Category: Entrepreneur

I’ve abolished departments at BigChange. There will be no more divisions within my business. Instead, I’m creating teams. Some of these teams will be assembled according to specialty, such as RoadCrew customer service, but others will reach across different areas of the business.

This may seem like pure semantics – a change in name only – but it’s not. Language is important. When you think about departments, you envisage physical walls between different sections of your business. You think of the IT department in one part of a building, and sales over on a different floor. Teams, in contrast, have no boundaries. Teams share a common purpose. Team members support one other and work well with other like-minded groups – that’s why it’s called “teaming up”.

There is good reason for this change. When I started BigChange, we were just a few people working out of a single room in Leeds. Everyone knew everyone, and each win was celebrated by the whole company. Now that we are so much bigger, it is easier for colleagues to operate in silos where the needs of the department feel more important than those of the business as a whole. Departments lead to territoriality. This is the opposite of the culture that I want to foster at BigChange.

By creating teams that are focused on projects, it is easier to build fluidity into the business. People naturally do tasks that they are suited to, rather than just sticking to the typical activities of their department. As a business grows, sometimes people need to move into different roles. A team structure will allow me to make sure that everyone is in the right place at the right time.

The wake up call that prompted me to make the change came earlier this year when a valued colleague decided to leave. She missed the start-up feel of BigChange and, after two years, had become to feel disenfranchised. I never want to encounter that problem again, so I’m focused on implementing new ideas that all people to grow, and unite us all.

The idea of ditching the department and embracing teams isn’t original. I borrowed it from Microsoft. Its unified communications platform is called Microsoft Teams – and I imagine that many clever people and many thousands of dollars went into deciding that brand name. I don’t have millions to spend on a re-branding exercise but I can stand on the shoulders of corporate giants and learn from them.

I announced the change to the structure of BigChange at this week’s huddle. I noticed, even at that meeting, that people were standing with colleagues from their own department. Let’s hope that at future huddles, we’ll see cross-departmental “teams” grouping together instead.

Martin Port
Founder & CEO

I have been in business since I was 11 years old. I started out working for my father, an auctioneer, before growing my own bakery business in my twenties.

Now, aged 56, I run technology start-up BigChange. I don’t know many entrepreneurs who have experience across such varied industries, so I thought it would be a good idea to share all the lessons I’ve learned over the years.

If I can help any other business owner avoid mistakes I’ve made, and help them build on strategies that have worked well for me, then it’s been worth all the hard work putting pen to paper – I’m dyslexic, so it’s not easy for me. The following book is a compilation of blogs I posted on LinkedIn over the past couple of years. They range from management advice to updates about my fast-growing firm to my take on topical issues.

If you take one thing away from this, it’s to place the needs of your people and customers above everything else in business. It is also to appreciate your family and understand the power of your network. I hope that you enjoy my posts – and my unusual take on the world. I truly believe that the best way to get ahead in business and in life is to help others. That’s the ethos behind BigChange, which succeeds only by making others successful.

Click here to download my Blog Book

Martin Port
Founder & CEO

I’m the guy that’s all about face-to-face communication. I am always telling my fellow business owners to get out from behind the screen and go talk to their customers and colleagues.

But I know also how hard it is to make time for those kinds of interactions. So imagine how happy I was when I held the first Network event for BigChange customers (find out more about the network here Join the BigChange Network) and found it to be every bit as useful as I’d hoped.

The event brought together 30 of our customers, and was facilitated by Kevin Keegan OBE, the former England football player manager. He is very business-focused, and did a stellar job creating a feel-good factor in the room. Everyone introduced themselves and their businesses and talked about how their sales have grown since adopting BigChange. It was so validating to hear these stories, and to hear what everyone loves – and what they would change – about our offering.

I can’t reveal the insights that our customers shared about their businesses, because the event took place under Chatham House rules, but I can tell you how these conversations have influenced the future strategy and direction for us. It was, honestly, one of the most valuable interactions I’ve had for a long while.

The new BigChange charter

One of the concerns that customers raised was around trust. How can they trust that if they collaborate with other businesses on our system, the contractor won’t steal that client. There is also the fear that the work might be inferior, or unprofessional. This is why we are looking to introduce a code of conduct, the BigChange charter, to hold users accountable. We are about to hire a Network Director, who will draw up this charter and make sure that all our customers understand the rules of play, in order to get the most out of BigChange and the JobWatch system. I am delighted to tell customers that they can now have absolute trust in our system, because any abuses will lead to special measures. This way, every individual and company on JobWatch can focus on collaborating and growing their revenues with confidence.

The mighty sole trader

To date, BigChange has been focused on working with companies and over the coming year, I was planning to target larger corporations too. But our network event has shown me that we also need to make sole traders a priority as well. The gig economy is enormous, and many of our customers use sole traders and freelancers, so we will be reaching out to more independents. For example, there are currently 150,000 gas engineers in the UK; 75,000 of them are one-man bands. We want them on our network. To help bring companies and sole traders together, our BigChange app – which will launch soon – will act like a modern Yellow Pages, helping businesses and users book jobs with registered and vetted engineers.

Boost the buying power

Procurement is a massive issue for any growing company. You want the best deals, and you want them now. We have 1,000 customers – with combined revenues of £59bn, 142,000 employees, and an average business age of 20 – on our system. That is a lot of buying power. We want to help our customers to club together for deals on everything from insurance to vehicle rental and fuel. It’s the next frontier for JobWatch and will be another major benefit of our collaborative system. It will also be another reason for customers to recommend BigChange to their suppliers, clients and contacts.

These three major changes to BigChange’s business plan have all come out of a single network event. I can’t wait for our future meet-ups. Who knows what I’ll learn next!

Martin Port
Founder & CEO

Meetings are a necessary evil. They take up a lot of time, and can be an excuse for people to talk a lot while saying very little. Yet they remain fundamental to keeping on top of your business’ performance. How else can you share important information with the people who are driving the company forwards?

I have spent a lot of time in meetings, and almost as much time trying to work out how to make meetings more effective. Finally, I think I’ve cracked it.

One of the greatest strengths and the most debilitating weaknesses of the modern age is our ability to collect data on anything and everything. This data is then poured into PowerPoint presentations and delivered, slide after slide, at management meetings.

I’ve lost count of the number of three-hour meetings I’ve sat through, as each person shares their KPIs or whatever other metric is the flavour of the month.

Don’t get me wrong. I understand how crucial it is to collect and analyse data. BigChange is built on the understanding that we will harness customers’ data and use those learnings to improve their efficiency and customer service. But there is a fine line between using data to make smart decisions, and letting data drown those decisions.

Time and time again I see data used as a smokescreen in meetings: a way to prove that someone is aware of a problem, while allowing them to avoid actually thinking of a solution. Individuals will come to a meeting with an agenda as long as my arm, listing 20, or 30, opportunities or problems. The following week, they’re back, touting the same list, with only one or two items completed, and another 10 to add to the pile.

It’s time to stop letting the data manage us and start managing the data.

I have come up with the solution.

1.Exceptional reporting

It is important to review the data but I’m not interested in hearing the numbers unless you’re presenting exceptions. To explain: when you review your bank statement, you’re not interested in the regular outgoings that don’t change month to month – rent, your morning coffee, etc. You are interested in the unusual activity. The big bills that were unexpected. Or the sudden boom in earnings. Those are the details you need to study in order to repeat or avoid a trend. As a business, I want to know if I’m not on forecast. I can’t rewrite the past so I need to know what I must do to avoid x, or make y happen, in the future. Department managers need to review the data and make sure the patient’s heart is beating at right rate, reporting only erratic behaviour.

2.Start the timer

Management meetings must last no longer than an hour. Any more than that and people’s eyes start to glaze over. By setting a time limit, we force everyone to be succinct and to prioritise the issues that are most important. If you don’t raise it in time, you are out of luck.

3.Slash the agenda

Everyone is allowed to promote a maximum of two ideas or things causing them pain. Those issues must be dealt with within an agreed period of time. You can’t raise the next issue until you’ve completed the outstanding tasks. Don’t bring five things to discuss at a meeting because it’s impossible to deal with that volume of problems at once. No company can do that. And then you see people returning with the same problem, again and again, like Groundhog Day. Teams only have a certain capacity to change each week or month, so you can’t hurl millions of ideas their way and expect them to instantly adapt anyway.

This new approach to meetings and data could have huge implications for BigChange. If you complete just one task a week, that’s 50 improvements to the company over the course of a year. That’s huge.

The team here is on board with this new approach and everyone is excited to see whether we can deliver some incredible results. Wish us luck – and share any of your data/meetings hacks in the comments below.

Martin Port
Founder & CEO

People often assume that I am a disruptor and rule-breaker because I’m an entrepreneur. But here’s the thing: I have a huge amount of respect for rules, and have always seen the value in process and order.

When I was a young entrepreneur, I used to be obsessed with the present. How’s business right now? Are we hitting our targets? Have we solved immediate challenges?

But, having built several businesses, and listened (Audio) to hundreds of books on business and entrepreneurship, I’ve learned the error of my ways. To be truly successful, you need to look beyond the now. You need to have a vision.

Your vision is more than a goal or target. It’s an aspiration that seems so far away that you may never get there. It’s a bold plan that most rational people will scoff at, or say is impossible. Crucially though, it’s a vision that has a clear path to achieve it. And you have to believe you can get there within five years.

At BigChange, I decided on my vision very early on. I wanted to create a platform that would allow service and transport companies anywhere to collaborate and win more business.

I knew that it was just the right level of ambitious because when I told people, they either didn’t get it, or told me it wasn’t possible. Yet here I am, just a few years later, and I’m so proud to announce that we have actually achieved that vision.

BigChange JobWatch Network platform is a seamless environment where two companies can work together to win more customers and deliver brilliant service. It enables our users all over the UK – or even the world – to work together on contracts, share work, and find partners. It’s a truly collaborative tool that creates a powerful network effect. Ultimately, it helps other entrepreneurs to be more successful. You can read more about JobWatch here. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/bigchange-collaboration-marketplace-martin-port

This platform was finally launched on Thursday night, and within 48 hours, we had over 50 requests from our customers.

I have realised my vision. It feels amazing.

What happens after all your dreams come true? You have to come up with the next vision, even bigger and bolder than the last.

I want BigChange to become the market leader in our industry, providing the technology that underpins the global service and transport industry. The number one choice for any gig economy business or firm that uses a mobile workforce. Making every economy we work in stronger through innovation and world-class service.

It’s a big ask, but I truly believe that we can do it.

You have to have vision if you want to be successful. Importantly, you have to shout about your vision so that customers, colleagues and partners all buy into that plan and that mission. I have signage all over my offices that explains where we’re going and how we’ll get there. I’ve done that at all of my businesses, and find that it focuses everyone’s mind on the task at hand.

To achieve my new vision, we have to leverage the sole trader. We have to tap into the gig economy. We have to reassure consumers that we will provide them with a better level of service than they’ve experienced before. We need to disrupt our target markets. We also need to create a deeper connection between the work that needs to be done and the order jobs are completed, while boosting efficiency.

All of the world’s most successful companies have vision. If I say, who wanted to build the world’s supreme search engine? Or become the market leader in flat pack furniture? Or build the biggest consumer technology company in the world? I bet you can name all three.

I hope that, in three to five years, I will be able to post that we’ve achieved this latest vision.

In the meantime, please share your vision for your business. Let me see if I can help you on your way.

[email protected]

Martin Port
Founder & CEO

This is going to be a big year for BigChange. The year we expand overseas. The year we double our turnover. The year acquisitions supercharge our growth.

Taking your business to the next level is never straightforward so I’m sharing my three scale-up strategies to help anyone on the same journey.

1. Strategic acquisitions

Many companies tend to wind down over the holiday season but here at BigChange, we had a busy end to the year. We have made our first acquisitions as a company, buying two complementary businesses that will help us double revenues year on year.

The first, Labyrinth Logistics Consulting, is an award-winning supply chain, logistics and compliance consultancy. We also acquired Trace Systems, a creator of fleet, garage and workshop management software, which will be integrated into the BigChange system to make our platform even richer.

These businesses will give BigChange a strategic edge and neither distracts from our core market. We’re still 100% focused on our platform, but these companies will help us deliver an even better service to our customers.

Acquisitions are a great way to scale faster with very little risk. These companies are both small – employing 10 people between them. That means that integration shouldn’t be too difficult.

I have quite a lot of experience acquiring companies now, which means I know how to manage professional fees a bit better without reducing the quality of the advice. Make sure you know when you need to use a lawyer and accountant and when you don’t. If you’re not careful, doing deals can get crazy expensive.

My other tip for acquisitions is to make sure you have a great right hand man. That meant that I wasn’t too distracted from the core business while the deals were being done, and also sped up the process. It took just three weeks from heads of terms being signed for the deals to be done.

2. Go international

We will open our first international office in Paris in February. We decided to create a European operations hub to both take advantage of the weak pound and mitigate Brexit risk.

We have recruited a French national to help expedite the European expansion. Our new VP for Europe, Frederic Dupeyron, will be our man on the ground. I’ve known him for over 10 years: he bought my previous company, Masternaut, so it’s a wonderful twist that he is now coming to work with me at BigChange. There is no substitute for hiring local talent when expanding overseas: they understand cultural differences and tend to be much better at troubleshooting.

France is just the beginning for us. From this launch pad, we will move into Benelux, Germany and the Netherlands. Later this year, we’ll move into the US and Asia. Australia comes next on the international roadmap. We don’t know what’s going to happen with the UK economy over the next few years so having an international outlook is a good way to hedge.

3. Get the basics right

I launched BigChange in 2013 and the company has grown organically since then, which has enabled us to build up our cash reserves. We’ve had to be patient to get to this point, where we can invest in new acquisitions and international growth. Scaling is expensive: we have invested in new acquisitions and a new international team. When you have cash in the bank, you can move quickly to take advantage of new opportunities.

In 2018, we turned over £11m, and – with these acquisitions – we’re on course to hit £23m in 2019 – more than doubling revenues. Profitability will also double, which proves that our growth model works.

It’s really important that we don’t take our eyes off the ball here in the UK as we grow overseas. That’s why we’re investing in more sales and customer service colleagues right here. BigChange will employ 150 people by the end of this year.

As we grow, we also need to make sure everyone is moving in the same direction. This is why I just had a huddle with the team to explain the deals we’ve done, and ensure that everyone understands the transformation plan for this year. It’s important that everyone keeps doing the basics right, and doesn’t get distracted.

These three pillars make up our 2019 scale-up plan. If executed properly, BigChange should be a much bigger company by this time next year. Wish us luck!

Martin Port
Founder & CEO

BigChange collaboration allows companies to allocate jobs to their partners, and it tracks all the paperwork, monitors issues like health and safety, takes care of billing and scheduling, and updates all parties on the progress of the jobs in real time – giving a sense of control and transparency.

Imagine that you run a plumbing company in Scotland. Your local customers love you and want to work with you on a nationwide basis, but you don’t have the resources to take on contracts in Wales or down in London. Through BigChange, you can now collaborate with other plumbing companies in other areas and sub-contract out the work.

I can’t overstate the potential of something like this. Small businesses can act like big companies – at the touch of a screen. They can reach an almost unlimited scale, bolting on other services and growing their empires. Think of the savings in travel costs if you could sub-contract out work at the other end of the country?

Virtual companies could be created, drawing on the expertise of other firms, using their sales and marketing expertise to grow and thrive.

UK businesses could expand overseas using this system – something that many entrepreneurs may find useful post-Brexit. You could find a contractor in Australia for your customer and watch the job being done in real-time.

In the past, collaboration like this has been bogged down in paperwork, email and endless phone calls. The mist falls over Paper Town and it’s hard to know what’s going on. With JobWatch, it’s all clear and paperless, and your partners appear like an extension of your own firm. Your customers even see the same screen if they log into the booking portal to check which jobs have been completed. Your partner company invoices you, and you invoice your customer as usual – all through BigChange.

It’s that easy.

We don’t charge our customers anything extra to collaborate, but we benefit because we believe that the collaboration feature will encourage more customers to join us. That’s the beauty of a business like this: by focusing on making our customers more successful, we succeed too.

If you are interested in receiving more information on how you can expand your network please email [email protected] for more information

Martin Port
Founder & CEO

As this year draws to a close, I’d like to post an update about all we’ve achieved at BigChange in 2018.

Our financial performance

I’m delighted to announce this has been another year of stellar growth for the company. Sales are up by an incredible 65% year-on-year and we now have more than 20,000 active subscribers on our platform.

We signed an impressive £16m-worth of new business contracts this year, which is bang on target. Our lack of customer churn also brings me great satisfaction. We have lost just 1.5pc of of our JobWatch subscriber base in the last 6 years, which proves that we’re consistently delighting clients existing and new. On average, we deliver a return on investment of £15 for every £1 spent.

Our sales performance has landed us some great awards. I was very proud that Bigchange came 49th in the Sunday Times Tech Track this year. We are also one of Deloitte’s Fast 50 yet again, a ranking of the fastest growing technology firms in the UK. As BigChange moves from start-up to scale-up, we’ve also managed to boost profitability by nearly 300% to hit £1.4m.

Charitable work

Building a profitable business has enabled BigChange to make significant charitable donations. We don’t stick to a set figure each year but I like to give a minimum of 10pc of profit to great causes. This year, we managed to do a little better than that: we gave more than £200,000 to charity in 2018.

One of my personal highlights this year was visiting Zambia with Transaid back in March. BigChange is a corporate partner and I visited Serenje, where Transaid is doing life-saving work, improving road safety and facilitating the transport of crucial medicines. Bicycle Ambulances can now get people to medical centres quickly and easily, reducing deaths dramatically.

My time in Zambia reminded me to be grateful for all the blessings we take for granted. The people there live without luxury and yet were some of the happiest individuals I’ve ever met.

I’ve also loved working with racing driver Nic Hamilton on Leaders for Life www.bigchangeapps.com/leadersforlife , an initiative to help encourage road safety across the UK. I’m excited to sponsor him next year, as he moves into the next phase of his racing career.

Our people

We’ve expanded our team by 60pc to hit more than 100 people in 2018. I’ve been so impressed by the calibre of our new recruits, but it’s also important to say that the colleagues who have been with us for years – some since day one – continue to flourish and learn new skills as the company grows. It’s given me immense pleasure to see great people rise through the ranks here. Our office move ensures we have space for many new team members, as we start to work with larger and more complex customers. We have also now appointed a new head of HR, Sonal, who will help us to continue finding and hiring great people in 2019.

The future

The end of the year is a great time to reflect on all we’ve achieved but let me assure you, my feet are firmly on the ground. I’m already looking forward to 2019, and all our bold plans for growth. We’re hoping to hit £25m in new contract wins next year, and we want to invest even more into charitable activities. We’re expanding geographically all the time, and next year hope to announce a new presence in the US and Germany, as well as our operations in France, Israel and Cyprus.

Not all smooth sailing

This has been a tough year for me personally. I lost my mum recently, which hit the whole family very hard. As any entrepreneur will know, it’s hard to grieve when you’re also building a fast-growth company. My wonderful wife and children were a great comfort to me and encouraged me to cut down my working hours, which was the right thing to do. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned this year is that family is precious, and we all need to do more to make sure we’re making time for loved ones.

I was also very sad to hear of the passing of Jayne Gray, the Transaid fundraiser who was tragically killed during a charity bike ride in September. My thoughts are with her family.

A message to our customers and colleagues

I just want to say a massive thank you to all our loyal customers. Your support and feedback has been the secret to our success this year. I see you all as our partners rather than customers. I promise to keep doing all I can to make life easier for you, and help you ditch that inefficient paperwork, and cut down on all your plate spinning. That’s the vision that underpins all we do here at BigChange.

To my incredibly loyal team: where to start? You’ve all gone above and beyond this year, and I’m so proud of all we’ve achieved together. I’m consistently impressed by the way colleagues go the extra mile. Even during tough times, everyone pulls together and treats every challenge as an opportunity to learn and improve. It’s inspiring to be around you all.

And finally, thank you to all of you who have been following my posts on LinkedIn this year. I’ve loved hearing all your comments and feedback. Since I started this blog series, my posts have received more than 3,000 likes and shares. Thank you so much for the ongoing support.

That’s all from me for now. Season’s greetings to you all. Have a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.

Martin Port
Founder & CEO

JobWatch is a revolution. It lets you plan, manage, track and schedule your mobile workforce, without the need for inefficient paperwork. Your people will love it your customers will notice a real difference.

BigChange by name, BigChange by nature. JobWatch will deliver tangible benefits. From reducing the time it takes to raise an invoice to boosting productivity and utilisation, your business will reap a big change to its bottom line. Visit our website

Martin Port
Founder & CEO