HAVE LUNCH WITH... DANIEL BUMBY HEADLINE PLEASE

unLTD’s Joseph Food grabs a bite with Daniel Bumby, Managing Director at Simoda, to discuss his journey into IT, the importance of taking risks when building a successful company and how he manages to makes his ADHD diagnosis work for him in business.

sits down, we all talk about what we’ve done, what’s gone well, what could have gone better, and how everybody’s feeling. And then we’ll have a beer.

What’s your average day-to-day routine look like?

Tell me a bit about your journey into doing what you do today?

Let me see. After leaving college 20-odd years ago, I was going to go to university to do music management – I’m now actually a music producer as well as my day job – but the lack of money in it was an issue, which meant I ended up with a part-time job at the post office for two years. After that, I worked at Norwich Union selling car insurance, and then a job came up on the sales team at Insight – a local IT firm. My dad worked in IT, and I thought to myself, ‘I’m never getting into that’! However, I went for the interview, got the job, and eventually got headhunted to help set up an eCommerce business before moving to another local IT provider, Highlander, where I had great success building their sales team up, followed by another year and a half another technology provider called Millgate.

What inspired you take the plunge and set up your own firm?

I just started to think that I needed to do a shift at it myself. Despite my background being more commercially focused, I’ve always been heavily into technology. As well as that, I had a a clear idea of what should happen with a technology business. The big dysfunctional problem I’ve always seen is that the sales team often don’t work with the technical, as the former is essentially more interested in targets, not about what they were selling, and the customer gets a more honest, genuine experience.

How has that approach paid off?

Really well. It’s taken a while to get to where we are now, but by the end of this financial year, we should achieve £9 million turnover. We view how we do it as a more collaborative structure; nobody particularly owns a specific account, so anyone can work on it, and we’ll direct the customer to the best person to deliver the best solution. Selling is part of what our commercial team do, but it’s more about managing customer relationships and getting the right solutions in place.

The plan when we first set the business up was, let’s build up some investment – and it’s all selffunded, so I’d been living on beans on toast for years – then we did some projects with the NHS during COVID, helping to set up the IT for vaccination centres and doctors working remotely, which went really well in terms of service and delivery. We reinvested the money from that right back in, getting the right people in and paying the right amount to take bonuses off the table as an objective so they can focus on the job. That’s the approach we’ve taken the whole way through.

You weren’t tempted to perhaps sit on that money for a rainy day?

Risk is part of business; it’s what we’ve got to do. Of course, they’re always calculated risks, but I do believe that if you’re going to fail fast, fail forward. If it doesn’t work, so something else. Fortunately, with the people and experience we’ve got onboard, it’s worked out well for us.

What about the office culture at Simoda? What values do you promote?

Well, one of our values is encouraging what we call healthy conflict. That basically means that if we believe is something needs saying, we’ll say it. We believe that everyone should be able to voice an opinion; but don’t just give me a problem, let’s hear a solution, too. Making sure that people are able to communicate effectively is important.

Every Friday, between half-past three and four o’clock, we’ll have a review of the week. Everybody www.simoda.co.uk

I usually get in about half-past eight, have my coffee, have a walk around and see if everyone’s alright. Then I’ll jump on emails. I’ve got what you call a default diary, which is structured to certain things I’ve got to do on certain days. So that might be anything from checking the accounting system to doing the reporting for sales, but I have to stick with that structure each day. I’ll then always check in with Jason, our commercial director; Lee, our technology director; John, our services director; and Mia, our accountant.

It sounds like basic things, but they are things I can’t not do. I was diagnosed with ADHD about 12 years ago, so I’m very much a list person. They’re all divided into specific sections, but what I do that day HAS to be on that list. My desk also has loads of fidget toys on it. I’ve managed to be successful with my ADHD, almost using it to my advantage. One thing people with ADHD people can do well is hyperfocus on things that are interesting to them, so I’ve been able to learn a lot of important things on the job, so to speak. Another way I’ve made it work is by bringing in people that can do the things that I can’t do so well. I’ve been able to even things out.

I did a blog on my diagnosis on the website a while ago, and I got loads of people commenting and sending me positive messages saying it was helpful and inspiring to read. I’m not ashamed to talk about it, and if seeing how coping mechanisms and making it work for you in business can help other people out, then that’s great.

Simoda are a scale-up technology business based in the wonderful steel city of Sheffield. They help business leaders and IT teams solve business issues, address business challenges and achieve business objectives through technology products, solutions and services as a trusted advisor.

WHERE WE ATE: CUBANA

For over 20 years now, Cubana has been at the top of the tapas game in Sheffield – and for good reason, too. From the moment you step inside the Leopold Square venue, the vibrant setting and warm hospitality transports you into the heart of Havana (or as close as you’re realistically going to get in South Yorkshire).

UnLTD chose the venue for our business lunch last month as we considered the well-established venue a safe bet for both quality and atmosphere. Thankfully, we felt justified on both counts as we sank into the ambience and browsed their set tapas menu (two dishes for £11.95 or £5 off any set menu until 6pm, Mon-Fri).

One of the standout dishes I couldn’t get enough of was the ‘Pollo y Chorizo.’ The succulent chicken breast pieces and Spanish chorizo sausage were expertly cooked in a creamy tomato and paprika sauce. The sauce had a rich and velvety texture, complementing the tender chicken and adding a hint of smokiness from the chorizo. The dish was elevated by the addition of sliced red peppers, providing a burst of freshness and a colourful touch.

Another highlight was the renowned ‘Albóndigas’, Cubana’s famous meatballs made with fresh minced beef and coriander, served in a tantalizing tomato sauce. The meatballs were incredibly tender and flavourful, with a perfect balance of herbs and spices.

For seafood lovers, the ‘Gambas Pil Pil’ is an absolute must-try. The pan-fried tiger prawns were perfectly cooked and delicately flavoured with garlic and a touch of chili adding a delightful kick to the dish. Every bite was a burst of succulence and the prawns melted in my mouth.

The ‘Pincho de Pollo’ was another favourite. The grilled chicken breast pieces were marinated with garlic, cumin and paprika and served skewered, resulting in a medley of aromatic flavours and not too heavy on the stomach. The perfect lunchtime treat!

Finally, the ‘Chorizo y Huevo con Patatas’ provided a comforting and indulgent experience. The crispy potatoes sautéed with chorizo were a perfect match for the free-range egg on top, with the richness of the egg beautifully complementing the smoky chorizo and the crispy potatoes adding a satisfying crunch.

20 years strong and showing no sign of slowing down, Cubana continues to reign supreme when it comes to authentic tapas in an unbeatable setting.