Owen Keenan-Lindsey, founder and CEO of Assimilated International has been at the forefront of global telecommunications services since he launched his company 10 years ago. Now he wants to cement its position as the dominant player in the market, delivering unparalleled operational efficiency and service.
Tell us a bit about you and how you got to where you are today.
Maths was a passion of mine, so financial services seemed like the smart choice for me because of the synergies between the two. I started out at Dun & Bradstreet and then went on to the St James’s Place Partnership.
Initially, I worked on business taxation and trusts. But as the regulatory environment changed, so my work soon became increasingly harder. At the same time, my wife and I were expecting our first child, so I decided to consider other career choices.
After changing careers, I moved to Alternative Networks (now part of Daisy Group). They were a company on the up, having taken advantage of the deregulation of the UK telecoms market in the 1990s. During my time there, I learned about all the different services available. It was also a good fit for my interest in technology.
While I was there, I became a bit of a BlackBerry expert and that’s how I made most of my commission, selling the product. Back then, to add the BlackBerry service could be as much as £40 a month in addition to charges for calls and data. But it was a must-have as it enabled the user to significantly increase their productivity while they were out of the office.
A few years later I took on a role as Vodafone channel manager at BlackBerry (RIM). My main remit was looking after the relationships of indirect Vodafone partners. During my time there, I met almost all the big players within the UK telecoms market. That put the seed of an idea in my mind for Assimilated.
While I was at BlackBerry, one of my partners (Olive Communications) offered me the job of sales director. The company had endured some tough times with their T-Mobile relationship and needed to make some big changes with a new leader and different approach. I jumped at the chance.
Through a combination of new business and acquisitions, we grew the business from 10,000 connected mobile numbers to more than 70,000. Then a new chief executive came in to look at private equity opportunities. That’s when I decided to leave the business and took some time out to work out my next step.
Then, in August 2013, I decided to launch Assimilated. I started by buying a small customer base from a guy who worked out of a building that can best be described as a shed. This saved the trouble of applying for a new partnership with Vodafone and provided us with a core group of small companies to work with.
What services does Assimilated International provide and where are you based?
We deliver telecommunications services (mobile, hosted telephony, fixed internet, device management, etc), in the main to international companies based in the UK or USA. We have bases in Milton Keynes, Studio City (Los Angeles), and Lisbon, and we are about to open another in Madrid.
What three tools have enabled you to run your business more effectively?
Tekton (our billing platform) – it’s streets ahead of the majority of our competitors. Our unique customizations based on the requirements of our customers ensure we are able to provide them with better information than anyone else, more quickly.
Zapier – it connects all our platforms to automate many tasks. We estimate it saves us around 50 working hours every week. We also plan to implement new automation that will eliminate all repetitive and basic tasks necessary to efficiently run the business.
Salesforce – I have a hate: hate relationship with Salesforce. Its licensing model is inflexible, it’s clunky and clumsy to personalize and use, and integrations with other products are expensive and more difficult than most of its competitors. Having said that, we couldn’t operate without it.
What has been the secret to your success? How did you get there?
We solve problems for customers. Almost every large contract we have won has been because we provide innovative solutions to the problem that our competitors can’t solve. Over time, we have carefully adapted to the needs of our customers, to grow our product and revenue streams.
What has been your greatest achievement in business?
Re-establishing the business after clearing out the shareholders and selling our Vodafone dealer base. It meant starting over five years ago, but now we are three times larger and can focus exclusively on providing the best products and services.
What lessons have you learned in business? What are the main challenges you have had to overcome?
In the first five years, we focused mainly on our Vodafone partnership. Our offering was one of a dealer rather than a wholesale provider, and we were restricted in how could service our customers and the products we were encouraged to sell. Although Vodafone is still by a large margin the network we spend the most with as a wholesaler, now we aren’t subject to any of the network-directed targets and product objectives that we were previously bound by.
What is the best piece of advice you could offer yourself now?
Invest in solid legal protections from the outset. First of all, it may seem expensive and unnecessary, but, long-term, it’s a decision you won’t regret. By ensuring you have both flexibility and protection to account for the many possible directions your life may take will pay big dividends. Also, be prepared to have harder conversations to achieve your goals.
What life goals do you want to achieve in both business and on a personal level?
I want to turn Assimilated into the dominant player in international corporate telecommunications and establish ourselves as the brand that enables customers to fully globalize their telecommunications, providing unparalleled operational efficiency and service. And I would like to get a second dog once my girlfriend agrees!
What would you say to anyone looking to start a business now?
If you just want to ‘be your own boss’ or you are ‘tired of people telling me what to do’ – don’t do it. But if you have a vision, make sure any legal agreements you have to allow you to achieve it without fear or favor.
