the workspace peopleHere at Flexioffices, we've helped small start-ups as well as major brands find the most suitable office space for them. We recently had a chat to Andrew Mendoza, co-founder of EnVirtual and one of Flexioffices' clients, about his business, his inspiration and his tips for success.
Andrew Mendoza, co-founder of EnVirtual
Andrew studied the classics – Latin and Greek – and just a quarter of a century ago would never have thought that in 25 years' time he would be working on a tech start-up. Especially when he started his career in blue chip corporate strategy consulting. Andrew is now a board member of several businesses within the digital content and technology sector.
Hi Andrew! Tell us a little bit about you and your business...
EnVirtual – which was founded in 2013 – is a UK-based technology company focused exclusively on cloud technologies and software-as-a-service for industry-specific enterprise software. All six co-founders have extensive experience in information technology, software engineering and cloud computing within blue chip companies in a variety of sectors and their combined industry experience spans over 150 years.
What inspired you to start your own business?
A huge wave of change within the technology sector. Many companies needed lots of help to take their software programmes to the next level – whether that was moving to the cloud or developing a new software programme. It’s a really exciting time for us and we are pleased that we are able to help establish the UK as a technology centre and London as a hub for skilled and credible software providers.
At what point did you decide that it was time to move into an office space?
For the first two months, we were borrowing office space and using coffee bars for meetings, right up until we landed a contract with a major client. That’s when we decided to contact Flexioffices to help us find a central office location in London that would be convenient to travel to for our clients based up North and our founders based in the South.
What are the benefits to your business of using serviced office space?
The flexibility and hassle-free nature of serviced office space is the main benefit for us. It has meeting rooms, a receptionist, and we don’t have to worry about utility bills etc. When we wanted a new round meeting table, we got one. When we asked for blinds, we got some.
What has been the most difficult obstacle you have faced so far?
We're a fast-growing company and are finding it hard to recruit good people quickly enough. We are currently recruiting for technical architects, developers and project managers. We are building a team of software engineers, testers, release managers and experienced service managers, so if you're interested or know of anyone who fits the bill please do get in touch!
What has been the biggest lesson you've learnt since starting your business?
Getting started rather than just talking about it is the biggest lesson learnt.
What has been your biggest success to date?
We landed a very large global company as our first client. They were frustrated with their then current supplier and we were in the right place at the right time.
What’s the best business advice you've been given that you’d like to share?
Keep an eye on your cash flow and cash flow projections!
Are you an entrepreneur with a business story to share? Get in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook or Google+. We'd love to hear from you!
