Nebula Global Services CEO Ross Teague has revealed ambitious growth plans for the channel services start-up in an exclusive fireside chat with IT Channel Oxygen.
The conversation also saw Teague open up on:
- The two entrepreneurs who most inspired him
- Nebula’s USP in a crowded channel services market
- What keeps him awake at night
- His long-term vision
Services and ESG push
Teague founded Nebula during lockdown in 2020, with the business doubling EBITDA and growing revenues 45% in its most recent year.
“The performance was very, very strong and the next 24 months is about a lot more of the same,” Teague said.
“We’ve got pretty aggressive growth plans in terms of revenue and EBTIDA, and we’ve got aggressive plans in terms of how we’re going to develop our business.”
In the coming 24 months, Nebula will look to build out a suite of managed services and bolster its ESG strategy.
“We have some big commitments around ISO 14001 and EcoVadis, and we’re going to invest a lot more in terms of community-type projects,” Teague said.
“Winning with class”
Teague founded Nebula five years after selling his previous channel services venture, ITEC, to Exclusive Networks.
What made him decide to come back to the market?
“I don’t know how I can replicate that feeling doing anything else, so it leaves me with no choice,” he responded.
He picked out former Exclusive CEO Olivier Breittmayer, alongside his father, John, as the two entrepreneurs that have inspired him most.
The latter’s influence means Teague is “quite neurotic about cash”.
“My Dad was my business partner in the ITEC business,” Teague explained.
“I was a young, aggressive, bulletproof salesman who thought he could do everything.
“My Dad taught me how to structure, build and shape a business. He taught me the importance of financial prudence in a business.”
Breittmayer, meanwhile, showed Teague the importance of “winning with class”, he said.
“I took all of that from Olivier, and it certainly worked fabulously Exclusive – that business continues to go from strength to strength. And it’s certainly working here at Nebula, in perhaps a smaller way.”
Long-term vision
Teague acknowledged that Nebula was “entering a crowded room” when he launched it four years ago, with the services it delivers being “quite similar” to its peers.
He picked out its focus on outcomes as a USP, however.
“Nebula is very much an outcome-based service provider. We look at what success looks like for our customers, and their customers,” he explained.
Teague highlighted the fear of losing control as the thing that most affects his sleep.
“There’s an element of being an entrepreneur that makes you a bit of a control freak,” he acknowledged.
As for Nebula’s longer-term vision, Teague said the plan is to add more staff and continue to expand internationally.
“I don’t think we need to fundamentally change anything, other than to get bigger, stronger and faster, and do more of it, and that’s really what the business plan is set up to do,” he concluded.
This article was produced in association with Nebula Global Services and is classified as partner content. What is partner content? See more here.
