There are many different paths to a startup. Some people study computer science in college, others randomly enter a hackathon, and some people just happen to have friends with good ideas who need a helping hand and business acumen.
For Tom Playford, co-founder of UK-based 10to8, the path was clear. A native of Cambridge, England, Playford was raised in the milieu of entrepreneurship. His friends are fellow entrepreneurs, so it’s no surprise he followed suit after working at a couple of startups. “It’s always been clear, and it’s always been something I enjoyed,” he says.
But if he were to describe his job, Playford would call himself an engineer more than anything. “I like solving problems, like all entrepreneurs, but I find the business elements frustrating. Building the product is more exciting to me—but I also like building teams, so it’s not all about the gadgetry.”
So what has Playford built? His startup, 10to8, is a communication system that allows businesses to streamline their communication with clients and organize your operations with efficiency. It cuts costs and saves time, a benefit that’s reflected in the startup’s pithy name.
Its customer base ranges from what are known colloquially in the UK as “one-man bands” to groups within larger companies, but most of 10to8’s users are small businesses.
Playford says he was inspired to address “the failure to use modern technology to tackle a problem in a way that’s useful to people,” namely, the problem of efficiency within small businesses, especially service-based ones. “I noticed that it’s solvable so I thought, why not give it a shot?”
He attributes the success of 10to8 to the usefulness of the service it provides. “It saves our clients money and time, that’s the major thing. Once people use it they stick with it.”
Also key to the startup’s growth was the support staff, which Playford says does an excellent job helping customers and out-performing people’s expectations. It’s one of the reasons why 10to8, which originated in Cambridge, made the move to the busy streets of London. “Cambridge is a prettier city and has a better pace of life, but for business London is better. There are just more people, and as a result recruiting is faster and easier.”
Playford says that as his company grew, he realized that “once you get bigger, it’s not about making things, it’s about supporting people—learning how to help people, run teams and keep people motivated and happy.” And considering that helping people is at the core of 10to8’s philosophy, it’s no wonder that 10to8 has had success in extending that philosophy both internally within the company as well as outward to its clients.
For an engineer, a professional problem solver, the challenge that presented itself in the process of pursuing his own venture was one of broadening his concentration. “What comes naturally is designing and building things; it’s remaining focused on other elements that’s a challenge. It’s important not to get too narrow in your focus,” Playford says.
Despite all the challenges that may appear, Playford encourages all entrepreneurs to pursue their aspirations. “I’ve learned more now than I learned in nearly all my education combined.”
Photographs by Lauren Kallen