Nerf gun-toting Cloudamour aims at £20m club

Cloud reseller finalising its first-ever acquisition as it nurtures its staff-centric culture

Fledging reseller Cloudamour is hoping to grow its top line by more than 10 times in the next four years as it pursues what it claims is its different way of doing business.

The Watford-based cloud reseller - which employs 20 staff and works with Microsoft, Cisco and Symantec, among others - started trading just two years ago and has already seen turnover reach the £1.7m mark. It is aiming to take the number to £20m by the end of 2018 - a plan it claims it is already ahead of at the moment.

The firm is currently finalising the details of its first-ever acquisition, which it says will help propel it to its sales target. While it remained tight-lipped on the name of the company it is hoping to take under its wing, it did say it is a like-minded seven-man band turning over about £1m a year.

To date, Cloudamour has donated 15 per cent of its profits to charity, particularly the Langdon Foundation, which helps young people with learning disabilities live independent lives.

The firm's founder Mitchell Feldman (pictured) said as well as helping causes close to his heart, the company's charitable giving demonstrates its alternative approach to business.

"We're really proud of our ‘train the trainer' mentality," Feldman told C RN. "Some IT companies mystify IT and make it appear like black magic. But we want to demystify it.

"I do feel we have a Robin Hood approach - [we say] ‘you have been paying these large fees but you don't need to'. I could tell them they need Exchange Server and get a lot more money and could extol the virtues of having one, but what is right is to go to the cloud. We have a shareholder mentality and are the voice, reason and conscience of our customers.

"Our primary target is to get to ‘trusted adviser' status. Doing things - and it's not a façade - like charitable donations and being socially responsible gives us that gravitas, if you like."

Feldman added that since the company was founded, only two of its staff have moved on. He put its low attrition rate down to a staff-centric business culture.

"When you first start [at Cloudamour], the first thing you do is go online and choose a Nerf gun," he said. "Everyone has a Nerf gun. [Battles] are impromptu - if someone says something funny or if it is too quiet in the office, [it turns into] all-out war!"