Tristan Rogers, managing director, Concrete Group
Tristan Rogers, managing director of Concrete Group, explains why he wanted to change an "ugly and expensive" industry, why self-belief is so important to small businesses and why it took him time to figure out what his business actually did.
Explain your business so my mum would understand it.
We produce web based software tools that are really easy to use, allowing business people to collaborate online around documents, buying, budgeting and project management. It’s a one-stop-shop, for business process needs.
Why did you start a business in the first place?
I thought business software was complicated, ugly and expensive. It perpetuated a “jobs for the boys” ethos, placing business needs in the laps of IT procurement, when the business users were the ones who actually needed the control. I wanted to change all that.
What surprised you most about starting up?
It took me a long time to accurately define what it was we were actually doing (see the first question). If you start trying to do something new, which we believe we are, there is little reference to help quantify what that new thing is and how it should be packaged and marketed.
Instead, you go through a series of false dawns, only to quickly realise that yesterday’s attempt at describing the business is now woefully out of date.
Was there anything you would do differently now?
In light of the previous question, no. If I were to set up a new company now I would do things very differently, but that would be based on having the money and contacts to launch something better defined and quicker to market; ultimately less innovative, but commercially providing a quicker return on investment.
What was your strategy at launch, and have you stuck to it?
No, it has evolved with the product and the market. We just felt that business software could be better. We didn’t really know how much business software we could redefine, and to some degree we left that to our clients to request change. However, that premise of improvement has been kept.
What’s been your biggest hurdle or stumbling block so far?
Self belief and the realisation that the market we are slowly moving into is very, very large. Once we had settled on our mission statement, or elevator pitch, then our ability to plan further ahead and define the market became clearer. This was a huge eureka moment, and has radically changed the speed and growth of the company for the better.
…And your luckiest moment?
You make your own luck. Just keep plugging away and constantly question, re-assess and challenge everything you come into contact with. Eventually, an opportunity presents itself, and that is when you will get lucky.
Where are you now with the business?
We’re now 10 staff and in the second year or 100% growth. We are reinvesting heavily in development and also in our sales and marketing. It is full steam ahead with a lot to do, and many great opportunities to seize. Exciting times.
What does the future have in store?
I think I have a better idea of what I want it to have in store. We believe our software and the nature in which we sell it; cloud based, rented applications, will challenge the dependency of businesses large and small on the traditional perpetual license on-premise vendors.
Businesses are awakening to the reality that most of their expensive, upgrade driven,, software which was bought by IT is largely irrelevant. It is too complicated, offers massive amounts of unused functionality, this is part of the upgrade legacy, and alienates its users through user unfriendliness, and obstructive desktop only access.
The future is cloud based “consumer grade” tools that offer only the functions you need, tailored to the user, so negating training courses and certification. These tools can be accessed wherever you are and paid for piecemeal and across the organisation through granular payments, so spreading the load across the user base and over a period of time.
What’s your best piece of advice for someone who’s about to launch?
Focus on the idea you believe in. Don’t be distracted by other business ideas, but don’t be blinkered either. Adapting your business and idea with other people’s suggestions is often incredibly valuable and the premise will survive even if many aspects of the deliverable may change.
Above all, remember that you are the only one who can make you a success, so don’t waste time dawdling, time can slip by quicker than you think. Having said that, don’t become a slave to your business either. It is important to keep perspective on life, and when you’re having fun, you can sometimes come up with some great ideas!
