After leaving the military at the end of 2008, I started my career in the tech industry, where I quickly progressed and landed a role at a very cool startup, Just Eat. The fast-paced, high-growth environment was unlike anything I had ever experienced before, and I grew tremendously during my time there. Ambition led me to a role at M&S and then a series of consulting roles in larger organizations. As I continued to grow as a technology leader, working at Just Eat sparked something in me and I realized I had a desire to build something myself. I really missed the fast pace and culture of a high growth company.So I decided to start little big techis an IT company focused on working with ambitious young companies where I can leverage my experience and move quickly.
Tell us about your business – what it is, what you aim to achieve, who you work with, how you approach your customers, etc.
Little Big Tech is an outsourcing IT company I co-founded with Conrad Rodrigues for companies that are too small to have an in-house IT team, but still need technology support to operate. We specialize in scaling businesses and love working with entrepreneurial business owners with big plans. Many of our clients come through referrals and previous connections, while others come from networking with entrepreneurs.
How has the business evolved since launching?
When Little Big Tech started in 2021, we knew a lot about technology and how to provide solutions to customers, but we knew very little about sales and marketing. Since then, we have tried and tested many ways to meet the right people. If we do that, they usually want to work with us. We continue to improve in this regard, but we are always looking to improve.
One of the marketing activities we're working on is podcasting. I host a podcast – small big veterans On my company's website because I'm part of a networking group for veteran entrepreneurs. This podcast features interviews I've conducted with veteran entrepreneurs about their journeys from military life to running their own companies. Things are going well so far and we're already in our second season.
We have also invested further in developing our team and internal systems to ensure we can best serve our customers. Customer service and satisfaction are key to our growth plans. In 2023, we will acquire another IT company and integrate it into a new group structure. We are negotiating additional acquisitions this year.
Please tell us about the work culture at Little Big Tech.
We have a very open and trusting culture. Everyone is invested in the success of the company and each other. I take pride in keeping my team aligned towards the goal of making the company successful, and it's also a great place to work. I recently started an initiative where a team member and I would go for a walk and he would chat for 30 minutes about what was going on with the team members. I'm genuinely interested in finding out how they feel and gathering feedback on what they think is going well and where I can improve. Our team is loved by our customers, and it's important to me that all team members know they are valued.
How is it funded?
All operations were self-financed. To get to where we are today, we ended up investing more than we originally planned. But it was well worth it. We have something great that is growing month by month and that's what we wanted to see.
What has been your biggest challenge so far and how did you overcome it?
After about a year in business, we lost our original technical director, which was a huge blow. He's a great guy, but personal commitments prevented him from staying the course. This put us in a predicament for a while. But we were able to hire a great first engineer, and by splitting the work between him and I, we managed to bridge the gap and move everything forward.
How does Little Big Tech answer unmet needs?
There are many small IT companies on the market, but few with our background and experience. My combination of growth mindset and large corporate experience has enabled me to lead a team of inspired people in our work. We don't just sell Microsoft licenses and answer support calls, we solve technical problems for ambitious business owners.
What does the future hold?
The company continues to grow organically and plans to continue making acquisitions. Our plan is to keep everything as a boutique company rather than combining them all into one big IT company. There's something really valuable about the very personal relationships that you often find in small IT companies, and we want to maintain that. But at the same time, we believe we can still leverage and intend to bring in the sophistication and resources of a larger company, including being able to provide access to high-level experts across the group if needed.
What advice would you give to other founders or future founders?
As you build your team, make sure the people you add buy into your vision of where you want the company to go. Otherwise, they will be holding you back. If you don't have a clear vision of where you want your company to go, work on it before you hire someone.
And finally, a more personal question. What is your daily routine or rule currently?
Most days, I drop my wife off at the station so she can go to work, and I take the kids to school. When you get home, enjoy your morning coffee and check your urgent emails. I run a morning standup with my team to set the focus for the day and address issues. The day is then divided into meetings with clients, suppliers, and project work.
Nick Haley is the founder little big tech.
