Paul Jones
Managing director, Total Computer Networks
Career so far I was a dodgem attendant at Wicksteed Park: "One-way round only, please - no deliberate bumping!" Then I progressed to stirring paint at Campbells Plastics for two years, after various character-building agency jobs that mum and dad forced me to undertake, much to my displeasure. I had had enough of factory work and picking the green bits off tomatoes before popping them into a bucket and decided I needed an office job. So I joined Misco as a temp in telemarketing, then went into inbound and finally into key accounts. I was a Misco lad for five years until I left and joined ISC Networks for two years. Then I set up Total Computer Networks in November 2003.
If you could be anyone else for a week, who would you be? I’d be my eldest son. He’s 12 so he’s in that strange age where he’s not a little boy anymore but not yet a teenager and subsequently he has lost his brain, sense of humour, common sense and ability to communicate in words, only grunts. He locks himself in his room a lot and wants to paint the walls black. He’s gone a bit Kevin and Perry and I’d like to revert back to that age for a week because it's the only age you can be that unreasonable and get away with it. I am not your slave!
What will next year’s most overhyped industry buzzword be? The cloud – as it's not right for everybody.
Has 2012 been a good, bad or ugly year? This year has been a very good one for us – we have exceeded expected growth and expanded our sales team and opened new offices. We currently have many exciting opportunities arising from our growth so please watch this space.
What would you have as your last meal? I love my grub – but my problem is I like all grub. I like nice food and junk food alike so for my last meal I’d like to link up with Adam Richman from Man Vs Food and devour an obscene burger or taco weighing about 7kgs.
What keeps you awake at night? The normal work/parental stuff as well as my fear of flying. I despise flying with a passion so much so I prefer to spend two days on a coach to a European destination while everyone else flies and gets there in a few hours.
What piece of technology could you not be without? Probably my iPhone. Even if I misplace it, I get a bit twitchy.
Have any of your predictions come true this year? This year as well as last year have been harder to predict than any other as this year did not follow the same trends set out in previous years.
What is the best partner/customer trip you have ever been on? Probably not the best but the most memorable was myself, a lady from inbound sales who wore bad trainers and the janitor won a trip to the 1998 World Cup to watch England v Tunisia in Marseille.
What do you see as the channel’s biggest challenge in 2013? The economy will in my view be the biggest challenge of 2013 as it was in 2012 – companies continue to tighten their belts, tighten up on purchasing procedures and fixate on price more. Everybody in the economy – not just in our industry – are having to fight for their orders harder now than ever before and margins are affected as a result.