ICUK's philosophy on getting things right by sticking to an in-house policy is paying great dividends, according to co-founder and Director Paul Barnett.
ICUK started life in 2001 as a virtual ISP selling 0845 dial-up minutes purchased from CIX. It then moved from dial-up into web hosting and domains, reselling solutions from a number of providers but hitting barriers with them all. The company then incorporated broadband and telecoms, and again ran up against limitations and obstacles to reselling. "The biggest turning point for ICUK, especially when we were smaller and a reseller, hinged on our frustrations with suppliers," commented Barnett. "They failed to listen, couldn't evolve or simply did not deliver on their promises. We had reached the end of the road and had been forced to either move on or ultimately bite the bullet and bring more in-house."
Those early glitches proved to be a blessing in disguise as it became apparent that reselling was a minefield of overselling, lack of ultimate control and deep frustration. "The only way forward was to build our own platform," added Barnett. "We had seen and experienced the mistakes made by suppliers, and we ensured that at every stage of development our platform delivered what we had wanted as a reseller."
Giving resellers what they want has, not surprisingly, brought about a success story. ICUK has grown from being a reseller to having in excess of 600 resellers of its own. "In 2011 we made our first major acquisition and purchased CIX, the company that helped us start this journey," explained Barnett. "We now have an exciting roadmap planned following a major restructure. Our journey has been undertaken with sheer determination, without external investment and debt, and wouldn't have been possible without the talent and hard work of our staff."
ICUK employs 15 staff primarily split between support and development, and they are backed up by hundreds of servers which help to automate much of the daily routines. The company services in excess of 60,000 clients as well as 600 white label resellers. Last year saw 30 per cent growth in revenues and 2014 should bring a further 45 per cent growth. "Significantly, this growth is not through acquisition and debt," added Barnett. "We are self financed and free from external investors. Although we're always happy to consider acquisitions our focus remains on our current client base and continued organic growth.
"We have a platform and entry path which makes it easy for resellers to enter the web hosting, telecommunications and broadband arenas, and as such we're here not just as a supplier but to help guide them. The advice we give to resellers focuses on their key strengths, and the reasons why they may want to move from a competitor."
Barnett has witnessed significant growth in ICUK's broadband and telecoms business in particular, fuelled by developments in its own network and control panels, along with the inclusion of new products such as leased lines, quoting tools and improved diagnostics. "By exposing a wider portfolio and empowering our resellers they are more confident about selling lines and high value connectivity," commented Barnett. "ICUK is an organisation that prioritises ongoing development and learning. We have a relaxed and collaborative atmosphere and all members of staff are able to contribute and be part of our journey."
Barnett ranks the build of an in-house reseller control panel platform spanning web hosting, broadband and telecoms (with an invoicing platform to link them all) as his biggest career achievement to date. "It would have been easy for us to have opted for an off-the-shelf system, or pay a contractor to build a one-off platform, but it's quite another matter developing in-house," Barnett commented. "It's a big achievement for the ICUK team and I'm proud to have been one of the architects."
The control panel is a triumph of single minded determination and is emblematic of ICUK's inward looking approach to developmental growth. "It would be easy for us to become complacent about our portfolio and expand it to include new opportunities," Barnett added. "Likewise, it would be easy for us to bolt-on third party products. But to do either would not do justice to our clients or what we have achieved by moving control in-house. Everything in our portfolio is our own and managed through our control panel portal. Third party or half-hearted third party solutions are absolutely not an option."
Rather than reach out in expansion mode, ICUK is embarking on a period of consolidation which Barnett calls 'back to basics'. He knows there are limitations to what ICUK offers but he is on a mission to achieve ultimate perfection in his portfolio. "Our aim with this policy is to revisit every product, every line of code and seek out improvements," he said. "Only when this process is complete will we start to work on one of the many avenues that are open to us. And when we do, it will be on our terms, not just a bolt-on service we can't control and that offers limited value in comparison to existing offerings."
Naturally, such an approach demands knowhow, but skills are in short supply and this is a key concern. "Our main challenge is skills," said Barnett. "The talents in the employment market are limited, and without the skills to turn our visions and ideas into reality the progress of our 'back to basics' policy is hindered. We are combating this to an extent by providing internal training opportunities and opening doors to apprentices.
"We have a real need for talented and passionate developers who will work on our platforms to turn our ideas, and those of our clients, into reality. Despite having six positions available, we struggle to find the right people to fit the roles. That's not a limitation of our search, but a genuine skills shortage forcing us to look further afield and relocate staff."
ICUK has also started to take its marketing and sales operations more seriously. For eleven years the company grew without a marketing budget. Growth was achieved through recommendations and organic search engine listing. "Having a good detailed website and a friendly intelligent member of staff on the phone or email was welcomed by many who were all too familiar with the sales person at the end of competitors' lines, and then a lack of support when issues arise," said Barnett. "However, we're growing up and now have dedicated marketing and sales staff. We still remain true to our principles and staff are not paid commissions, while new starters are inducted into the technical culture that has come to define ICUK in this industry."
The quest for cultural perfection is a big defining factor in the ICUK ethos, and this is reflected across all areas of the business. "Our focus today is on perfecting what we have now," said Barnett. "We're lucky to operate in three core industries that are evolving and collaborating more with each other, which sets up its own challenges and opportunities. However, we are watching various emerging technologies and schools of thought which we hope to incorporate into our portfolio for resellers, while remaining true to our philosophies at every step.
"Within five years, I would like to see ICUK with a larger portfolio, all developed in-house, and with a support and development team twice the size as we currently have. No matter how large we get we recognise the importance of not repeating the mistakes we see time and time again with growth, and that's why our focus remains on support and developing a better proposition to the customer. We've managed it for 12 years, and have every intention of remaining true to our formula."•