The ultimate formula for business success in the new information age is a blend of persistence, skill and belief, according to PRS Telecom Director Patrick Gill.
From selling airline tickets for BA to marketing the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Hong Kong, Gill's career has always been about making things happen, and getting better at it every step of the way. A trio of inspirational figures spur Gill to always strive for personal and business improvement, namely Winston Churchill, Muhammad Ali and Prince Philip. Together they embody the three qualities needed to win at running a business, believes Gill.
"They all inspire me to be more than I am now," he said. "Churchill dealt with taking Britain through hell and winning. Running your own business can be like that, 'keep buggering on' he said. Ali knows how to be the best, the ultimate champion. Running your business is about making yourself better than the rest. And Prince Philip is a master of dedication to the cause. He has made it his life's work to make his family and their work a success. He's experienced highs, massive highs, ordinary days, hard times, lows and desperate hours, but he is always true to the cause. These three gentlemen epitomise the winning formula in business - persistence, skill and belief."
Gill put these qualities into practice when he joined Your Comms in 2002. His target then was £2.5 million. Two years later he left the business, also leaving behind a £19.5 million target. "That was the inspiration for PRS," stated Gill. "Don't work for anyone else! The original PRS Telecom model was premium rate phone calls between marketing companies and their networks. This didn't work out as the three caballeros envisaged, so Peter Crooks, Geoff Bell and I agreed to split. PRS became mine and I relocated to my new home town in north Wales to become a traditional B2B reseller.
"Make no bones about it, we started with no clients, and that, at the age of 48, took a hell of a lot to build. We now have a 12 strong team and approximately 300 customers across the UK, mainly in the north west of England and north Wales. PRS Telecom exists to provide what I would want my supplier to provide - services, solutions and advice, all carried out excellently and at great value. PRS offers the benefits of dealing with a small local business and will do all possible to manage the account, yet it's on a national level."
Last month PRS Telecom signalled big plans for growth following its partnership with the founder of gap Personnel Group. The comms provider is aiming to become a £10 million business by 2020 with 10-plus offices spread across the UK, all based on a five-year agreement with Gary Dewhurst who is now a major shareholder.
Dewhurst is best known as an entrepreneur, investor and business mentor, and under his leadership gap Personnel Group currently achieves turnover in excess of £100 million. The partnership has already catalysed the acquisition of key client accounts, the recruitment of new staff and a relocation of the HQ to larger bespoke offices. "This new relationship is all about working together to drive the expansion of PRS into a much stronger, more robust and more profitable business," said Gill.
"Our growth has demonstrated to Gary that we have a strong business model, and that gave him the incentive to take a major shareholding in PRS. His main business has 30-plus offices across the UK and it is the ambition of our union to spread PRS Telecom across the UK using the existing resource of gap. We have a five year plan to grow to £10 million and exit. The platform is in place. The suppliers are there, and the customers of group businesses are there."
According to Gill, the next 12 months is all about sustained growth in all areas and establishing itself in four strategically appointed gap Personnel branches. "Until the involvement of gap Personnel our growth was via referral, door knocking, networking and repeat business," commented Gill. "Now we have a national database of clients to run at, including some huge operations with big issues."
Having started the business with nothing and making it something that people want to either buy from or work for is a great source of pride for Gill. He believes PRS is both 'tangible and successful', despite regulatory bugbears that grate by the day and work against the industry's best interests, he believes.
"Ofcom is under performing and telephone numbering is a farce," he said. "The consumer is confused and Ofcom has little idea about numbering, evidenced by the way it managed the 084/087 numbering episodes and the 09 debacle. Furthermore, as long as Openreach sits under BT share holder ownership there can be only one controller of the UK. And it's not Ofcom."•