Meet the Team: Charles

The latest post in our Meet the Team series features Nimvelo Founder and MD Charles, who started the company in 2010 and maintains a very hands-on role when it comes to running the business and developing our range of products and services.

Tell us a little about your role at Nimvelo

As the Founder and MD of Nimvelo, I like to take a very hands-on role – my style of leadership involves being one of the team and never expecting anyone to do anything that I would not do myself. I have always enjoyed being on the front line, providing support and building strong relationships with our customers. I also manage the day-to-day operations that keep the business running, making financial decisions and fulfilling HR obligations.

I’m also responsible for the development and delivery of our overall business strategy, in which company culture plays a central role. In building the Nimvelo team, I’ve really prioritised hiring individuals who are aligned with this culture and share our core values. I think it’s important to make all team members feel empowered and able to make their own decisions in line with what we’re trying to achieve as a business.

What does an average day look like for you?

No two days at Nimvelo are the same, but my time is generally spent ensuring the business runs smoothly, working on our products, and providing my team with support when they require my input. I like to be as involved as possible, and still handle customer calls or enquiries from prospective partners. I also ensure I’m kept up to speed with what the team are working on – though they’re given a large amount of autonomy around managing their workload, I’m on hand to provide direction where required.

What are you working on at the moment?

When I started Nimvelo, I envisioned an ever-evolving, innovative business that was always working on new ways to help companies communicate; as such, I spend quite a bit of my time on product development alongside the team. We’re currently working on a brand new product that I’m very excited about – I can’t share too much right now, but its primary purpose is to enable teams to have more productive conversations and ultimately get more done. We’re hoping to have this launched later this summer; if you’re interested in getting early access, please get in touch!

How did you come to start Nimvelo? Is there any advice you’d give to someone looking to start their own business?

My earlier career was very varied – I’ve launched a range of businesses including an online trading company and an IT consultancy firm, built a small property portfolio, and even opened a couple of bars to add into the mix! I’ve always had a passion for business and people, but my primary area of expertise remained in IT and telecoms, so internet-based communications eventually became the focus.

Sipcentric was formed in late 2010 and for the past 8 years I have been developing the business and growing the team. We re-branded to Nimvelo in 2015 as part of our longer term strategy to look at the ways in which small business teams communicate, both between themselves and with their customers – and we haven’t looked back since.

I would tell future business owners not to give up; there will be long hours and sleepless nights, but in the end it will be worth it. Your first venture might not work out, or your second or third, but just keep at it – and most importantly, enjoy it! Without a passion for what you’re doing, you’ll find it extremely difficult to stay enthusiastic and motivated when things get tough.

What’s the best thing about working at Nimvelo?

At Nimvelo everyone has their own personality, and these all seem to mesh together to create this amazing culture. Everyone takes pride in the work they do, and I really believe that Nimvelo means as much to them as it does me. We work hard, taking care to ensure everyone has the right tools and skills to do their job; and most of all, we have fun!

Interested in joining Charles and the rest of the Nimvelo team? Please feel free to send your CV to hello@nimvelo.com and we’ll be in touch if we have any suitable roles!