Introduction...................................... ................................................... ................................................... 1
IWCYC strapline................................... ................................................... ............................................. 1
Challenge............................................................................................................................................. 1
Background........................................ ................................................... .................................................. 2
Tell us about your vision and ambitions........... ................................................... ................................... 2
Please provide a brief overview of your business/business idea....................................... .................... 3
What gives you confidence in your business or idea?.................................................. .......................... 3
Why would you like to win the If we can, you can Challenge?.......................................... ..................... 5

As part of our 'Supporter of the Year' recognition award, please nominate a person (and the
organisation they work for if appropriate) who has helped you on your journey and how they have
impacted you/your business *...................... ................................................... ....................................... 5

Over the last 2 years hundreds of seasoned, emerging and aspiring entrepreneurs from
across the North East have joined in the chorus 'If we can, you can'. The 'If we can, you can'
Challenge is your opportunity to join them – as we encourage people of all ages and
backgrounds to explore their entrepreneurial potential.

We're more interested in the person behind the plan – and we're calling all budding,
emerging and established entrepreneurs to stand up and tell the North East population their
inspiring stories.

Being part of the Challenge is all about your ability to make the journey. It's about having the
vision to see how you could do something better, the passion for what you do and your
determination to make it work.

Before I set up my own business, I worked for the European subsidiary of a Japanese technology
group. My former employer runs other people's IT systems, and I worked there as a business
consultant. My job was to help customers to share information more effectively, and manage the
people change alongside the technology implementation.

I took a voluntary redundancy package from Fujitsu as I could see that the recession was coming, and wanted to beat the rush! Fujitsu laid off many of my former colleagues in another round of redundancies a year later.

A friend advised me to start a business as a vehicle for sub-contracting to other people, but as I went
through the process, I decided I could fulfil some long-held ambitions and realise some dormant
ideas through Souter Consulting Limited – it’s the name my friend suggested!

A defining moment about running a successful business came earlier this year, when Di Gates was helping me with SCL's marketing pitch. It became clear after that session that I needed to build a business to implement my ideas - i.e. harness them to productive ends, rather the ideas being an end in themselves.

I plan to build a consultancy business, initially with a network of associates, which helps customers achieve business improvement through technology. Although not scalable like a software business, I get the greatest satisfaction about creating happy customers, and exceeding their expectations.

What I planned was to survive the recession and be well-placed to benefit from an upturn in the
economy. I see myself running the business and consulting for customers for the foreseeable future,
with a goal of selling the successful business as a going concern some time in the future.

The idea behind Souter Consulting Limited can be summarised as helping customers create ‘digital nervous systems’ which allow information to flow around their organisations. This involves both the Office and PDF files that we use every day, but also the data that machines exchange and which are commonly stored in databases.

I believe there is tremendous value to be unlocked in the information and data that customers have to hand – if only they have the right arrangements in place. Typically these need to address people, process, and only then technology issues.

SCL helps customers make the most of what they know and can help with managing the people
change, mapping and improving their processes, and helping with IT (as a high level) and configuring
their information management and collaboration tools.

The SCL mission is to occupy the emerging space between packaged and bespoke software to
provide customer solutions quickly, in a cost-effective manner, and with a low total cost of
ownership; to help customers get the most from their technology investments, and achieve business
improvements. We complement existing players like IT systems integrators in that we can exploit the
tools that they implement and maintain.

We aim always to keep business benefits and return on investment in mind in our consultancy work.
To help make the best of what customers have got already and where possible, use modular, off-
the-shelf solutions that fit with your existing infrastructure and are straightforward to manage and
maintain.

This mission appears to be an excellent fit with the Digital North East strategy from ONE - i.e. help
local businesses get the most out of their technology investments, and build more innovative use of
technology in the NE economy.

In summary, SCL offers customers help in leapfrogging their competitors by using leading edge
thinking and tools to create competitive advantage. However, we also can help you get the most out
of what you have already, and help manage the people and process issues which are so crucial to
successful IT implementations.

I worked in a multinational business with large and medium sized customers who considered
managing their information effectively a pressing challenge and worthy of investment in terms of
time and money. I worked in a large Government Department managing the people change
alongside the implementation of software to manage the Department's websites.