Meet Piers Daniell: From Early‑20s Daydreamer to Tech Trailblazer
Remember the awkward age span that sits between being a carefree teen and a fully‑grown adult? That place where you’re still debating life’s big choices, wandering around India (or anywhere else) looking for yourself, or stuck in a job you’d rather be doing a different activity in. That was Piers Daniell’s reality, but he didn’t let that stop him.
Starting Early with a Big Idea
Back in 2004, when Piers was barely 20, he launched Fluidata, a company meant to deliver fast, custom internet connections to businesses. It wasn’t just another small startup; it quickly carved its niche and gaining recognition.
Key Milestones & Accolades
- Featured in the Deloitte Technology 50 UK list.
- Made the Tech Track 100 twice.
- Ranked in 2011’s fastest‑growing private companies index in London.
- Now partnering with giants like Cisco and servicing FTSE 100 firms.
Financial Growth at a Young Age
Today, at 31, Piers still sits on the board of Fluidata. Last year, the company’s turnover surpassed £10 million, with profits north of £1 million. Projections for the next year? A tidy £14 million.
Why He’s In the Running for the Award
Piers is a self‑learner—taught himself the ropes of IT and business. That combination of grit, growth, and proven results has earned him a spot on the shortlist for the London Loves Excellence Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. It’s a fitting recognition for someone who turned adolescence uncertainty into a tech empire.
Piers, tell us about how you started in business and why you decided to launch Fluidata.?
From Teen Tech‑Hero to Modern-Day Entrepreneur
*It all began at 15, when I was juggling school, a website, and a handful of friends who needed their laptops fixed.
Early Years: A DIY Learning Curve
*I built a simple site, typed in “tech support” and watched referrals roll in like a snowball. No fancy training, just a lot of elbow‑grease and curiosity.
From 15 to 19, every weekend I flew to London, carrying my trusty toolbox and an unwavering willingness to help anyone with a stubborn computer.
Keeping track of invoices, filing tax returns – because even a young entrepreneur knows that money must stay in order.
It wasn’t a corporate gig, but my bookkeeping was spot‑on.
Post‑A‑Levels: Chasing Corporate Success
*At 18, after squashing exams, I joined Softcat, a high‑flying IT sales machine.
I dazzled clients, closed deals, and enjoyed the thrill of the market.
After a while, the climb stagnated. I realized I wasn’t going to soar any higher.
Decision Time: Back to My Roots
*It felt like a dead‑end: stay longer, my future self would be buried in mortgages, missed that startup spark.
So I pivoted – shut down the Softcat job, dug up my old website, and restarted the support service.
I knew the basics, had a loyal client base, and the freedom to shape my own destiny.
Key Takeaways for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
*From a 15‑year‑old tech fixer to a re‑energized business owner, my story proves that passion, hustle and occasional recalibration make all the difference.
How did that company evolve into the Fluidata of today?
From Tiny Machines to Big Dreams
At the start, I was all about miniature computers. I’d import sleek gear straight from Germany, hand‑craft custom units, and ship them out to niche clients in the UK. Straight‑up simple and snappy.
But everything flips on a dime. One month you’re packing orders like a champ, the next you’re staring at an empty cash register. I wanted to bring a co‑worker on board, but without steady demand I couldn’t even picture a future salary.
That realization nudged me toward a recurring‑revenue model. Two options teetered before me:
- Mobile phones – a booming market, but you’re largely at the mercy of carriers and competition.
- The emerging Internet scene – a wild frontier where you could truly own the customer relationship.
I went all in on the Internet. Why? Because when you own the relationship, you control the conversation – not your clients, and not the carriers. And that guy hustle shifted my grind from order‑to‑order headaches to a steady stream of customers that keep coming back.
Your growth since then has been pretty staggering. How have you managed that growth?
How We Built a Company From Scratch
We grew our business the old-fashioned way – no fancy mergers or bolt‑on deals.
Sales First, Marketing Second
Sales is the heart of what we do. My time at Softcat gave me a blueprint for building a sales squad that actually works. We let the specialists do what they do best – sell – and we keep marketing on a tight leash. The only thing we really splash out on is PR, because in the long run, word‑of‑mouth beats the latest ad campaign.
Turning Fresh‑Out Grads into Pros
- We train graduates rather than hiring seasoned pros. You see it as a long‑term investment – almost a year of coaching before they hit their stride.
- The reward? An account team that knows the product, the customer, and the nuances of the market without the baggage that comes with experience.
Our Numbers: Recurring Might Only Be
We don’t keep tabs on every dollar that comes our way. Revenue and one‑off profits are just noise. What matters is the recurring gross profit we generate each month – that’s the real story of how sustainable our game is.
Think of it like an operating‑expense model: everything that keeps the engine running, day in and day out. And that’s what we live by – no fluff, just steady, repeatable income.
Why have you chosen to structure the business that way?
Why Recurring Revenue is the Real Sweet Spot
Let’s face it: the most thrilling part of any business is when the money keeps coming in like a steady stream. When you close a deal and the cash starts flowing every month—as long as you keep delivering the service your customers expected—the first win is just the beginning.
The Power of a Solid Foundation
Once the foundation is set, growth becomes almost magical. We started with 20 customers and now have almost a thousand because we stay plugged into each account, adding value and rolling on top of the relationships we’ve built.
Pragmatic Money Tracking, Big Savings
Knowing how much cash we make on an hour‑by‑hour basis gives us a realistic view of the business. That kind of transparency lets us be relaxed about spending and investments—and that freedom has been a catalyst for our rapid expansion.
<h3.5 Sales as the Core Engine
We’ve only added sales staff when we’ve got the budget to back them up, and the entire operation is built around a robust sales engine. Everything else? It’s just a support system that fuels this core engine.
- From 20 to nearly 1,000 customers – exponential growth in action.
- Real‑time cash flow insights = smarter budgeting.
- Sales‑first strategy = continuous revenue boost.
In short, with recurring gross profits driving the engine, we’re not just growing—we’re riding the wave of predictable revenue, and it’s a super‑charged ride for everyone involved.
As your business is so centred around recurring business, how do you retain customers?
It’s not too hard in our industry because telecomms is notoriously bad for service and quality! The dedicated account manager helps a lot because people like to have one point of contact.
We also haven’t invested in any one technology, so we’ve sort of become a trusted advisor to our customers. A lot of our big customers are customers that we won a few years ago, just by fixing one or two problems for them. Then we’ve earned their trust and then they’ve allowed us to bid for the rest of their business.
It’s having a long-term view – we’ve never tried to close big business immediately, and we really try and work on that relationship with the customer.
You’ve got about 1,000 customers now – what’s the split among them in terms of size?
Shifting Gears: Why We’re Leaning Into the Mid‑Market
At the end of a long day, it can feel like we’re juggling a circus: a roar of big‑name giants, a chorus of smaller partners, and the ever‑present silent hum of end users. The latest stats tell us that our focus is split right down the middle.
Half the Crowd: Mid‑Market to Enterprise
- Large Corporations. These are the heavyweight fighters—think Fortune 500 companies or regional leaders—looking for solutions that can scale across hundreds, even thousands, of employees. Their needs are as vast as their budgets.
- Mid‑Market Powerhouses. Smaller than the giants but still big enough to demand robust services and support. They’re the sweet spot where our offerings shine without the sheer scale of the top tier.
Other Half: Smaller, Smarter Partners
While the big players are our customers, the other side of the equation skews toward partners—team members, resellers, and specialized agencies. They’re not your typical end‑user; they’re the ones who help us extend our reach, tailor solutions, and bring a fresh perspective.
Why This Matters
- Flexibility. Mid‑market companies need solutions that can grow with them, not just blow up at a set point.
- Speed. Smaller partners often move quicker, spotting opportunities and adapting strategies on the fly.
- Innovation. By blending the giant’s resources with the nimbleness of smaller players, we’re positioning ourselves as a dynamic, versatile powerhouse.
In a Nutshell
Our audience is split 50/50. Half of us are carving out space among the big dogs, while the other half keeps a low profile—partnering up instead of pulling in the crowd. It’s a win‑win: big clients fuel us, small partners keep us fresh, and we all get to ride the wave of growth together.
How have you continued to develop yourself as a leader?
Leadership Without Titles
I’m not a traditional leader. Hierarchies just sit in my way. When I first rolled out the team, I thought of our recruits as future managers, a sort of “planting seeds” approach. Now, we have three directors on the scene who keep an eye on the big picture. They meet once a month to tackle major challenges or opportunities, but spark the everyday decisions up front. The managers, in turn, get full freedom to do what’s needed.
- Non‑possessive approach*: I set the standards, and that’s it. I don’t hover over outcomes.
- Two‑way flow*: While planning for the future, we’re still mindful of customer cravings. Sales reps become the real innovators.
What This Looks Like in Action
- Monthly sync – Directors talk, no micromanagement.
- Empowered managers – Own projects, own results.
- Sales‑driven innovation – Customer feedback fuels the next product.
All this keeps the company agile, keeps the staff engaged, and most importantly, reduces that stale “top‑down” vibe. We’re all in it together, but no one’s cutting the chain of command as a chain never really exists.
Is 4G going to affect your business?
Is 4G Really Revolutionizing Mobile?
Quick take: 4G’s hype might be a tad inflated. It could take a few years before it truly settles in—just like 3G did six or seven years ago.
Why the Delay?
- Coverage gaps: Even if you’re in a city, roaming in the suburbs during bad weather can feel like a pocket‑dimension.
- Inconsistency: Speed fluctuations can feel like a roller coaster, not a steady highway.
- Quality worries: Businesses need more than speed they need reliability. Imagine running a video‑conferencing chain on a shaky connection—pointers will turn into rockets.
What It Means for Everyday Users
As long as nobody can get a solid 4G connection, the tech remains a nice gadget on paper but not a trust‑worthy partner for daily life.
Bottom Line
The next few years will tell if 4G becomes that dependable, invisible thread we all crave, or stays a “future buzzword” that’s still polishing its footprints.
Thanks for your time Piers and good luck in the LondonlovesExcellence Awards.
What Fellow Readers Are Buzzing About
Here’s a quick rundown of articles that might pique your interest:
- Five tech start‑ups that hit $1 bn in under six years
- The future of money: Five forces that are washing cash away
- Alastair Mitchell: Want to be charitable? It’s not just about money—think beyond your company’s walls
London’s Business Leaders Speak Out
We chatted with more than 30 top executives to hear how Britain can unlock growth, opportunity and innovation. Check out the full publication online: Securing Britain’s Future.
Stay Updated
Get real‑time alerts about this post category right on your device. Subscribe now!
