Business Insights: Chatting with Flow Software Solutions

In 2019, brothers Paul and David King founded Flow Software Solutions, with the goal of helping surveyors create compliance reports in less time.

Since getting their first customers onboard in 2020, they have grown their team, customer base and expertise in three short years. Tasha Bowers recently caught up with the brothers, both former alumni of Sunderland Software City’s Ventures Programme,?to chat about their journey, challenges and top tips for would-be business founders.?

About Flow?

Flow’s software supports asbestos surveyors with report writing. As asbestos is the second most regulated industry in the UK, behind nuclear, there are strict guidelines for asbestos report writing. On average, it can take up to?2 hours to write a report by hand! This is the problem the team at Flow are trying to solve by deploying software to automate processes, saving their clients valuable time and resource.??

After growing up in Gateshead, starting the business in Newcastle was a no-brainer for Paul and David. With more affordable options, lots of talent and business support in the North East, Flow has thrived alongside the growing tech sector that we have right on our doorstep.??

Challenges??

For a lot of startups, the primary challenge is funding. As a bootstrapped (personally financed) organisation, Flow started with David and Paul freelancing and low-code work on the side to provide seed funding for the business. Now coming into 2023, the company is doing very well and is still 100% funded by clients. They are now branching into other areas of report writing and helping customers all over the globe.??

Growth brings new challenges. For Flow, these are how big to grow and how to maintain company culture during growth. Currently, Flow has 140 customers and a small team of just 4 people and is now currently recruiting more staff to keep up with the demand. ?

Company culture is very important to David and Paul. It is part of the reason they encourage in-office working to nurture a social and open culture. The brothers believe that,?hiring someone with the suitable skills for the job is one thing but finding someone with the right skills that will also fit within company culture is another entirely.??

“Retrofitting culture is impossible, so it is important to have it from the start,” says David.??

Over the next year or so, the team will be recruiting for toles in Software Development, Customer Success and Marketing.?

Advice?

If you Google ‘startup advice’, there are thousands of articles from various people with often contradictory advice. Here are some wise words from David and Paul to those looking to start their own business or have businesses that are still in their infancy.?

“Done is better than perfect”??

Tick things off the to-do list and don’t hang about waiting for it to be perfect. The product doesn’t even need to be 100% complete for people to see your vision and buy it. There is no way that a product won't change after going to market anyway! Perfectionism can be a positive trait in some instances, but by pushing forward and getting results, you avoid procrastination and paralysis and there is always time to change things.??

“Say no”?

One of the best things to do is that say no to those customers that are not a right fit for your business. If, after a first meeting, they give off a bad first impression, do not be afraid to say no to them. It means that your customer base is filled with people you enjoy helping and working with.??

“Have fun”?

One of the biggest benefits of having your own business is that you can have fun with it, have a laugh. Finish slightly early on a Friday, if you can, or take half an hour every morning to catch up with your colleagues. For Flow, culture and employee satisfaction is a top priority. By nurturing a culture in which employees can have fun with their work and build positive relationships with clients, it is more likely that you will get employees that stay and grow alongside the business.??

“You don’t just have to optimise for revenue”?

Optimising isn’t just about ensuring that you are getting the most revenue. It can also be about streamlining processes that save certain individuals or the business as a whole time. It can even just be about making a disliked task easier, better or more fun. This is a great way of improving morale, making employees feel valued and ensuring that progress is made in all areas of the business.??

“Build a peer network”?

Before starting Flow, the brothers took part in a Sunderland Software City accelerator programme to explore an alternative business venture. Although their original software business didn’t work out, the brothers say that they found the peer network invaluable, even many years later. The biggest benefit to programmes such as this is meeting like-minded people. Being in the same position allows founders to share ideas, ask for advice and celebrate the wins together.???

Conclusion?

We would just like to say a massive ‘thank you’ to David and Paul for agreeing to spend an afternoon chatting and sharing their fantastic insights.??

If you would like to find out more about Flow, check out the website or these brilliant YouTube videos. We are sure to see some great things from Flow in 2023!?

Written by Natasha Bowers