Role: IT Director / Business Owner
Company: P2V Systems
Track Record: Being able to apply the experience gained in previous employment roles help Stephen McCann realise his aspirations to start his own company.
Give a brief outline of your career to date.
I’ve now been working in the IT industry for 19 years, within both the private and the public sectors. My career in IT really took off when I took a job within the Seatem Group as their Group IT Manager. After seven years it was time for a change and I started working for a local government department as an IT Consultant. I always had aspirations to start my own company and in 2008 I took the leap to form P2V Systems. P2V Systems specialises in Cloud Solutions and Managed Services.
What was your favourite subject at school?
I really enjoyed Geography but by the time I was 18 I had developed an interest in IT and the rest is history.
Did you go on to further/higher education, if so what did you study and where?
No. I attended a college in Belfast called Mari which specialised in the practical elements of IT, such as Networks and Cabling. This involved working four days per week and training one day a week. Within a year I had a job in Keith Prowse which was a company within the Seatem Group. After five years I progressed to group IT manager and the lack of higher education was no longer an issue. However, I would always recommend that young people pursue further education as the opportunities I had are rarely available.
How did you get into your area of work?
When you start your own company you’re the managing director by default, but you’re also the cleaner! From an IT perspective, it was an area that always appealed to me and after time I also developed an interest in the business and commercial aspects. The prompt to start the business came in part as a result of circumstances. I moved into IT Consultancy for BT and Fujitsu after Keith Prowse closed its operation in Belfast. Having accumulated a good range of IT skills and experience by that point, I was confident I could make a real success of starting my own business. I’m a strong believer that if you have a vested interest in something you can be successful at it. It just takes time and hard work.
Is this what you always wanted to do?
Computers became an interest when I was 16 and by the time I turned 18 I was hooked. Now 19 years later this is even more so the case. Being able to apply the experience gained in previous employment roles to realise my early aspirations of starting my own company has resulted in me being fortunate to be doing a job I love and something I had always hoped to achieve.
Were there any particular essential qualifications or experience needed?
A degree helps but experience rules. If you want to work within IT you have to be prepared to learn and adapt. IT is constantly evolving so the learning curve can be steep. In reality you can’t keep up with it all but if you focus on one area and become an expert you will do well. As a managing director you wear many hats but a strong understanding of sales, marketing, finance and of course operations all help.
Are there alternative routes into the job?
The routes that lead to becoming a managing director can vary. Those that have worked their way up through a company will have a unique insight into what needs to be changed or improved. You also have the option of holding a senior position within another company and waiting for the opportunity to come up.
What are the main personal skills your job requires?
Focused analytical and problem solving skills are key.
What does a typical day entail?
There’s no such thing. I will of course plan my day, week and month but you can’t plan for the unexpected. My days usually include multiple meetings with the team, key accounts and business strategy and development. Travel overseas also plays a key role and in the past 12 months I visited the Middle East, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, the Netherlands and Toronto. Every day is different but that’s something I love about my job.
What are the best and most challenging aspects of the job?
I love working with my team and I’ve worked really hard to find them. It’s very rewarding to watch people grow and develop their skills and that benefits the company overall. We have experienced steady growth over the years and now have 17 members of staff. We’ve come a long way. The biggest challenge is managing staff but I’m lucky to have such a great team.
Why is what you do important?
Not every business knows what they need from their IT or how to go about getting it. As we provide a wide range of IT services, we take away the ambiguity surrounding this and enable our customers to get what they need from their IT – all with the convenience of this being delivered and managed by one provider. We see ourselves as our customer’s ‘IT Partner’ helping shape their IT to their requirements and business needs. If they are more successful, we are more successful.
What advice would you give anyone looking to follow a similar career path?
From an IT perspective, don’t wait on anyone telling you what you need to learn or study. Pick an area or subject that interests you and become the expert. If you’re interested in something, it’s much easier to learn. It’s there for the taking and you just need to go out and get it.
If you weren’t doing this what would you like to do?
When I was younger I liked the idea of working for a large multi-national. I feel very lucky though as I’ve been able to build a business that works with these large organisations now, giving me the best of both worlds. I was fortunate enough to know from an early age what I wanted to do, and was able to set myself goals around that and work towards them.
What is the one piece of advice you would give to yourself on your first day?
Surround yourself with the best people possible, as fast as possible.
Describe your ideal day off.
Getting out and about with the family. Ideally a day at the beach and as long as it’s not raining I’ll be happy!
And finally, what’s the key to any successful job search?
Stand out from the crowd with a great CV that is well formatted and interesting. Know everything you possibly can about the company and person you are interviewing for. This always impresses me and makes a person memorable. Dress to impress and don’t be afraid to ask questions relevant to the company and position.