WHO ARE YOU AND WHERE DID YOU COME FROM
I’m Angus Kerr – I come from Aberdeen, but have lived in Edinburgh for the last 20 years or so. I worked with the Bank of Scotland for 25 years and by the time I left, I was director of online banking. I always wanted to start my own business and now run PC Support Group (Edinburgh), which I set up two years ago. The business has grown substantially since then – turnover has doubled and I now employ two staff.
WHAT IS THE BUSINESS BOOK THAT YOU RECOMMEND THAT EVERYONE SHOULD READ
Alan Sugar’s autobiography, ‘What You See Is What You Get’
WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE YOUR BUSINESS STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
One of my main strengths is my intuition – it usuallly leads me to make the right decisions about the business. Also, my technical skills, the result of many years’ experience, hard work, training and a passion for IT, stand me in good stead. Whatever the problem is, I will have seen it before many times, which means I can fix it quickly and effectively.
My weakness is that with so much new business coming in, that I sometimes find it hard to switch off from it all.
WHAT IS THE DEFINING MOMENT ON YOUR CAREER PATH THAT GOT YOU TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW
My defining moment was the point where I realised that it was now the right time to leave the bank and start up on my own.
HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR SPARE TIME
I’m a very keen golfer and like to play at both my home course of Ratho Park and others in the Lothians. I also enjoy eating out and like to try different restaurants and styles of food each time.
DO YOU THINK YOU ACHIEVE A GOOD WORK/LIFE BALANCE
Not yet, as the business is still in its early days and demands a lot of my time.
WHAT MAKES EDINBURGH THE BEST LOCATION FOR YOU TO LIVE/WORK
On the work side of things, the city has a great variety of businesses that require my IT services. I also love the fact that there is beautiful, open countryside only a few miles outside the city centre. Having the Edinburgh Festival on your doorstep is hard to beat!
WHAT IS YOUR SPECIAL AREA OF EDINBURGH OR SPECIAL PLACE
I have a soft spot for Scott’s Bar on Rose St, as it was my first ‘local’ when I moved to Edinburgh from Aberdeen.
WHAT WOULD YOU CONSIDER THE PINNACLE OF YOUR CAREER
I helped develop the first computer based banking system in the UK, while at Bank of Scotland, which was a challenging, but extremely rewarding project to work on. This development theme has continued with my business – one of the most satisfying projects I’ve worked on was developing a job management and tracking system for an engineering company.
IF YOU HAVE A MENTOR, WHO IS THAT
I don’t have a mentor as such, but having read Alan Sugar’s autobiography, I’ve found his philosophy on life and business to be invaluable in helping me grow my company.
WHICH NETWORKING GROUPS IN EDINBURGH HAVE YOU FOUND PARTICULARLY HELPFUL
I believe that all networking is useful and beneficial for my business – I attend at least six networking events per month.
WHO ARE YOUR BUSINESS HEROES
Like many people, I admire what Richard Branson has achieved.
WHAT ARE YOUR BUSINESS GOALS FOR THE NEXT YEAR
I’d like to double turnover again and this goal looks to be in sight.
DESCRIBE YOUR TYPICAL DAY FOR US
I’m up around 7.30 – the first tasks are to review my emails and plan my schedule. Then the day flies by – it usually includes a networking breakfast or lunch, customer visits and calls, visiting my office in Edinburgh and dropping in to my shop in Linlithgow. Before I know it, it’s evening and by the time I’ve had dinner, spent time with the kids and done a little bit more work, it’s nearly time for it to start all over again!
BEST ADVICE YOU EVER RECEIVED
“Go for it (or you’ll regret not trying).”
YOUR PLAN OF ATTACK FOR THE NEXT 12 MONTHS
To grow consistently and in a measured way. I am also hoping to delegate more to my growing team.
