What inspired you to start WFH IT Support? How did you get your idea/concept for the business?

The inspiration came from within.  We have always wanted to adopt a business model which is highly scalable and which allows for fast growth – very much like a SaaS or subscription-based business.

In the world of IT support, the subscription- based model didn’t exist.  There are many variations when it comes to IT set-ups, so having standardised subscription packages wasn’t possible due to the multitude of IT infrastructure differences. There has also traditionally been a view that your IT provider should be located where your office is based.  We have proved that it isn’t necessary to be in the same office and now support remote offices globally around the clock.

When the pandemic struck earlier this year, it was a huge game-changer for IT. From a business support perspective, everything went remote and companies had to quickly embrace cloud solutions. This was where the idea for WFH IT Support came from, and the offering is tailored to those businesses whose staff can work anywhere. Most businesses now only require PCs, laptops, a core productivity suite (Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace) and top-notch security solutions to protect their data. We support businesses who have adopted modern work practices and who are looking for brilliant value support and safe security solutions.

What do you do differently than most?

Everything about WFH IT Support is easy, and what we’re doing is revolutionary for our sector. Quick online sign-up and onboarding, pricing transparency, 3 plans to choose from with no long-term contracts.

Where would you like WFH IT to be in five years?

We are aiming to support at least 5,000 PCs / Laptops from our client base by 2025, which on the Professional Plan would represent £75,000 a year in donations to Crisis. That is the bare minimum. The business has the potential to take-off globally, but first, we want to prove the model in the UK.

Tell us more about your charity work with Crisis and why you chose this charity to support?

We want to help those without a home.  With unemployment and homelessness increasing rapidly, we looked at the potential of opening 2 soup kitchens to help those in need. However, the paperwork and process involved meant it would take some time to launch, and we would only be able to help a limited number of those in need. We, therefore, decided to partner with Crisis, and to donate 5% of all support plan revenue,  https://wfhitsupport.co.uk/charity/ Through Crisis, we now offer help, to the most vulnerable people, quicker.

In your roles as a founder, what has been the most challenging thing so far?

I think lots of founders/owners experience the same and for me, it’s definitely being able to attract and retain great people. Without our team, there is no business.  To succeed you always need to be the best not only in terms of tech but also in people skills. We have a great team that tick both boxes.

What is your advice for a founder looking to build a new venture during a pandemic? 

Make sure you have a great support network. Being your own boss can be lonely, and in a pandemic even more so. I am extremely lucky to have an extremely supportive business partner.   I also participated in the Goldman Sachs 10K Small Business programme in 2019, so I also have a fantastic group of like-minded entrepreneurs, I can speak to at any time.

What would be your Tech predictions over the next five years?

My crystal ball predicts security will continue to be a huge growth area.  Also, IT training, especially in collaboration solutions, will likely be adopted across all sectors, to maximise staff efficiencies.

Which entrepreneurs do you respect and why?

James Park – founder of Fitbit. He was the first entrepreneur to come up with a hardware + software business model, so in his case the watches and the health monitoring software. He was a pioneer and lots of the technology his team created is now used by many IoT companies.

The Collison Brothers – founders of Stripe. Simply because they’re extremely fearless, their start-up payment services business competes with huge players, and they started it in their teens. It’s a massive company and an incredible story.

What is something you’ve learned that you lean on daily?

Pedro, my business partner (crying as I write this) whom I’ve known since I was 11 years old. He’s brilliant with our people, always makes us laugh and knows a thing or two about IT.