Fifteen years after he sold his Renault 5 for £1,000 to set up his own business, a Welsh entrepreneur has finally treated himself to a new car: a black Lamborghini. Rob Dance can be forgiven his indulgence: he's built up his company ROCK into one of the UK's largest technology consultancies which is set to turnover £10m this year.
With its HQ in Bridgend, ROCK has grown to well over 100 employees and Rob is hoping their next move will put them on the global scale with plans to get listed with Nasdaq. It's certainly a long way away from his early days in business which saw him set up in his parents' garage in Cowbridge.
Although he left school after his GCSEs because he didn't really find any of the subjects interesting enough, Rob was full of passion for innovation and improving. His childhood was full of building rockets, taking part radios and tinkering with computers, just to see how things worked. "That's probably where my thirst for problem solving and innovation came from," he said. "That's probably why I wanted to set up my own business. School wasn't really for me, the subjects didn't really appeal to me."
Still just a teenager, Rob went travelling for a bit before heading home and found a job locally fixing computers. Resolutely set on setting up his own business, he decided he probably needed to get a degree and so he graduated with a first class honours in business before setting up his one-man IT solution business in his childhood playroom.
He was 25, it was 2008 and the credit crunch was in full swing. Even so, the business was an immediate success thanks to an innovative USP: "We were one of the first companies to offer unlimited IT support for one flat monthly fee," Rob said. Companies were desperate to keep costs down, and ROCK "massively rocketed".
ROCK says on its website that it "provides customer-centric solutions to the world most complex technology challenges". What does that actually mean, I ask. Essentially, they offer IT support to businesses, he explained, helping them adopt new technology and set up things like cyber security.
Rob and his team quickly outgrew the garage and he moved ROCK into proper offices, in part because one thing Rob is passionate about is providing a fun workplace to attract the best talent. He's a self-confessed workaholic too - he reckons he's had just 20 days of annual leave in the first 14 years.
Initially people didn't take him seriously: "When we got our first office the landlord didn't expect us to be in business for very long and asked us to pay on a weekly basis," he said. But Rob proved them all wrong, taking on 30 new staff members in the first 18 months and doubling turnover every year. His rapid expansion saw ROCK listed in the Fast Growth 50 for five years running: "To be recognised as one of the top-50 in Wales, that's when you realise there's something big going on," said Rob.
At first, it was all about customer satisfaction and the team would write out positive feedback on bits of paper and stick them up on the wall: "Success was about those pieces of paper on the wall," said Rob. But on a trajectory to turnover £10m this year and a place on the shortlist for the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, Rob can pat himself on the back. Not that he's particularly good at sitting down and reflecting on how far he's come, he admitted.
"You come up with an idea and I just just had that passion to give it a go," he said. "I started my business with £1,000 from selling my Renault 5. I still take risks today, you don't want to be held back by worrying too much. I look at things as opportunities rather than risks."
His team is important to him and Rob says they are "exceptional". Creating a positive working environment is a big motivating factor for Rob and he's quick to praise their dedication and skills.
While ROCK has had a record-breaking couple of years, Rob has had ups and downs in his personal life to deal with. He lost his dad two years ago and his first child, Leo, was also born. Losing his father has made him reflect more, he admitted, while Leo provides "lots of motivation for the future".
Now aged 40, he's still someone who always looks forward, eager for the next project and opportunity. But he realises that his son will grow up quickly: "I've started to think more about the future and I need to be with my son more," he said. "You don't get that time back."
His work ethic is undoubtedly strong, bordering on the obsessive: "I work every day," he admitted. That constant striving to move forward is also evident in his down time: he's an "avid" gym goer and is regimented with his meals. "I think the gym is really aligned to business," he said. "It's about goal setting and motivation and progress."
His Lamborghini is perhaps is guiltiest pleasure. He loves cars but thought long and hard about the purchase, wondering if he had enough time to even drive it. "But after 15 years and a record-breaking year it felt like the right time to treat myself," he said. It's still so new, he won't take it out in the rain but said it was a "thrill" to drive despite being "a little bit cringeworthy".
Despite his hard-earned success, he's not a flashy person. When people asks what he does for a living he simply tells them he works for an IT company. He's massively underselling himself: Rob has achieved 32% jobs growth and 30% revenue growth in the last 12 months with turnover soaring to £10 million. Still he plans to increase that to £20m over the next two years.
Plus, the team a re working to launch a new product across the world that will "challenge the way people run their businesses". He's aiming to get listed on the Nasdaq in the US by 2026.
He's reached that age where he wants to start giving back, Rob explained. That means helping the next generation of entrepreneurs and he has plans to launch a campaign designed to support 10 aspiring entrepreneurs by providing them with £1,000 and any necessary guidance to establish a business that generates a turnover of ten million within three years. He's nothing if not ambitious.
But thereon lies the problem, said Rob. "It's about just getting started," he said. "People have great ideas but they never get started with it. If you've got a good idea, just give it a go.
"I formed ROCK in 2008 with just £1,000 in the bank, selling my Renault 5 and transforming my childhood playroom into a one-man IT solution. Today, we have evolved into a company that employs the best and brightest minds in the industry, driven by the belief that technology is a powerful tool for positive change, but it's our people who truly make the difference."
