IDR Solutions – success comes when you trust your gut
Having founded IDR Solutions in 1999, Mark Stephens literally wrote the script, or the software, on Java libraries for PDF display. So he knows a thing or two about how to run a successful and sustainable business. IDR Solutions prides itself on its independence and strong client relationships, but the company’s unique business model has raised some eyebrows over the years. He has opted not for rapid growth but to maintain a small, close-knit team, and focus on improving quality of service and client relationships. However, in trusting his instincts, Mark and his small team in Kings Hill have been able to land major clients and expand into the international playing field.
Take a chance on innovation
Before founding IDR Solutions in 1999, Mark was working for a publishing company in London, whilst simultaneously studying for a master’s at Greenwich University. Sensing, all the way back then, that the world was becoming digital, Mark started independently developing his software: a customisable script which would allow companies to display their PDF files on the internet.
Knowing this would be useful to his employer, he made them an offer. “I said to them: ‘I’ve been doing some stuff in my spare time, and I’ve written a prototype which would be useful to you soon.’ And, you know, being a large company, they said no, so I left them. Six months later, I got a phone call from them saying, ‘We’d like to be your first customer, please.’”
Success with substance
Modesty would be an understatement when describing how Mark sees his work. When reflecting on his twenty-five years in industry, he can name drop companies such as Adobe and Intel, without batting an eyelid, and without a hint of pomp or pageantry.
Today, IDR Solutions supports many major services across the internet: “We have a client, Academia, that is one of the largest inventories of research papers. So, they have got 66 million research papers online and if you are a student, this is one of the two places you go to for research. They wanted a way where they could integrate the pages and people could cut and paste out of it. Pearson needed a system to display their online courses. iCMS is a big company for recruitment in Australia. They had all these CVs that they needed to display to recruiters,” Mark says.
He jokes: “It is like we’re selling spark plugs to car makers. It is a specific but difficult problem, and if it’s not right, the entire system falters.”
Refining and adapting
Having recognised this, Mark was intent of fostering an environment of continuous self-improvement at IDR Solutions. He says: “We are unashamedly independent. We think a small company can achieve a lot more than a large company, especially when we take a longer-term view.”
Mark notes that in the tech industry, it is vital to stay ahead of a curve that is constantly flexing and twisting. “Companies are buying the software with a ten year project in mind. When they buy a solution, they shouldn’t be finding, in five years’ time, that the company who produced it can no longer support it. That’s why we take continuous training very seriously.
Mark’s gut got them the Capital Space
Until 2017, IDR solutions operated out of a serviced office in Tonbridge, but after issues with a dodgy landlord and braving the Tonbridge traffic for too long, something told Mark to cast his gaze outwards, towards Kings Hill: “I drove over to Kings Hill, and
they showed us this beautiful, lovely empty office with views on two sides. I came back and said, ‘I found our dream office, so we’re just going to have to move.’ The team obviously told me I was being ridiculous and went to see for themselves. But they came back and said, ‘Mark’s found our dream offices, we must move.’ So, moved across in 2017 and we’ve been here ever since.”
IDR Solutions’ operations are conducted primarily online, but as Mark says, that doesn’t mean there is less value in a physical space the team can be proud of. “We do feel we can get together in the office. We’re not embarrassed to bring people back here. We also use it for all our geeky groups: Dungeons and Dragons on a Friday afternoon. Or, we have a Christmas party, which is lots of silly games and pizza. So, the office is nice in terms of giving us the space we need.”
He also notes how important it is to use an office space that shares an ethos with his company. “Like us, Capital Space are constantly investing in improving. They put air conditioning in the corridor over the summer; they keep the facilities to a high standard and, they also share our environmental concerns. We started doing a carbon audit, so we contacted all our suppliers asking how much carbon we are using. Capital Space? They were on the numbers. They gave us the month-on-month figures for the gas being used in the building and the power off the solar panels on the roof.”
The future for IDR Solutions
When asked about his plans, Mark will continue to trust his instincts. “I think as a business owner, the most important thing is to run the business you want to run. There is an awful lot of people saying: ‘This is how you should run a business.’ Or, for example, you should hire lots of people or borrow lots of money or invest in a flash car or something. But we are deliberately small; because that way we can be good at what we do. We are modest and technical and unashamedly self-critical, and our aim is to improve; keep our customers happy, grow our revenues, but maintain the great dynamic that we have now.”
If Mark continues to trust his gut, further successes are undoubtedly on the horizon.
