The Business Bulletin
Spotllight on…
Spotlight on Ashish Kumar Ashish runs a successful software development company offering bespoke software at affordable prices for small business owners. Here he shares his business journey and what makes him tick!
You came over to this country a few years back. I think you’ve told this story before, but I’m quite interested
You need to know how to bring people in the doors and what to do with them to make them a satisfied customer and maintain them.
for you to share it with people. So things didn’t quite go according to plan did they, when you first arrived in England? Yes. I’m from India. I came here, not from India, but from East Africa - a country called Tanzania. I was working there for around three and a half years. From there, we came here on September 2007. One of my friend’s friends was supposed to come and pick us up and he didn’t turn up. We were not sure where to go, so that was a scary feeling. We went to a Travellodge and from there, they said, “You have to go to an estate agent.” At the estate agent,
but I always worked in a small
beginning to the end, I was always
they asked me about utility bills and
company. Always in software
involved with everything. That gave
references. I said, “I don’t know anybody
companies. Not in very big multi-
me confidence - because that’s what
in this country.” I had money, so I gave
national businesses where you don’t
you need if you run your own business.
them six months rent in advance and
know what’s happening with other
You need to know how to bring
that’s how everything started. It was
departments. I always worked with
people in the doors and what to do
a rocky start because I had no driving
around 25 to 45 people in a company
with them to make them a satisfied
license, no car, and had to travel by
- so quite a reasonable size. Because of
customer and maintain them. So that
bus. Everything was new and, on top of
that, I tended to know how the clients
drove me and my wife in the direction
that, an 11-months old child!
were being introduced to the business,
of starting something of our own.
what their requirements were, how Was it always the plan to start a
the software development cycle goes
So you’ve got quite an interesting
software business or how did that
along and how we could provide
model. What’s your approach and
come about?
them with the available support and
how do you overcome anybody that’s
Well, I don’t know whether it is a
everything.
hesitant with using offshore services?
blessing in disguise or something,
So, in other words, right from the
When I used to work for other
Issue 7 – Operations and Resources | 35
