Welcome to our series, 'Meet the entrepreneur', where we sit down with founders, CEOs and the like and get to know the person behind the business.
Today, we spoke with the fantastic Stephen Repton, Founder of Flowlio.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about the business?
Stephen: Flowlio helps the people we work with to deliver successful projects.
I wanted to make projects simple by sharing my experience and knowledge to help develop skills. At the same time, I wanted to provide businesses with the assurance that their projects were providing the best possible outcomes for their internal teams and customers through a solution that brings everything into one place.
Q: What is your Monday morning routine to get you in the mood for a successful week?
Stephen: My weeks blur into one and every Monday is hugely different, but my one constant is a coffee in my garden before the day starts and a 20-minute walk to get the endorphins going. Being outside in the sunshine in my garden gives me time to think creatively... I love it!
Q: What is your favourite podcast to listen to or book to read for business advice?
Stephen: If you ever find me reading a book, it's usually on a plane or sitting on a beach and if I’ve got my headphones on I’ll be listening to my favourite music.
My preferred way to learn about business is either YouTube or by watching other entrepreneurs on Netflix docs. I’m inspired by people who build successful businesses and use that gift to improve the lives of others.
Q: How do you navigate the digital world as an entrepreneur?
Stephen: It can be a busy place running not one business, but two. My friends and family are the most important things in my life, they keep me grounded and allow me to look at things in different ways. I always give 150% to my work (I always have) but my weekends are important to me. They help me reflect, recharge and think of new ideas. My brain never stops and I’m always thinking about how we can take Flowlio to the next level using things like AI, and machine learning.
Q: What is your best IT infrastructure advice to other entrepreneurs when getting their business started?
Stephen: I would say don’t underestimate the amount of work and due diligence needed, to make sure you have the best hosting platform and resiliency for your solution, not just now but well into the future. Research all costs, and plan well ahead to account for how the platform will need to scale as your business grows.
Q: What are your biggest challenges as an SME and how have you overcome them?
Stephen: It's not easy starting a new business and there are always growing pains. Make sure you have the right people around you, with the right skills and who always support you and share the load. People are everything in business and it's important to work with people who share your vision and who can bring different ideas. Work with technical specialists who are experts in their field, don’t try and do it yourself and take on an infrastructure/ICT admin overhead that becomes a full-time job.
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