Mike is one of the two co-founders and Director of Escone Solutions and has seen it all, he has been here from the start. Kevin and Mike started Escone Solutions in 2015 and it has certainly changed since they both started this journey. From initially scouring the coffee shops of Aberdeen for scones to now managing the team and directing the future of the business. Our team drive the values, vision and purpose of what we do.
How long have you worked at Escone and what is your role?
As a Co-founder, there are no prizes for guessing that I’ve been here since the start. My role is Director of Escone Solutions but that’s a pretty vague term for the role. Along with Kevin and the SLT, we do our best to manage day-to-day operations. I can wear many different hats from getting involved in project work, selling services to new clients, assisting with troubleshooting, working with the Marketing team, helping to develop new products and service options, working on the business strategy, all the way down to working on Accounts Payable, Receivables and being the Credit Control person. One of the main challenges of being part of so many aspects of the business is ensuring that I am not a bottleneck.
What do you most enjoy about your job?
I love working with our team and watching each individual develop their skills and their personality. Getting to do that has very much been an unexpected privilege of starting Escone.
Which of Escone’s core values do you align with most?
I would say self-expressive is probably the one that relates the most. We are very much a small team, but that allows individuals not to be boxed into a specific role and set of tasks. Allowing people to be self-expressive in a busy environment relies on the business trusting each of us to use our experience and creativity to seek positive outcomes. That can also lead to failures along the way, but we must allow these things to enable everyone to learn from failures and look to continuously improve.
What are your work goals?
I am still hoping to one day get a call-up to play for Aberdeen F.C., but I do feel that it is slipping from my grasp with every passing year. As far as the normal work goals are concerned, I am excited to look to the future of Escone and how we move into the next phase of our business strategy. Like all other businesses, we will have to move with the times, and I am driven by helping to try and secure our future for the next 5 – 10 years.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given in your career?
I am not sure if this is the best piece of advice but it stuck with me. “The shy boy doesn’t get cake!”
What is your dream holiday location?
I wouldn’t mind a wee trip to the Maldives one day.
What phone app could you not live without?
Unoriginally, I would probably say WhatsApp.
Favourite film/TV series
Film – Amélie (because I’m cultured), TV Series – The Sopranos (Very few things come close).
Book or podcast? Which do you prefer and what would you recommend?
There is a little-known book called Bear V Shark by Chris Bachelder that I love. I try to buy a copy and hand it out at least once a year.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
I would settle for being able to run without everything hurting. 😊
If you want to find out more about our amazing team, click here >> https://bit.ly/3oLFloA
