5 Minutes with Andrew Ardron at ProspectSoft Ltd
Andrew started up ProspectSoft Ltd during university, and in a similar fashion to Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook founders) he gave up university to work on his business. Over the last few years he has built the business up to dyanamic enterprise employing around 50 staff, including an army of placement students.
1. How many hours do you work per week?
About 50 – I do a regular days work, put the kids to bed, sometime cook dinner to unwind and then head back to the laptop from about 8 or 9 pm until 11 or 12pm. Although with a young family, my Golden Rule is no work while the kids are awake at weekends.
2. What is your proudest achievement as an entrepreneur?
When I sell for £100M – that will be my proudest moment. Until then, it’s difficult to pick anything in particular out – although I am very proud of our placement programme and how many young would-be entrepreneurs we have attracted to our business and brought back after their placements to make major contributions to our growth. The constant stream of top quality placements returning to our team after their degree is one of the major factors driving our growth.
3. What is the best freebie you have ever been given?
Our graphic designers always send out do-it-yourself cocktail kits near Christmas – I am looking forward to getting this year’s shortly.
4. What are the sacrifices you made starting up your own business?
I gave up my degree part way through – not that I feel the need for a degree now, but having invested two years and two weeks in trying to get one from Durham University I would have liked something to show for it.
5. What are the best and worst decisions you have made?
Best decision was to start my own business and avoid working for someone else. Worst decision was to start a business in something that I am an expert in – sounds weird but I too often get drawn into our software, what it does, how it works etc when I should be focussing on running the business (not the product) – my advice for anyone is to decide if you are a technician or an entrepreneur – and partner with someone who you trust 100% and can fill the other role so that you don’t do both.
6. Is there any particular piece of technology you cannot survive without?
Mobile phone and hands free kit – driving to and from meetings is about the only time I get to actually talk to customers, suppliers and partners.
7. What advice would you give to a student who is interested in starting up their own business?
Do it. Don’t wait out the recession. Do it now while you don’t mind living at home.
8. When are ProspectSoft going to be bigger than Microsoft?!
In all our targeted sectors we already are ! It is now just a case of picking another sector, then another and kicking them into touch bit by bit.
9. What do you eat for breakfast?
Toast with real butter, no jam, black coffee.
If you are interested in working for ProspectSoft click here.
