Paul Tomlinson

Managing director, Mirus IT

What was your dream career as a child?

My dad was a PLC programmer for a number of large companies and I had a natural ability when it came to using computers, so I guess I was always destined to be in IT. I'm not sure I ever had a dream career as such, I think the hope was just to make enough money to have a fun lifestyle.

What has been your personal highlight of 2019?

Mirus becoming part of the IT Lab Group of companies. It marked a huge milestone in the 17-year history of Mirus and has started a new chapter for the team, our customers and for me.

What two things (apart from family) would you grab if your house was on fire?

Family photos from my childhood as I've still not got them all digitally stored and the kids' memory books - everything else could be replaced.

Which of your 2019 predictions have come to pass?

None of them! I'm glad I didn't have any bets placed on my own predictions.

What TV show have you binge watched this year?

Game of Thrones. I'd never watched it, I'm not sure why but when we started we were on two to three episodes a night to watch all the series - it left a pretty big hole in our evenings at the end!

How has 2019 been from a business perspective?

It's been a great year for the business. We've had our strongest year in terms of turnover and profit and have some great foundations in place for a strong 2020.

What annoys you most about your commute?

Nothing normally as I'm an early riser going to the gym and avoiding traffic, but if for some reason I leave the house later than normal, it's frustrating getting caught in rush hour traffic.

If you could witness one past event, what would it be?

The beginning of the universe. My nine-year-old spent 30 minutes asking me about how it all began: "Why this? Why that?" So it'd be good to have the answers!

How do you explain the channel to people?

I've never thought about it as most of my working career has been working within the channel, but I think I'd relate it back to that person's own life experience so there wouldn't be a stock explanation - although one thing I think I would make sure they understand is that it's an incredibly small world and it's good to be nice, as that will come back and reward you in the future.

What have been your favourite and least favourite partner conference destinations?

I always love London, not least because it's close allowing me to get home in the evening but also because I get to see lots of other UK partners.

I also really enjoy the ConnectWise events in Florida - the negative is the long flight back with a hangover!

What is the biggest challenge facing the channel in 2020?

The uncertainty around Brexit and whether it will impact our coming financial year with the availability of product and also whether it will impact client spend.

I feel optimistic for us as we've got a clear pipeline of projects and our marketing activity is generating a lot of recurring revenue business.