Ignite Business Communications has turned clarity of vision into an exemplary growth strategy, according to Andy Portlock, Commercial Operations Manager, who is at the vanguard of the company's ambitious expansion strategy.
Ignite's rolling campaign convoy is going places. The Romford-based company has extended its reach into London and the south west and all eyes are fixed on realising an ambitious set of targets. Within three years the company hopes to double in size and generate revenues of over £6 million, and Portlock expects Ignite to quadruple in stature by 2020 with revenues of £12 million-plus. "Our expansion will be driven by a number of catalysts - organic growth and acquisitions will all play a part," stated Portlock.
The company recorded its highest growth last year with revenues up 52.2 per cent to well over £3 million. EBITDA rose 283.2 per cent to just over £513k. Also in the ascent are DD collections which increased 127.8 per cent from 180 clients to 410. The firm's headcount doubled to 10 with employee retention at 100 per cent and client retention sitting at 98 per cent. You don't need to be Einstein to figure out that Ignite's winning formula is adding up.
The firm's itch to grow has been partly scratched by the launch of a south west office in February this year. Based in Cirencester the new operation offers local businesses consultation around telephony, connectivity and managed services, and is supported by Ignite's HQ which absorbs the administration and support burden. "This gives Ignite great reach to market," added Portlock, who is looking for more strategically placed offices to build or acquire. "We have launched an aggressive acquisition campaign and want to talk to company owners who have built successful businesses but now want to take time out and enjoy their hard work. The acquisition options with Ignite are endless and we will tailor an offer for the right business."
This month Ignite opens the door to its London base located at Bishopsgate close to Liverpool Street. "This office will house up to 15 staff in its first year and allow us to develop our proposition to city-based clients," added Portlock. "During the past year we have transformed from being a traditional telecoms company to one that provides fully managed cloud, managed services, hosted telephony and on-premise phone systems. Our product portfolio includes solutions such as managed firewalls, email filtering, business continuity and disaster recovery. This proposition has resulted in truly remarkable growth and profits."
Ignite works with organisations of all sizes to deliver telephony, connectivity, managed services and cloud computing solutions. "We manage every aspect of our customers' business communications, from lines and connections to telephone hardware and the managed services that drive the collaborative power of an organisation," stated Portlock. "We regard these services as business critical and view them in terms of what they help our clients overcome, achieve and create."
Ignite is owned by the same board of directors as Utilize, which ironically is where Portlock began his career in comms 12 years ago in a junior role but quickly rose through the ranks. "I progressed through the business to the Group Service Manager role before moving on to lead the procurement and e-commerce teams," he explained. "I spent six years with the business and had fantastic guidance and mentoring along the way. A subsequent move to a north east-based ICT company augmented my knowledge and understanding of the industry. Then, 15 months ago I joined Ignite Business Communications to head up the Commercial and Operations of the business."
Utilize provides traditional IT support and services to SMEs, but a growing number of client requests for connectivity, telephony and managed services prompted the owners to create a separate dedicated business geared up to meet these requirements, and Ignite Business Communications was launched. "I now have responsibly for product and supplier selection and management, building a commercial proposition and working with the senior management team on our best of breed end-to-end solution," said Portlock. "Having a passion for what you do is the only way to succeed. I've always had a keen interest in technology and the pace of technological change, so the opportunity to join a growing tech firm was a no-brainer."
Converged voice and data, hosted telephony and SIP are all 'in the air', noted Portlock. "We are also seeing the push towards UC, video and of course mobility," he observed. "Today's customers ask for much more than in previous years, and as the consumer markets develop Generation Y will continue to challenge us. Who knows what Generation X will demand."
X marks the spot - and Portlock believes that the management team's growth strategy is the definitive blueprint for achieving the company's targets. Not surprisingly a key component of his game plan is setting goals. "This can be challenging and is overlooked by many companies when they first start out," he added. "From the outset Ignite had a clear plan for what it wanted to achieve and everything fell into place. Our business is now committed to well-defined business goals and objectives."
He also believes that inter-company communication is paramount and has implemented systems that encourage staff to share relevant information and work together more productively rather than individually. They also know their figures. "All members of the management team and staff understand what they need to achieve, the things they need to improve and the budgets they have to work with," added Portlock. "If you know your figures you know your company.
"Through ongoing self-development and attending numerous training courses we learned that successful businesses are those that balance profit with quality staff and cash flow. Without profit you cannot build a business but without quality staff you cannot achieve profit. Without cash, you cannot do either.
"We also recognise that our biggest assets are our staff and our company culture, all geared towards the common goal of improving the effectiveness of our customers' communications. Strong self-esteem and self-confidence are vital in leading and inspiring others to achieve great things. Everybody wants to be part of something that is positive, and we believe that the natural enthusiasm, optimism and drive that flows from our management team is contagious within the organisation. Our DNA for Success is a company document written by our people. It sets out in their words the reasons we want to grow, how we can achieve this growth, our vision and our values."