{"id":10955,"date":"2015-09-06T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-09-07T03:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.wework.com\/?p=10955"},"modified":"2020-03-30T18:28:06","modified_gmt":"2020-03-30T22:28:06","slug":"making-things-supporting-people-says-10to8-founder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/making-things-supporting-people-says-10to8-founder","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s not about making things\u2014It\u2019s about supporting people, says 10to8\u2019s founder"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n

For Tom Playford, co-founder of UK-based 10to8<\/a>, the path was clear. A native of Cambridge, England, Playford was raised in the milieu of entrepreneurship. His friends are fellow entrepreneurs, so it\u2019s no surprise he followed suit after working at a couple of startups. \u201cIt\u2019s always been clear, and it\u2019s always been something I enjoyed,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

But if he were to describe his job, Playford would call himself an engineer more than anything. \u201cI like solving problems, like all entrepreneurs, but I find the business elements frustrating. Building the product is more exciting to me\u2014but I also like building teams, so it\u2019s not all about the gadgetry.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u2019s reflected in the startup\u2019s pithy name.<\/p>\n

Its customer base ranges from what are known colloquially in the UK as \u201cone-man bands\u201d to groups within larger companies, but most of 10to8\u2019s users are small businesses.<\/p>\n

Playford says he was inspired to address \u201cthe failure to use modern technology to tackle a problem in a way that\u2019s useful to people,\u201d namely, the problem of efficiency within small businesses, especially service-based ones. \u201cI noticed that it\u2019s solvable so I thought, why not give it a shot?\u201d<\/p>\n

He attributes the success of 10to8 to the usefulness of the service it provides. \u201cIt saves our clients money and time, that\u2019s the major thing. Once people use it they stick with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also key to the startup\u2019s growth was the support staff, which Playford says does an excellent job helping customers and out-performing people\u2019s expectations. It\u2019s one of the reasons why 10to8, which originated in Cambridge, made the move to the busy streets of London. \u201cCambridge 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Playford says that as his company grew, he realized that \u201conce you get bigger, it\u2019s not about making things, it\u2019s about supporting people\u2014learning how to help people, run teams and keep people motivated and happy.\u201d And considering that helping people is at the core of 10to8\u2019s philosophy, it\u2019s no wonder that 10to8 has had success in extending that philosophy both internally within the company as well as outward to its clients.<\/p>\n

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. \u201cWhat comes naturally is designing and building things; it\u2019s remaining focused on other elements that\u2019s a challenge. It\u2019s important not to get too narrow in your focus,\u201d Playford says.<\/p>\n

Despite all the challenges that may appear, Playford encourages all entrepreneurs to pursue their aspirations. \u201cI\u2019ve learned more now than I learned in nearly all my education combined.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"20141016<\/a><\/p>\n

Photographs by Lauren Kallen<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1399,"featured_media":10957,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43902],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-professional-development"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIt\u2019s not about making things\u2014It\u2019s about supporting people, says 10to8\u2019s founder<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There are many different paths to a startup. 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