celebrates fifth
birthday ONE Maidstone start-up com- pany which has seen a soaraway success is graphic design agency GEO Media.
Based in the
Royal Star Arcade, it is celebrat- ing its fifth birthday, after at- tracting clients such as Costa Coffee, Vodafone and KCC. Set up by graphic design grad-
uate Andrew Dicker (pictured) who was joined last year by Simon Woods, the company uses social media to promote its services, which include photog- raphy, logo, business card, brochure, flyer and website de- sign.
Andrew graduated from Southampton Solent University with a first class honours degree in graphic design in 2003 and set up GEO Media six years later. Named “creative business of
the year” in the 2013/14 Kent In- dependent Trader
Awards
(KITA), the company works closely with Maidstone Town Team as well as globally recog- nised local and international brands. Geo Media began at Kent House.
Diary date
•Small Business Saturday – De- cember 6. Support, inspire and promote small businesses. Go to Twitter @SmallBizSatUK
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