Powering up Rocket CRM
Creating technology systems fuelled by honesty, quality and integrity
In conversation with Iain Wicks
I worked as a chef for years before I entered the world of IT. My business partner, Kyle, also had a background in the hospitality industry.
We met while working together as consultants for a company that was selling CRM systems. After a few years of working together, we decided that we’d like to do things a little differently, and hence Rocket CRM was born.
Rocket CRM is a Microsoft partner that specialises in providing CRM applications based on Microsoft Dynamics 365, or built on the Microsoft Power Platform.
Inspiration
After years of working for other people, we both felt that we wanted to be in control of our own destiny, as well as our own workloads.
The journey
It’s going really well. We started out with zero customers on day 1 and only £2,000 in the bank. Now, we employ 5 people and are growing the company in a very healthy way.
We also never started out with the intention to specialise, but we gradually found that more and more of our customers were charities or non-profits. We now have a bit of a reputation in this sector as the people to go to when you need a CRM system.
The great thing about the Microsoft Power platform is that you can build anything you want without having to write lots of code. This means that we can create functionality around memberships, donations, cases, interventions, and lots of other good stuff that the charity sector needs in a CRM.
The problem with most off-the-shelf CRMs is that they aren’t flexible enough, so this is something that really works in our favour.
The growth curve
When we set out, we wanted to be known for the quality of everything we do, and that is still the one thing that drives us.
It’s not just about the quality of the finished CRM system that we create or provide. It’s just as much about the quality of all your interactions with us.
We strive to always be honest and true to our work. For example, if we say we will do something by a certain date, then we make sure that it happens by that date.
It sounds obvious, but this is a game changer, and you’d be surprised how many organisations don’t pay any attention to this kind of stuff. So, when you come across a company like that, they really stand out.
Challenges
The biggest challenge that we have is finding staff. We are fussy about who we want in our team, and finding people whose ideals align with ours is a real challenge.
Because we are a small company, our team has to wear several hats during the course of their day, and no one can afford to sit back and take an easy ride.
But ultimately, we are super proud of our small team of experts, and we continue to look for the right people to help us grow.
Highlights
We are a team that works remotely from home 100% of the time. So, when we get together once or twice a year (usually Christmas), we always have a great time.
It’s lovely to hang out occasionally and talk about things other than work. We also do a bi-monthly Friday afternoon quiz over Microsoft Teams, and that’s a lot of fun and a very nice way to start the weekend.
The future
We want to continue to grow our company, but maintain the same values that we have always had. We have a new “grown up” website being launched soon, and we are hoping to use that platform to really communicate our value proposition.
Interestingly, after 7 years, we still haven’t employed a salesperson, and almost all of our work comes from referrals, which is a great way to grow a company. We are hoping to continue on this path.
Advice
If you’re thinking about starting a business, I would say don’t procrastinate - be a person of action. You will fail at lots of things, but treat each failure as a lesson to be learnt, so that you can do things differently next time.
Make sure you do your planning, and be prepared for a long slog to get to success; but in the end, it will be worth it.
I would also say that it's super important to have a good work/life balance, and not make the business your life.
Using 1st Formations
We found 1st Formations because we were looking for a virtual office, and the London address appealed to us.
The online purchase process
We have always found it easy to work with 1st Formations. Over the past seven years, we’ve never had a problem.
1st Formations today
We use the virtual office address and letter forwarding services, and we always find great tips in their newsletters.
