Having started merely as a means for founder Ben Konopinski to pay the bills, this month’s Oxygen IT Solutions Provider of the Month has grown quickly to seven staff.
It also has a novel approach to sales.
Here Konopinski runs us through his plans for Koncise Solutions….
You launched Konicse in 2012. How large is it now, and what’s its sweet spot?
Koncise is now seven strong. Small in headcount but strong in revenue per head and we’re very content with the growth and path we have had and are on. We typically work with clients ranging from 100 users to 2,500 users. Over the last two years we have grown approximately 30% each year and this is reflected in our average deal size and customer size.
What kind of metrics or achievements would make 2024 a successful year for Koncise?
We don’t have sales targets here at Koncise, which I know many of my peers find strange. However we find it works well and the team can get on and make the right decisions without the pressure that targets bring. Rightly or wrongly, I am more focused on getting paid and paying our bills promptly – it helps me sleep at night knowing we have cash in the bank.
Honestly, if the team here at Koncise are happy and successful, then that would be enough for me. I want to make sure we are doing the best for our clients and giving them the same great service we have since the beginning. Of course, it would be good to grow and not lose a single contract, but that isn’t realistic. However, if the team are happy and the clients are then I think we are on the right path.
You kicked off with a focus on Mimecast. Is that still the case today?
Whilst Mimecast was key to getting Koncise off the ground 12 years ago, we have been able to grow and partner with other market leading vendors such as Arctic Wolf, Egress and Okta to name a few. Mimecast is still a fundamental partner to us and is growing, however it is not our only focus, but rather the wider cyber security market and how all the vendors we work with can benefit our clients. Being a small team allows us all to have very personal relationships with our partners, these are people we’ve known in the market for many years.
Being a small team allows us all to have very personal relationships with our partners, these are people we’ve known in the market for many years.
What kind of metrics or achievements would make 2024 a successful year for Koncise?
We don’t have sales targets here at Koncise, which I know many of my peers find strange. However we find it works well and the team can get on and make the right decisions without the pressure that targets bring. Rightly or wrongly, I am more focused on getting paid and paying our bills promptly – it helps me sleep at night knowing we have cash in the bank.
Honestly, if the team here at Koncise are happy and successful, then that would be enough for me. I want to make sure we are doing the best for our clients and giving them the same great service we have since the beginning. Of course, it would be good to grow and not lose a single contract, but that isn’t realistic. However, if the team are happy and the clients are then I think we are on the right path.
What’s the most dramatic lesson you’ve learned running Koncise?
Thankfully there haven’t been too many dramas over the last 12 years, but if I could give one lesson I have learned, it is not to take things personally when things don’t go your way – after all it is business, not personal.
Is there anything you feel Koncise does particularly differently from its peers?
I think it is very hard to differentiate between us and our peers. The feedback I regularly get from everyone we work with, be it clients or partners, is our personable approach. We genuinely care and I think that comes across how we conduct ourselves in the business. I would like to think we are all trustworthy, giving the best advice as and when needed to our clients.
Do you have any predictions for the 12 months ahead?
I think 24/25 will have its highs and lows, however the constant talk of AI will peak and settle as it is integrated into more and more services. Cyber security will still be high on the agenda as threats evolve in this unsettled world but hopefully this will settle down and the status quo can resume.
When you launched Koncise, you’ve told us before that it was just to pay the bills. Are you surprised at where Koncise is 12 years later?
I still pinch myself on a regular basis to think what Koncise has become. We may be small, but we are certainly punching above our weight, winning awards and working with some of the most well-known and recognised brands in the world. I also take a lot of pride knowing that our clients and partners trust what we say, knowing we are never knowingly going to give them reason to doubt us.
