Your Total Guide To business

TGtB Meets...Brett Raynes

Following September 11th's glittering Bath Chronicle Business Awards 2014 held at Bath Racecourse, we caught up with Businessperson of The Year and founder of Cloud Direct Brett Raynes...

Congratulations on your win! Tell us a little bit about your business?

Since I founded Cloud Direct in Bath in 2003, we’ve freed 4,000 small-medium organisations from the risks and complexities of working with multiple IT vendors. How? We pre-package cloud technologies into simple industry solutions so our customers can get exactly what they want from IT quickly and safely – all from the one place.

So our customers avoid the risk and hassle of having to integrate their systems will several different suppliers – and all the time-draining admin that comes with that. Instead, they get set up quickly, with one monthly bill and a 24/7 support team.

Cloud Direct is ISO 270001 accredited for top security, and we’re Investors in People – Gold.

What does winning this award mean for you and your company?

I have to admit that I was a very reluctant entrant! But I took one for the team, we entered, and I’m happy now for us all that I got my arm twisted. Winning the award is a real thrill and a great thing for the business.

It feels good to have support for the hard work we’re all doing with our people, our customers, our suppliers and our region.

And the awards ceremony itself was full of great people doing great things. It was a really fun, inspirational evening forging new bonds and rekindling old ones.

Why do you think you won?

I’d like to think that it was for my fabulous looks - but then I suppose the other entrants (two fair-faced females) would’ve outdone me by a fair few furlongs!

But seriously, this is a difficult question to answer, so with the utmost of humility I shall say that I’d like to think that somewhere along the way it leverages on my attitude. I have a life mantra that I like to share with people I work and play with.

It’s this: ‘more is in you’.

So whether you’re looking for business funding so you can grow your business and recruit more people in the area, or competing in an endurance sport for fund-raising, or if you simply want to create something that makes IT easier for small businesses – ‘more is in you’ that can make that happen.

How are you planning to celebrate your victory?

We had a few cheeky ones at The Tramshed, where we have our offices on Walcot Street, and then did a pretty good job of celebrating it at our company away day and party in London on Friday. We had a few things to celebrate. As well as this great award, we’ve secured three lots of funding (£2.74 million) to really push the company into a new era. We’re on a big recruitment drive in Bath, and we’re also looking to acquire two companies in London.

So we absorbed all that with a work session at the In and Out Club on St James’s Square then swallowed it down with a few cocktails and dinner at Ham Yard in Soho. We had a lot of fun.

Business is clearly booming, why do you think so many people visit Bath?

If not for the great steaks at Hudson’s and the beauty of the environment, then for the creative minds that Bath and the southwest attract. It’s great to see the increase in collaboration among businesses and individuals in the area. This is our business base, and we use as many suppliers from the area as we possibly can – and we’re usually more than happy with the outcomes.

What's your favourite thing about Bath and why?

Have I mentioned the steaks at Hudsons?! OK then, maybe it’s how easy it is to take yourself and your laptop out of the office, when you’re looking for some calm or some serene inspiration, and go somewhere for a coffee - knowing it’ll be a really great coffee, great service and beautiful scenery.

Tell us a little bit about the role that you play within the business?

I founded Cloud Direct in Bath back in 2003 and handed over the MD reins to our head of business, Eliza Rawlings, earlier this year. Now I’m responsible for funding, acquisitions and marketing strategy.

When I started the business, I wanted to help smaller businesses grow and thrive, by freeing them from the pain and cost of IT. That was before the term ‘cloud’ was on the lips of most people. I’m happy to say, that so far we’ve done that with 4,000 customers. Now we’re looking at the support of some of the UK’s leading tech investors. We even got crotcheting (well, honestly, my butter fingers and I didn’t – but lots of others did!) to support the Kids Company during Bath in Fashion week.

I’m also the one who coerces people into running stupid events more than they might want to, and am arranging some whisky tasting at The Independent Spirit of Bath on Bog Island this month. Guess which one’s easier to muster!

What advice would you give to someone looking to succeed in your industry?

As with any business venture, I’d advise them to do three things: